From his seat in Xanadu, the great Mongol Emperor of China, Kubla Khan, had long plotted an invasion of Japan. However, it was only with the acquisition of Korea, that the Khan gained the maritime resources necessary for such a major amphibious operation. Written by eastern warfare expert Stephen Tu[...]
A brilliant but little-known operation, the Shimazu clan raid on the independent kingdom of Rykyu (modern Okinawa) in 1609 is one of the most extraordinary episodes in samurai history and the culmination of centuries of rivalry between the two powers. The defeat of the Shimazu at Sekigahara in 1600,[...]
Ever since the Empress Jingo-kogo led an invasion of Korea while pregnant with the future Emperor Ojin, tales of female Japanese warriors have emerged from Japan's rich history. Using material that has never been translated into English before, this book presents the story of Japan's female warriors[...]
Osprey's examination of the campaign at Nagashino in 1575. When Portuguese traders took advantage of the constant violence in Japan to sell the Japanese their first firearms, one of the quickest to take advantage of this new technology was the powerful daimyo Oda Nobunaga. In 1575 the impetuous Take[...]
Vuonna 1615 japanilainen eliittisotilasluokka oli valtansa huipulla. Samurai-sotureiden tehtävänä oli totella kuuliaisesti isäntäänsä, puolustaa uskollisesti keisaria ja taistella valtarakenteita uhkaavia barbaareita vastaan. He hallitsivat täydellisesti taistelutekniikat miekkailusta karate[...]