Dr. Robert Boock's Samurai bibliography.
This file is reproduced with Dr. Boock's permission after having been posted on the L5RInfo Listserv.
To Mirumoto Micah Dragon Clan Student,
Here is a slightly more comprehensive reading list on samurai, it is by no means definitive and if anyone else has anything else to add I would be most appreciative to hear of it myself.
Samurai Bibliography
Historic/Academic
G. Sansom "A History of Japan" (3 Volume Set)
R. Mason and J. Caiger " A History of Japan"
Y. Kozo " The Cambridge History of Japan" (multi-volume set)
W. Farris "Heavenly Warriors: Evolution of Japan's Military:500-1300
M. Jansen "Warrior Rule in Japan"
P. Varley "Warriors of Japan as Potrayed in the War Tales"
H. Sato "Legends of the Samurai"
K. Friday "Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan"
E. Ikegami " The Taming of the Samurai"
M. Sugawara "The Ancient Samurai"
J. Mass and W. Hauser "The Bakufu in Japanese History"Translated Medieval or Older Books
H. McCullogh " The Taiheiki" and "The Tale of the Heike"
E. Yoshikawa "The Heike Story"
W. Aston "Nihongi"
B. Chamberlain "The Kojiki"
R. Sawyer " The 7 Military Classics of Ancient China"
H. Senger " The Book of Strategems"
S. Griffith "Sun Tzu: The Art of War"
T. Obata "Heiho Okugisho: The Secret of High Strategy"
T. Cleary "The Book of Five Rings"
S. Kaufman "The Martial Artist's Book of Five Rings"General Samurai
Stephen Turnbull
"Samurai Warriors"
"Samurai Warlords"
"The Samurai: A Military History"
"Samurai: The Warrior Class of Japan"
"Lone Samurai and the Martial Arts"
"Ninja"
"Samurai"
"Battles of the Samurai"
"Samurai Warfare"
and R. Hook "Samurai Armies: 1550-1615"
I. Bottomley and A. Hopson "Arms and Armour of the Samurai"
O. Ratti and A. Westbrook "Secrets of the Samurai"
K. Hirai "Feudal Architecture of Japan"
H. Cook "Samurai: The Story of a Warrior Tadition"
A. Bryant and A. McBride
"The Samurai"
"Samurai: Weapons, Armour, Tactics 1550-1600"
"Early Samurai: 200-1500"
A. Bryant "Sekigahara: 1600"Swords and Swordsmanship
H. Sato "The Sword and the Mind"
T. Watanabe "Shinkage-Ryu Sword Techniques" 2 Vols
R. Otake "THe Deity and the Sword:Katori Shinto Ryu" 3 vols
T. Obata "The Naked Blade" and "Crimson Steel"
J. Stevens "The Sword of No Sword"
K. Sato "The Japanese Sword"
N. Ogasawara "Japanese Swords"
L. and H. Kapp and Y. Yoshihara "The Craft of the Japanese Sword"
J. Yumoto " The Samurai Sword"
M. Sugawara "Lives of Master Swordsmen"
G. Warner and D. Draeger "Japanese Swordsmanship"
D. Draeger "Classical Bujutsu" and "Classical Budo"
D. Kirby "Samurai Swordsmanship" 2 vols
C. Daniel "Kenjutsu: The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship"
G. Parulski "Sword of the Samurai: The Classical Art of Japanese Swordsmanship"
N. Suino "The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship: Eishin-Ryu Iaido"
D. Craig "Iai-The Art of Drawing the Sword"
M. Shimabukuro and L. Pellman "Flashing Steel"
W. Hawley "Introduction to Samurai Swords" and "Koto Sword Scrapbook" and a variety of other unique translated materials
H. Onuma and D. and J. DeProspero "Kyudo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery (yes I know, not sword related)Samurai Philosophy
W. Wilson "Ideals of the Samurai" and "The Unfettered Mind"
A. Sadler "The Code of the Samurai"
I. Nitobe "Bushido: The Warrior's Code"
W. Wilson "Budoshoshinshu"
Y. Tsunetomo "Hagakure"
A. Braverman "Warrior of Zen"
W. King "Zen and the Way of the Sword"Fiction
E. Yoshikawa "Musashi" and "The Taiko"
L. Rowland "Shinju" and "Bundori"
J. Allyn "The 47 Ronin Story"
J. Clavell "Shogun"
W. Jennings "The Ronin"
Last updated by Neil Laughlin on August 11, 1997.