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Post by Ronin Katana on Jun 21, 2009 3:02:40 GMT
I just finished reading Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened the East. If you have any interest in learning about the first Europeans to arrive in Japan and their take on Japanese culture, I highly recommend reading it. I think Amazon has it for $.99 used, or free from your local library.
William was the first Englishman to arrive in Japan, and was eventually elevated to the rank of samurai by the shogun. James Clavel based his main character in Shogun on him.
Lots of references to the samurai and their habit of chopping people into small pieces to test their katana, and some nice three way street battles between the samurai, Dutch, and English.
It's a history book, but a pretty easy read. If you have any interest in what the first Westerners found when they landed in Japan, it's worth the read.
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Post by YlliwCir on Jun 21, 2009 4:10:36 GMT
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Post by sparky on Jun 21, 2009 14:37:48 GMT
I just finished reading Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened the East. If you have any interest in learning about the first Europeans to arrive in Japan and their take on Japanese culture, I highly recommend reading it. I think Amazon has it for $.99 used, or free from your local library. William was the first Englishman to arrive in Japan, and was eventually elevated to the rank of samurai by the shogun. James Clavel based his main character in Shogun on him. Lots of references to the samurai and their habit of chopping people into small pieces to test their katana, and some nice three way street battles between the samurai, Dutch, and English. It's a history book, but a pretty easy read. If you have any interest in what the first Westerners found when they landed in Japan, it's worth the read. I will check out that book. I have a question though, I recently finished reading Shogun and was wondering how historically accurate it was? Thanks for the link Ric!
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Post by Ronin Katana on Jun 21, 2009 16:53:51 GMT
The setting is historical, and you'll be able to recognize how much Clavel borrowed from Adam's life. Shogun follows Blackthorne around Japan while Samurai William focuses on events that were going on at the English compound. You'll be surprised at exactly how much influence Adams had, and what he did with it. He put the screws to entire nations.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 18:42:14 GMT
A lot of people think William Adams was the first 'foreign samurai' in Japan, but he was preceded by about 20 years by 'Yasuke', a Japanese name for an African slave who accompanied a Jesuit priest to Japan back then. Looking up William Adams yielded up that little nugget- I had had no idea. Thanks for sharing, man.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 19:35:14 GMT
Thanks, I actually have that book sitting in the Japanese/samurai related pile, waiting to be read. I just finished reaing a little book I got at the used book store here, "The Way of the Samurai" Also a historical type book giving a high elevation view of some Japanese history, pertaining to the samuria, shoguns etc.
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