The Samurai Warrior: The Golden Age of Japan's Elite Warriors, 1560-1615

• Examine samurai warrior culture, exploring key ideas such as service to one's lord, ethics in battle, the art of swordmanship, and seppuku (ritual suicide) • Discover the weapons and armor of the samurai, including the longer katana and short wakizashi swords; pole arms, such as the naginata and yari; missile weapons, such as the matchlock teppo and the fusetake yumi compound bow; and armor, such as the kabuto (helmet), hoate (mask), do (body armor), and kusazuri (skirts) • Read about some of the most important battles of the era, including Kawanakajima (1561), Nagashino (1575), Sekigahara (1600), and the seige of Osaka Castle (1615) • Includes more than 200 artworks, photographs, and maps; plus a free poster (on the reverse of the jacket) featuring the typical armor and weapons of a samurai warrior