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Title: Samurai Invasion: Japan's Korean War 1592 -1598 by Stephen Turnbull ISBN: 0-304-35948-3 Publisher: Cassell Pub. Date: 01 April, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.91 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: the other korean war
Comment: Often glossed in history books as a couple of failed invasions, the prolonged Japanese campaign in Korea finally gets the account it deserves with Turnbull's painstakingly researched book. After centuries of internecine conflict, the samurai finally united under their shogun only to turn their bellicose attentions to foreign fields. Ruining Korea, almost bankrupting Japan, and fatally destabilising the shaky Ming dynasty in China, the so-called "Imjin" war was an event of crucial historical importance. Turnbull is no armchair historian; he has dutifully padded round the old battlefields himself, assembling painstaking plans of who did what in the war's numerous skirmishes. His fieldwork also lends a powerful visual touch, with copious photos and a number of truly breathtaking modern Korean paintings that add dramatic flourishes.
Rating: 5
Summary: An extremely worthy first book (in English) on the subject
Comment: The Imjin Wars of 1592-1598 were pivotal in changing the face of North East Asia. The wars bankrupted Ming China, making it vulnerable to attacks from the Manchu (thus contributing quite a bit to ending the dynasty), traumatized and insulated Korea, and ended Japanese international adventurism till the 20th century and set the stage for the Tokogowa Shogunate. The book itself is very handsomely crafted, with a beautiful jacket and many color and b/w illustrations inside. Every other page is watermarked with the outline of the painting or print from the following page. One of the few cases where the books matches the expectations set forth by the cover. Turnbull has obviously spend a lot of time researching and it shows. He evenly displays the Japanese and Korean side of the war. An excellent first book on the subject written in English. He clearly shows how the Japanese method of war compared to and interacted with Chinese tactics based on sheer numbers and Korean guerilla and fortification based tactics. Also does justice to Admiral Yi's amazing naval victories at sea, and more importantly how it aided the Korean land battles and conversely frustrated the Japanese. Turnbull gives a good description of the unique Turtle Ship as well. The Imjin War was a very important event in Northeast Asian history, and hopefully this book will spur on more study into this area by observers in the West.
Rating: 4
Summary: Despite minor problems, an informative read.
Comment: Having had a strong interest in Japan's History (mostly around the Sengoku Jidai) I can strongly recommend this book as an in-depth and detailed look into the Japanese war against Korea (though by default, since China was the main goal). Having another of Turnbull's books (The Samurai Sourcebook) he again does not let the reader down with exhaustive documentation of events, including maps, contemporary and recent images and eye-witness testimony.
However, there are a few rough qualities to this text. Several times, the testimony of the Korean accounts are held in higher esteem than that of the Japanese. It can help the overall theme of the uber-pride of the samurai during the war, but time after time can become a bit annoying. There are some inaccuracies that can potentially damage its credibility: misspelling of common words, and the battle of Sekigahara (written as happening in October of 1600) actually happened the month before on September 15th. So, there are times when the writing seems rushed.
Overall, this is an informative book about this horrific time and worth the read, despite the minor problems.
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Title: War in Japan 1467-1615 by Stephen Turnbull ISBN: 1841764809 Publisher: Motorbooks Intl Pub. Date: 01 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Fighting Ships Far East (2: Japan and Korea Ad 612-1639 by Stephen Turnbull ISBN: 1841764787 Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK) Pub. Date: 01 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Japanese Warrior Monks Ad 949-1603 by Stephen Turnbull, Wayne Reynolds ISBN: 1841765732 Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK) Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Ashigaru 1467-1649 by Stephen Turnbull, Howard Gerrard ISBN: 1841761494 Publisher: Osprey Military Pub. Date: 01 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Japanese Castles 1540-1640 by Stephen Turnbull, Peter Dennis ISBN: 1841764299 Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK) Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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