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Cover -- Dedication -- Book Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. The Universal Ninja -- 2. The Elusive Ninja -- 3. Iga and Kōka -- 4. Kōka and Iga -- 5. The Pacification of Iga -- 6. The Shaking of Kōka -- 7. The Shogun's Shinobi -- 8. Ninjutsu in Black and White -- Plate section -- 9. The Magic of Ninjutsu -- 10. The Enduring Ninja -- 11. The Shinobi Awakes -- 12. Enter the Ninja -- 13. A Star is Born -- 14. Selling the Shinobi -- 15. The Exemplary Ninja -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- Back Cover.

Cover -- Title -- Contents -- Introduction -- Part 1 - Samurai -- Part 2 - Ashigaru -- Part 3 - Ninja -- Part 4 - Warrior monks -- Conclusion -- Glossary -- Museum collections and places to visit -- Bibliography and further reading -- Index -- Imprint

Cover -- Title -- Contents -- The samurai in a nutshell -- The genuine articles -- A passion for ancestors -- The samurai way of death -- Weapons of mass destruction -- Shields of stone -- Samurai with a pinch of salt -- The White Tigers -- Last of the samurai -- The paradox of tranquillity -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index -- Imprint

Abstract
According to a popular theory, the Hōjō family of Odawara were hopelessly old-fashioned in their approach to firearms technology compared to their contemporaries in sixteenth century Japan. The third daimyo Hōjō Ujiyasu (1515–1571) has been singled out for particular criticism because he allegedly preferred to train his samurai by making them chase dogs, and as a result the Hōjō found themselves "staring down the barrel" when Toyotomi Hideyoshi advanced upon them in 1590. This article argues that this negative impression derives from a well-established Hōjō principle of frugality that was exaggerated by later accounts in gunkimono ("war tales"), whose authors did not see firearms as suitable material for their heroic narratives. By contrast, more reliable primary sources—letters, written orders, troop muster lists and garrison inventories—demonstrate that the Hōjō were no laggards in the development and deployment of firearms. Instead an investigation of the Hōjō's embrace of the harquebus provides an excellent historical and technological case study. The finer details of their experience—as revealed by archaeological investigation and a unique eyewitness account of the effects of gunfire from a Hōjō fortress—also provide unique insights into the complex processes that were involved. Their defeat in 1590 was not due to being old-fashioned but to the application of military force on an overwhelming scale that none could have resisted.

Abstract
The deployment and use of European harquebuses following their introduction to Japan in 1543 is conventionally regarded as having followed a straightforward path of enthusiastic adoption, wherein the Japanese adapted and improved the revolutionary new weapons. This paper demonstrates that the procedure was instead both haphazard and idiosyncratic. In many cases firearms were tried by Japan's rival daimyo (lords) and then either neglected or used ineffectively, a hit-and-miss approach that can even be identified in the person of Oda Nobunaga, the man who is usually credited with Japan's military revolution. The situation is however complicated by the nomenclature used for the guns themselves, the projectiles, and even the nature of the wounds they caused. As for their impact, until the battle of Nagashino in 1575 all the actions involving firearms took place at defended positions with almost no mention of guns being used during open battles.

On three occasions between 1593 and 1637, Japan's rulers gave serious consideration to sending military expeditions against the Spanish Philippines. Explaining why these plans were not put into effect sheds light on Japan's military capabilities at the time, especially its lack of naval capacity.

Pirates have a well-earned bad reputation, and this book invites the reader to join their ranks. Here you will discover everything the aspiring pirate needs to know in order to join a crew and start - and possibly end - a life of adventure, plunder and glory. The hopeful initiate is educated on all manner of piratical concerns: the history of this dishonorable tradition stretching back to ancient Greece and Rome; essentials of language and dress; notably dastardly pirate role models from around the world, including Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, but also some less well known, such as Eustace the Monk and Anne Bonny and Mary Read; what to expect of life at sea; the best weapons to have; how to capture a prize on the high seas, and much more

"It is 1615, and the samurai, Japan's elite fighting class, are at the zenith of their powers. Trained in every manner of combat, from sword-fighting and archery to karate and ju-jutsu, the samurai warrior is the emperor's last line of defence against the barbarians of Japan and beyond. Take up your sword, young samurai! This handy manual tells you everything you need to know about maintaining the honour of the samurai class both on and off the battlefield. Written by a leading authority on Japan and Samurai culture and combining the latest research with contemporary lives, descriptions and reconstructions, this bookprovides a dramatic picture of what it was really like to be a SAMURAI. Learn ...: How to master the Way Of The Warrior ; Whom you should kill, and what to do with their heads afterwards ; What the cultured samurai does between battles ; How to storm or lay siege to a castle ; How to conduct a tea ceremony with Zen-like composure ; What you will need to command and maintain an army ; How to prepare for entry into the White Jade Pavilion after your death."--