The Samurai and the Sacred: The Path of the Warrior

by Stephen Turnbull

Overview

A comprehensive study into the spiritual world of the Samurai, from the cult of revenge and suicide, to Zen and martial arts.

The fierce loyalty and self-sacrificing attitude of the Samurai have made them both a legend and a cult. Yet although their military prowess and skills in the martial arts have been studied exhaustively, an understanding of their belief system still eludes many.

This original and exciting work examines the spiritual world of the samurai, from their attachment to Japan's mainstream religions of Shinto and Buddhism, to their involvement in Confucianism, Christianity and folk religion.

Samurai expert Stephen Turnbull examines important topics such as Zen and the martial arts, modern militarism, the cult of the sword, revenge and suicide, hara kiri and the kamikaze pilots the suicide bombers of their day. He also looks at the fascinating issue of Japanese religious terrorism, as well as the growing cult status of the Samurai both in Japan and in the West.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849089944
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/20/2011
Series:	General Military
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Stephen Turnbull took his first degree at Cambridge University, and received a PhD from Leeds University for his work on Japanese religious history. He has travelled extensively in Europe and the Far East and also runs a well-used picture library. His work has been recognised by the awarding of the Canon Prize of the British Association for Japanese Studies and a Japan Festival Literary Award. He currently divides his time between lecturing in Japanese Religion at the University of Leeds and writing.
Stephen Turnbull is widely recognised as the world's leading English language authority on the samurai of Japan. He took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) and a PhD from Leeds University. He is now retired and pursues an active literary career, having now published 85 books. His expertise has helped with numerous projects including films, television and the award-winning strategy game Shogun Total War.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Way of the Gods
Buddha and the Bushi
The Gods Go to War
Warriors of the Pure Land
Onward, Christian Samurai!
The Samurai and the Secret
Zen and the Samurai
The Ways of the Warrior
From Samurai to Spirit

Epilogue
Endnotes
Select Bibliography
Glossary
Index

Editorial Reviews

“Both spirituality and military history collections -- as well as those strong in Japanese history in particular -- will welcome The Samurai and the Sacred, a fine study examining the spiritual world of the samurai from their involvement in Japanese mainstream religions to their feature in Christianity and folk religions. Samurai expert Stephen Turnbull offers a detailed look at Japanese religion and religious terrorism in a powerful study suitable for any serious Japanese spirituality buff.” —The California Bookwatch (September 2009)

“A lively and compelling study of the samurai, the warrior elite of old Japan. Stephen Turnbull blends real scholarship with a flair for story telling to create a gripping account. It is good to see illustrations that rise to the high quality of the text to produce a book wholly worthy of the remarkable characters it describes.” —Professor Richard Holmes

From the Publisher