Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan

by Friday; Karl F.

• ISBN13: 9780415329637
• ISBN10: 0415329639
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-12-29
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Warfare in early medieval Japan was deeply linked to the social structure. Examining the causes and conduct of military operations informs and enhances our understanding of the tenth to fourteenth centuries - the formative age of the Samurai. A thorough and informative review, this study highlights the complex causal relationships between the structures and sources of early medieval political power, technology, and the conduct of war.

Author Biography

Karl F. Friday is a professor of Japanese History at the University of Georgia.

Table of Contents

List of figures	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	1	(18)
The meaning of war	19	(15)
The concept of Just War	20	(3)
Private war	23	(6)
Feuding and self-help	29	(3)
Ritual war	32	(2)
The organization of war	34	(29)
Hired swords and franchise armies	36	(7)
Equilibrium and revolution	43	(10)
The Kamakura vassal corps	44	(5)
Officers and the chain of command	49	(4)
Warbands and warbonds	53	(10)
The tools of war	63	(39)
Manufacture and procurement of weapons	64	(4)
Projectile weapons	68	(9)
Shock weapons	77	(12)
Protective weapons	89	(7)
Horses and tack	96	(6)
The science of war	102	(33)
The way of the horse and bow	103	(9)
Shaping battle	112	(16)
Ambushes and raids	115	(4)
Fortifications and strongholds	119	(9)
New wine in old bottles	128	(7)
The culture of war	135	(29)
Reputation, honor and warrior personality	137	(3)
Deception, guile and surprise	140	(5)
Battle cries and self-introduction	145	(4)
Prisoners of war	149	(3)
Head-hunting	152	(3)
Non-combatants	155	(9)
Epilog	164	(5)
Notes	169	(30)
References and bibliography	199	(32)
Index	231