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Karl Friday
9th January 2004, 20:43
Quite a few folks have asked me about this in the past few months, so I thought I'd put decorum aside for a moment and let anyone interested know that Routledge has now released my new Samurai, Warfare & the State in Early Medieval Japan book. It's available already on the other side of the pond (and for folks in North America willing to pay shipping from London) and will be available over here next month. Here's the cover:

Tom Conlan's new State of War, also on early medieval warfare, is also just out, from Michigan.

Happy reading!

Hissho
10th January 2004, 00:58
Dr. Friday:

Great news!

If I may, what are your thoughts on Jeffrey Mass's book Antiquity and Anachronism in Japanese History

It has been, so far, very interesting reading.

fifthchamber
7th February 2004, 18:17
Dr. Friday...
I know that it is not needed...But "Samurai, warfare and the State" is an excellent book. Something like this did need to be written, the revision of the samurai history we all 'thought' we knew is one of the best looks at the 'reality' of Bushi warfare that I have read....The sources you used were mostly Japanese and this alone shows how needed your contribution is to the English speaking world....In Japanese perhaps one could get a better idea of the new ideas as they emerged...But for most of us here in the west little or none of these findings are clearly spelt out....Hence the continuation of myth and legend regarding the Samurai....
You had made a few of the minor points in the book here on E-Budo I recall...But seeing the whole argument against the myths/legends of things like 'nanori' (Name-calling) and combat methods used was a MUCH needed work....Thank you.
I meant to ask what use you found for the Emic point of view that you have with your associations to Kashima Shinryu..Did you manage to use it at all? I could see that the ideas of the bow attack routes were logical but wondered whether you had found your own training to be a major help in working through those points that pertained to Samurai combat?
Again, an amazing book...And a much needed revision of the image of the classical Japanese warrior.....If you haven't bought this book yet DO SO!!....
Thank you for the best read I have had in a long, long time!!
Regards...

Karl Friday
7th February 2004, 22:02
Originally posted by fifthchamber
I meant to ask what use you found for the Emic point of view that you have with your associations to Kashima Shinryu..Did you manage to use it at all?

Damn, Ben, you're making me blush--but thanks for the comments! We do aim to please . . .

It's actually kind of tough to judge how much my Kashima-Shinryu experience affected or contributed to this project. It isn't directly relevant, since the period covered ends just before the first bugei ryuha began appearing, which means that I was dealing with different weaponry and armor, and different strategic and tactical imperatives than those for which Kashima-Shinryu was developed .

On the other hand, having hands-on experience with swords and other weapons does give me a valuable leg up on other historians when trying to work out things like the mechanics of battles and combat, or the relative capabilities of various weapons.

When you're trying to decipher and reconstruct history, pretty much every sort of experience you can bring to bear on the problem helps!

Karl Friday
7th February 2004, 22:08
Originally posted by Hissho
what are your thoughts on Jeffrey Mass's book Antiquity and Anachronism in Japanese History

Jeff was my PhD advisor at Stanford, and a good friend, so I'm probably not an unimpeachably objective judge on this sort of question. But I've always like this book. It's largely a collection of earlier pieces, written for various journals or other anthologies. Mass was certainly the preeminent historian of the Kamakura period. His sudden--and premature--death (from cancer) was a real blow to the field.

Shimura
8th February 2004, 05:14
Congratulations on the new book Dr. Friday, where can I get a copy?

fifthchamber
8th February 2004, 18:13
Hi Gary...

where can I get a copy?
....Direct from the publisher at www.routledge.com is the easiest option....Quick delivery for us UK types...And probably not long for the US....
And thanks for the reply Dr. Friday....It is interesting to me to see how the approach to the subject would change with an insiders viewpoint...But as you say, any experience you can add to the subject is useful....
Thank you once again..
Regards.

Shimura
10th February 2004, 15:55
Thanks Ben for the link, I'll definitely check it out.