Killers in profile

Samurai Sketches: From the Bloody Final Years of the Shogun
By Romulus Hillsborough, Ridgeback Press. 270pp. $29.95.
By PTE Simone Heyer

The world of the samurai in ancient Japan has long been intriguing. Getting around with amazing swords, elaborate costumes and a killer reputation, their infamy has travelled through the ages.

During feudal Japan the samurai excelled in martial arts and on the battlefield.

But with the introduction of hand guns, a predominant warlord reined.

Centuries of peace later, the samurai had lost their swordsmanship and were restricted by the new laws of the land. The world’s traders came by way of invasion and the world was opened to the samurai, who began to study abroad.

After pages of introduction, maps and dramatis personae, the book’s first chapter gives a grim description of a party of four Brits who were attacked for being unaware of procedure when encountering the Shogun’s entourage. One was violently killed, the others escaped. The British government retaliated and a battle ensued.

From there Samurai Sketches goes into the long samurai history, each chapter preceded with a page of settings and players to fully set the scene.

The comprehensive book has many photographs of decked-out samurai, a glossary of Japanese terms and family crests. If you enjoy Japanese history, Samurai Sketches won’t disappoint.