Tanaka 1587

Japan’S Greatest Unknown Samurai Battle

Stephen Turnbull

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Paperback

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English

Helion & Company
01 October 2019

Asian history; Early modern history: c 1450 to c 1700; Military history; Battles & campaigns

Series: Retinue to Regiment

In 1587 the 1,000-strong garrison of tiny Tanaka Castle in Higo Province (modern Kumamoto Prefecture) on Japan's southern island of Kyushu, held out for 100 days against an army ten times their size sent by the great general Toyotomi Hideyoshi. When the castle fell it was burned to the ground, and for four centuries the epic struggle lived on only through a handful of letters, two little-known war chronicles and in the folk memories of the local people who continued to make offerings on the now anonymous hillside to comfort the tormented spirits of Tanaka's dead warriors. In 1986 everything changed. Prompted by the approaching fourth centenary of the battle the local council set in motion a systematic archaeological investigation of the castle site. Many interesting finds were made, but the greatest discovery of all came in 1989 in a distant library when a researcher unearthed what turned out to be Japan's oldest surviving battle map. It featured a detailed drawing of Tanaka Castle during the siege that matched up exactly with the picture that was emerging from the excavation. The unique document also contained so much extra information that, when combined with the archaeological finds, the written materials and local folklore, the almost forgotten siege of Tanaka became one of the best documented battles in the whole of Japan's samurai history. Tanaka 1587 tells the complete story of the epic struggle for the first time outside Japan by using the evidence that is available from history, literature, folklore, archaeology and cartography. It is based on the author's own translations of the chronicles and the archaeological report together with his extensive fieldwork over a period of many years. The story is presented as an exciting (and sometimes violent) historical narrative illustrated with unique photographs and maps. The contribution of the battle's enshrined spirits to present-day folk religion is also assessed, while attitudes towards the site's conservation, preservation and celebration provide a fascinating insight into how modern Japan views and exploits its samurai history in a society that has had to come to terms with a violent past. Before 1987 the siege of Tanaka Castle was virtually unknown beyond its immediate boundaries. Just as thirty years of painstaking work and enthusiastic publicity have transformed its status within Japan, this unique ground-breaking book will enable Tanaka's story to be understood and appreciated by a much wider international audience. AUTHOR: Stephen Turnbull is the world's leading authority on samurai and an expert on Japanese military history and religion. A lecturer at the University of Leeds he is the author of many books on samurai, and has acted as consultant for several film and TV companies. He was also advisor to the award-winning computer game 'Shogun' (2000) and Shogun II (2010). 55 b/w photos/ills, 3 maps, 8 colour plates

By: Stephen Turnbull
Imprint: Helion & Company
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 180mm,
ISBN: 9781912866496
ISBN 10: 1912866498
Series: Retinue to Regiment
Pages: 128
Publication Date: 01 October 2019
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Stephen Turnbull took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) from Leeds University. In 1996 he received a PhD from Leeds for his thesis on Japan's 'Hidden Christians'. In its published form the work won the Japan Festival Literary Award in 1998. Having lectured widely in East Asian Studies and Theology he is now retired and pursues an active literary career. His expertise has helped with numerous projects including films, television and the award-winning strategy game Shogun Total War. He acted a special adviser for the 2021 Netflix series Age of Samurai:Battle for Japan. He is also the author of Tanaka 1587: Japan's Greatest Unknown Samurai Battle. Stephen Turnbull's latest research project is an in-depth case study of the remarkable five generations of Hōjō samurai of Odawara.

Reviews for Tanaka 1587: Japan’S Greatest Unknown Samurai Battle

The book goes into the archeological search for and the finding of the remains of Tanaka Castle. [It] does a very good job of showing how retainers and lords interacted at the time. --A Wargamers Needful Things