Stephen Turnbull Bücher

Wir schreiben das Jahr 1615 und die Samurai, Japans Kriegerelite, stehen auf dem Gipfel ihrer Macht. Geübt in jeder Kampftechnik von Schwertkampf und Bogenschießen bis Karate und Jiu-Jitsu, sind die Samurai das letzte Bollwerk des Kaisers gegen den Ansturm der Barbaren. Jedem Samuraikrieger in spe vermittelt dieser Karriereführer alles, was es braucht, um die Ehre der Samuraiklasse aufrechtzuerhalten, ob auf dem Schlachtfeld oder anderswo. Lernen Sie, wie man den Weg des Kriegers meistert, welche Waffen und Kampftechniken Sie beherrschen sollten, wen Sie besser töten und was Sie hinterher mit seinem Kopf machen, was der kultivierte Samurai zwischen den Schlachten unternimmt, wie man Burgen stürmt oder belagert, wie man in zengleicher Versenkung eine Teezeremonie abhält und wie Sie sich darauf vorbereiten, nach Ihrem Tod in den Weißen Jadepavillon einzutreten.

Stephen Turnbull ist ein exzellenter Kenner der japanischen Geschichte und bringt dem Leser in diesem reich illustrierten Buch die kaum bekannte Welt der religiös motivierten Kampfmönche, aber auch die geheimnisumwobenen Ninja näher, die mit ihren Kampfmethoden und ihrem Dasein als Söldner mit japanischen Traditionen radikal brachen.

Few countries have a warrior tradition as long and exciting as that of Japan. It is a tradition found particularly in the person of the romantic, loyal and self-sacrificing knight of old Japan -- the samurai. He is the valiant lone swordsman, the ultimate individual warrior

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and maps, carefully chosen illustrations and insightful analysis, this book examines the legendary Mongol warriors and their vastly different European opponents. Having conquered much of Central Asia by 1237, the Mongols advanced into the northern Caucasus. The fall of several key centres such as Riazan and Vladimir was followed by Mongol victory at Kiev. Moving west, in 1241 two Mongol armies achieved stunning victories at the battles of Liegnitz in Poland and the Sajo River (Mohi) in Hungary, before suffering their only reverse of the campaign at the fortress of Klis. The Mongol forces regrouped in Hungary to prepare for a further advance into Austria and Germany, but the death of their leader, Ogedei Khan, meant that his generals were required to return to Mongolia to choose a successor. Smaller Mongol forces would return to raid in the years to come, but never again would Western Europe be threatened as it was in 1242. Fully illustrated, this innovative study of the forces that clashed during the Mongol invasion of Europe between 1237 and 1242 allows a comparison to be made between the all-conquering nomad horsemen of the steppes and the mounted knights of the West.

Fully illustrated with colour maps and 50 images, this is an accessible introduction to the most violent, turbulent, cruel and exciting chapter in Japanese history.In 1467 the Onin War ushered in a period of unparalleled conflict and rivalry in Japan that came to be called the Age of Warring States. In this book, Stephen Turnbull offers a masterly exposition of the wars, explaining what led to Japan's disintegration into rival domains after more than a century of relative peace; the years of fighting that followed; and the period of gradual fusion when the daimyo (great names) strove to reunite Japan under a new Shogun. Peace returned to Japan with the end of the Osaka War in 1615. Turnbull draws on his latest research to include new material for this updated edition, covering samurai acting as mercenaries, the expeditions to Korea, Taiwan and Okinawa, and the little-known campaigns against the Ainu of Hokkaido, to present a richer picture of an age when conflicts were spread far more widely than was hitherto realised.With specially commissioned maps and all-new images throughout, this updated and revised edition provides a concise overview of Japan's turbulent Age of Warring States.

The original forced conversion of pagan Livonia, what is now the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia, was carried out by a military order known as the Brethren of the Sword. In 1236 this order was incorporated into the Teutonic Knights following a catastrophic military defeat. The knights had always consolidated their conquests through networks of castles and fortified places, and the Livonian Chapter of the Teutonic Order built castles of stone. This title covers the developmental and operational history of these fortresses over the length of the Middle Ages. It details how the Baltic fortifications of the Teutonic Knights evolved to reflect the changing nature of siege warfare and the increasing dominance of gunpowder in warfare.

The first ever account of Japanese overseas mercenaries.

Combines the latest research with contemporary lives, descriptions, and reconstructions to provide a dramatic picture of what it was like to be a samurai.