Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan

Want to know the origins of the samurai and their beginnings? purchase this book with your money! this book is the only thing! no one knows about the orgins od the samurai better than Karl Friday, an author that does not only have to be read on Fridays to be enjoyed, any day of the week will do. When you put down this book after a thorough and complete examination of it, you will be more knowlegable than ever about early samurai!

Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan Ordered 22 Aug 2016Price: $19.99 (used/ like new)Unboxing:Hardback w/paper dust jacket256 pages; 166 pages make up the body of the book with the remainder being a "Conclusion" chapter, notes, bibliography, glossary, and index.Initial Interest:My research is in the period between the Onin War (1467-77) and the early Sengoku Jidai (up to 1545). I bought this book looking for more information on the state of the Japanese warriors and their recruitment methods during this period.Post Read:Generally easy to read and follow, the author (Karl Friday) seems to be up to date on the topics he's writing about (if you've read any of the early academic books on this time period you know what I mean). The book starts with an introduction to the Japanese military from the 700 through 800 a.d. period then goes into a chapter on the evolution of the ritsuryo codes. He explained and highlighted the recruitment of warriors at different time periods through the 1200's but stopped short of the 14th and 15th centuries which I think the huge evolution of military structure and recruitment that took place after the Onin War would have fit nicely into the narrative of this book.As the title states "Early Japan" as the time period being covered, that is not a good way to describe a period of time due to the fact that not even the scholars writing about Japan can agree on when exactly "Early Japan" starts/ends. After reading, I now know that this book mainly emphasizes the Heian Period (794 to 1185). I felt the book cut off too soon and should have included the whole "gray area" that fogs up the space between the ancient Japan and what most casual readers have learned starting around the 1550's. It does though give you a good running history that one could "imply" what probably happened in that "gray area" and certainly if you are looking to learn more about the Heian Period in general, this book would be a helpful read.Recommendation:I have to say this book was "okay". As I stated above as my initial interest in making this purchase, this book completely missed the mark. It was not a complete waste of money though as there were some useful bits on official offices, kuni merit system, etc. Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan

A great read for the beginning of the samurai