Oda Nobunaga was Japan's great military genius and the nation's first unifier. Vilified by historians as a cruel and callous brute, he remains a controversial figure in Japanese history, a man whose military skills stand as his only indisputable qualities. Nobunaga embraced new firearms technology with an enthusiasm unmatched by his contemporaries and achieved results with a ruthlessness feared by others. Through a series of victories aided by a loyal and well-organised army, Oda Nobunaga initiated the process that ultimately led to the unification of Japan, a goal only thwarted by his unexpected and violent death. Oda Nobunaga: Samurai Commander 1534-82 details Nobunaga's campaigns, including his brilliant and far-reaching victory at Okehazama in 1560, the bloody battle of Anegawa in 1570, the famous battle of Nagashino in 1575, and the naval battle of Kizugawaguchi in 1578. Nobunaga's campaign against the Buddhist armies of the Ikko Ikki and the civilian massacres revealed another facet of his character. This unique and original book presents Nobunaga as a strategist, tactician, battlefield leader, and ruthless politician. The campaigns he delegated to his subordinates are discussed in detail for the first time, and the book concludes with his unexpected death during a treacherous raid against him at the temple of Honnoji. Oda Nobunaga: Samurai Commander 1534-82 is exceptionally well illustrated in colour and black and white, featuring images of every battlefield mentioned, highly detailed photographs of arms and armour, maps, and specially commissioned artwork. AUTHOR: 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 holds the honorary positions of Lecturer Emeritus at Leeds University, Research Associate at SOAS and Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University. His expertise, including an extensive picture library, has helped with numerous media projects including the award-winning computer strategy game Shogun Total War, and in 2010 he acted as Historical Adviser to Universal Pictures for the movie 47 Ronin. 65 b/w photos, 8 colour illustrations, 20 colour photos, 6 b/w maps
