Samurai and Tiger Wars

Samurai and Tiger Wars
Author: Jack Hunter
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014-10-31
Genre: Samurai in art
ISBN: 9781840683189

As the creation of Japanese woodblock prints grew in popularity in the late Edo period, tigers could be found in the designs of many important ukiyo-e artists, either alone or shown in conflict with legendary Japanese warriors and tiger-hunters such as Kato Kiyomasa, "conqueror" of Korea. Images of Kiyomasa and others hunting, fighting and killing tigers form perhaps the most common type of print involving man/beast death struggles. Other ukiyo-e designs focused on the mythological or "magic" aspect of tigers; in Japanese legend, tigers of a certain age acquired magical powers, and tiger magic was used in conflicts by sorcerer-warriors such as Tora-o-maru, who is depicted in numerous kabuki portraits. Finally, a significant number of ukiyo-e images show the tiger's image as an accessory -- tigerskins worn as items of clothing or displayed as trophies, tiger designs printed onto fabric, and warriors and outlaws with ferocious-looking tiger tattoos. TIGERe ^ANDe ^SAMURAIe ^WARS features over 100 rare and exceptional Japanese woodblock prints of tigers, tigers and samurai warriors, magic tigers, and tiger accessories, presented in full-page format and full colour throughout. The artists featured in the book include Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi, Yoshitsuya, Yoshikazu, Kunichika, Kunisada, Kyosai, Kunitsuna, and numerous others -- a list of many of the most outstanding ukiyo-e artists of Edo and Meiji, each of whom used their immense artistic talent and imagination to brilliantly illuminate their iconic subject.

Wounded Tiger

Wounded Tiger
Author: T. Martin Bennett
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-11-15
Genre: Christian converts
ISBN: 9780991229048

Moving back and forth among three narratives, the novel tells the stories of Mitsuo Fuchida, the Japanese pilot who led the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II; Jake DeShazer, a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier held as a POW in Japan; and Peggy Covell and her parents, missionaries who were killed in the Philippines.

The Tiger's Daughter

The Tiger's Daughter
Author: K Arsenault Rivera
Publisher: Tor Books
Total Pages: 527
Release: 2017-10-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0765392534

A lush new epic historical fantasy series that evokes the ambition and widespread appeal of Patrick Rothfuss and the vivid storytelling of Naomi Novik

Stormdancer

Stormdancer
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2012-09-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250017912

The first in an epic new fantasy series, introducing an unforgettable new heroine and a stunningly original dystopian steampunk world with a flavor of feudal Japan. A DYING LAND The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever. AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shogun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shogun is death. A HIDDEN GIFT Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shogun's hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he'd rather see her dead than help her. But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

Samurai Awakening

Samurai Awakening
Author: Ben Martin
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2012-10-10
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9784805312285

**Winner of the 2013 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award** David Matthews is having a rough time. Being a teenager is bad enough, but when he picks up and moves to Japan for a year, with barely any knowledge of the language or social behaviors of Japanese teenagers, things go from bad to worse. Until one day, David attends a temple ceremony and finds himself possessed by a Japanese god. Suddenly, he can understand and speak Japanese. He has unbelievable new powers, including the ability to shift into a tiger, and a powerful sword he can materialize at will from its sheath—his body. But nothing comes for free, and these changes bring David face-to-face with the most terrifying creatures of Japanese legend—vengeful okami, demonic oni and terrifying ghostly yurei. Trained by his host family, famous sword-makers and the keepers of an ancient secret entrusted to their family by the first Emperor of Japan, David must fight desperately to save his host sister from a hoard of Japanese monsters. Evil has returned to Japan, and David must overcome his own insecurities if he is to save her and become a True Samurai—the protector of Japan.

The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai
Author: Mark Ravina
Publisher: Wiley + ORM
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2011-03-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1118045564

The dramatic arc of Saigo Takamori's life, from his humble origins as a lowly samurai, to national leadership, to his death as a rebel leader, has captivated generations of Japanese readers and now Americans as well - his life is the inspiration for a major Hollywood film, The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. In this vibrant new biography, Mark Ravina, professor of history and Director of East Asian Studies at Emory University, explores the facts behind Hollywood storytelling and Japanese legends, and explains the passion and poignancy of Saigo's life. Known both for his scholarly research and his appearances on The History Channel, Ravina recreates the world in which Saigo lived and died, the last days of the samurai. The Last Samurai traces Saigo's life from his early days as a tax clerk in far southwestern Japan, through his rise to national prominence as a fierce imperial loyalist. Saigo was twice exiled for his political activities -- sent to Japan's remote southwestern islands where he fully expected to die. But exile only increased his reputation for loyalty, and in 1864 he was brought back to the capital to help his lord fight for the restoration of the emperor. In 1868, Saigo commanded his lord's forces in the battles which toppled the shogunate and he became and leader in the emperor Meiji's new government. But Saigo found only anguish in national leadership. He understood the need for a modern conscript army but longed for the days of the traditional warrior. Saigo hoped to die in service to the emperor. In 1873, he sought appointment as envoy to Korea, where he planned to demand that the Korean king show deference to the Japanese emperor, drawing his sword, if necessary, top defend imperial honor. Denied this chance to show his courage and loyalty, he retreated to his homeland and spent his last years as a schoolteacher, training samurai boys in frugality, honesty, and courage. In 1876, when the government stripped samurai of their swords, Saigo's followers rose in rebellion and Saigo became their reluctant leader. His insurrection became the bloodiest war Japan had seen in centuries, killing over 12,000 men on both sides and nearly bankrupting the new imperial government. The imperial government denounced Saigo as a rebel and a traitor, but their propaganda could not overcome his fame and in 1889, twelve years after his death, the government relented, pardoned Saigo of all crimes, and posthumously restored him to imperial court rank. In THE LAST SAMURAI, Saigo is as compelling a character as Robert E. Lee was to Americans-a great and noble warrior who followed the dictates of honor and loyalty, even though it meant civil war in a country to which he'd devoted his life. Saigo's life is a fascinating look into Japanese feudal society and a history of a country as it struggled between its long traditions and the dictates of a modern future.

Sino-Japanese Relations After the Cold War

Sino-Japanese Relations After the Cold War
Author: Michael Yahuda
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 157
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1135009090

Since the end of the Cold War China and Japan have faced each other as powers of relatively equal strength for the first time in their long history. As the two great powers of East Asia the way they both compete and cooperate with each other and the way they conduct their relations in the new era will play a big part in the evolution of the region as a whole. This textbook will explore in detail the ways in which politics has shaped the thinking about history and identity in both China and Japan and explain the role political leadership in each country has played in shaping their respective nationalisms. Michael Yahuda traces the evolution of the relationship over the two decades against the framework of a rising China gaining ground on a stagnant Japan and analyzes the politics of the economic interdependence between the two countries and their cooperation and competition in Southeast Asia and in its regional institutions. Concluding with an examination of the complexities of their strategic relations and an evaluation of the potentialities for conflict and co-existence between the two countries, this is an essential text for students and scholars of Sino-Japanese and East Asian International Relations

Endsinger

Endsinger
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 431
Release: 2014-11-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250022959

With Stormdancer, Jay Kristoff came roaring onto the fantasy scene-he has been praised as "the master of unique and intense plots and huge twists" (USAToday.com), while critics raved about the novel, calling it "[A] fast-paced, fantastical adventure [that] is sharp as a Shogun's sword." (The LA Times). And with healthy sales in hardcover and electronic-fueled by Jay's inventive, enthusiastic, and relentless promotion on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and the blogosphere-we know readers are hungry for the finale to his wildly inventive Lotus War saga. As civil war sweeps across the Shima Imperium, the Lotus Guild unleashes their deadliest creation-a mechanical goliath, intended to unite the shattered Empire under a yoke of fear. Yukiko and Buruu are forced to take leadership of the rebellion, gathering new allies and old friends. But the ghosts of Buruu's past stand between them and the army they need, and Kin's betrayal has destroyed all trust among their allies. When a new foe joins the war, it will be all the pair can do to muster the strength to fight, let alone win. And as the earth splits asunder, as armies destroy each other for rule over an empire of lifeless ash and the final secret about blood lotus is revealed, the people of Shima will learn one last, horrifying truth. An exciting, vivid conclusion to a critically acclaimed series, Endsinger is sure to have fans racing through the pages to savor every last revelation.

God's Samurai

God's Samurai
Author: Katherine V. Dillon
Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
Total Pages: 542
Release: 2011
Genre: History
ISBN: 1597973580

God's Samurai is the unusual story of Mitsuo Fuchida, the career aviator who led the attack on Pearl Harbor and participated in most of the fiercest battles of the Pacific war. A valuable record of major events, it is also the personal story of a man swept along by his times. Reared in the vanished culture of early twentieth-century Japan, war hero Fuchida returned home to become a simple farmer. After a scandalous love affair came his remarkable conversion to Christianity and years of touring the world as an evangelist. His tale is an informative, personal look at the war "from the other side."