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Ashigaru 1467–1649
Description
A richly illustrated study of the origins, recruitment, training, and combat of the ashigaru, a vital element of samurai armies.
The ashigaru were the foot soldiers of old Japan. Although recruited first to swell an army's numbers and paid only by loot, the samurai began to realise their worth, particularly with arquebuses and spears, until well-trained ashigaru made up a vital part of any samurai army.
Drawing on previously untranslated Japanese sources, Stephen Turnbull examines the origins, recruitment, training and use in war of the ashigaru. He surveys the range of ashigaru activity, including their roles as sailors and catapult artillery men as well as the disciplined ranks of warriors that they had become. Illustrated throughout with specially commissioned artwork and previously unpublished illustrations, this book tells the story of the ashigaru for the first time.
Table of Contents
Ashigaru recruitment
Organisation and command
Campaign life of the ashigaru
The ashigaru's experience of battle
Museum collections
Bibliography and further reading
Chronology of the ashigaru
The plates
Glossary
Index
Product details
| Published | 21 Dec 2023 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 64 |
| ISBN | 9781472866295 |
| Imprint | Osprey Publishing |
| Illustrations | 70 black and white photographs and 10 original colour artworks |
| Series | Warrior |
| Short code | WAR 29 |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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