Samurai, the Greatest Battles and Warriors in Japanese Art - by Andreas Marks (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An exciting visual record of the greatest battles and warriors in Japanese history!

This groundbreaking book traces the decisive battles of Japanese history and the legendary samurai who fought them, brought vividly to life through more than 300 masterworks by artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and many others. Art historian Andreas Marks has scoured museum archives and private collections around the world to assemble the stunning prints and folded screen paintings that capture the dramatic events and towering personalities that shaped Japan as a nation.

Marks includes descriptions and striking visual images of 80 great warriors and over 50 battles, including:

• The Sea Battle at Dannoura (1185): The final battle of the Genpei War, in which Minamoto forces led by Yoshitsune defeated the Taira fleet led by Tomomori. Emperor Antoku and many Taira committed suicide, spelling an end to the clan and ushering in the Kamakura shogunate.
• The Battle of Okehazama (1560): A decisive battle where Oda Nobunaga's samurai were outnumbered but managed to defeat Imagawa Yoshimoto's larger army. This victory was achieved through a surprise attack in driving rain and led to the final downfall of the Imagawa clan in the Tokai region.
• The Battle of Nagashino (1575): Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga unite to defeat Takeda Katsuyori. They employ innovative tactics, revolutionizing Japanese warfare to secure a decisive victory against the formidable Takeda clan.
• The Battle of Sekigahara (1600): The greatest and bloodiest battle in Japanese history, in which Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Army defeated the Toyotomi clan's Western Army, leading to the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate which unified and ruled Japan for over 250 years.

This richly-illustrated volume will be of huge interest to military history buffs and fans of the Emmy award-winning Shogun TV series, providing coverage of the epic battles, weaponry and armor to be featured in the upcoming 2027 and 2028 seasons.

Review Quotes

"Inherently fascinating and fully informative...unreservedly recommended as a prized pick." --Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Dr. Andreas Marks received his PhD from Leiden University with a dissertation on 19th-century actor prints. Since 2013, he has been the Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art and Director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. His research has earned the International Ukiyo-e Society Award and the International Fine Print Dealers Association's top book award twice (2018 and 2022). In 2024, he received a commendation from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his contributions to promoting Japanese culture. He is the author of almost 30 books, including Japanese Woodblock Prints: Artists, Publishers and Masterworks: 1680-1900 and Japanese Yokai and Other Supernatural Beings: Authentic Paintings and Prints of 100 Ghosts, Demons, Monsters and Magicians.