Ebook Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough
Understanding the method ways to get this book Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough is also valuable. You have been in ideal site to start getting this information. Obtain the Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough web link that we supply right here and go to the link. You could buy guide Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough or get it as soon as feasible. You can quickly download this Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough after obtaining offer. So, when you require the book swiftly, you could directly receive it. It's so very easy therefore fats, isn't it? You have to like to this way.
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough
Ebook Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough
This is it guide Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough to be best seller just recently. We give you the very best offer by getting the incredible book Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough in this internet site. This Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough will not only be the type of book that is difficult to find. In this web site, all kinds of books are given. You could look title by title, author by author, and also publisher by publisher to figure out the best book Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough that you can check out currently.
Do you ever before understand the publication Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough Yeah, this is a very intriguing publication to read. As we informed recently, reading is not kind of commitment task to do when we need to obligate. Reading need to be a routine, a great behavior. By reading Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough, you could open the new globe and also get the power from the world. Everything could be obtained through the book Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough Well in quick, book is extremely powerful. As exactly what we provide you here, this Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough is as one of reviewing book for you.
By reviewing this book Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough, you will certainly get the most effective thing to acquire. The brand-new point that you do not should invest over cash to reach is by doing it by on your own. So, just what should you do now? Check out the link page and also download and install the book Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough You can get this Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough by on-line. It's so easy, isn't it? Nowadays, technology really supports you activities, this online publication Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough, is too.
Be the very first to download this book Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough as well as let checked out by finish. It is extremely easy to read this publication Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough due to the fact that you don't have to bring this printed Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough almost everywhere. Your soft documents book can be in our device or computer system so you could enjoy checking out almost everywhere and whenever if required. This is why whole lots numbers of people also check out the e-books Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough in soft fie by downloading guide. So, be just one of them which take all benefits of reviewing the book Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, By Romulus Hillsborough by on the internet or on your soft data system.
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's last Samurai Corps is the true story of the notorious
samurai corps formed in 1863 to arrest or kill the enemies of the Tokugawa
Shogun. The only book in English about the Shinsengumi, it focuses on the
corps' two charismatic leaders, Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, both
impeccable swordsmen. It is a history-in-brief of the final years of the
Bakufu, which collapsed in 1867 with the restoration of Imperial rule. In
writing Shinsengumi, Hillsborough referred mostly to
Japanese-language primary sources, including letters, memoirs, journals,
interviews, and eyewitness accounts, as well as definitive biographies and
histories of the era.
The fall of the shogun's government (Tokugawa Bakufu, or simply Bakufu) in
1868, which had ruled Japan for over two and a half centuries, was the greatest
event in modern Japanese history.
The revolution, known as the Meiji Restoration, began with the violent
reaction of samurai to the Bakufu's decision in 1854 to open the theretofore
isolated country to "Western barbarians." Though opening the country was
unavoidable, it was seen as a sign of weakness by the samurai who clamored to
"expel the barbarians."
Those samurai plotted to overthrow the shogun and restore the holy emperor
to his ancient seat of power. Screaming "heaven's revenge," they wielded their
swords with a vengeance upon those loyal to the shogun.
They unleashed a wave of terror at the center of the revolution - the
emperor's capital of Kyoto. Murder and assassination were rampant. By the end
of 1862, hordes of renegade samurai, called ronin,
had transformed the streets of the Imperial Capital into a "sea of blood."
The shogun's administrators were desperate to stop the terror. A band of
expert swordsmen was formed. It was given the name Shinsengumi ("Newly
Selected Corps") - and commissioned to eliminate the ronin and
other enemies of the Bakufu.
With unrestrained brutality bolstered by an official sanction to kill, the
Shinsengumi soon became the shogun's most dreaded security force.
In this vivid historical narrative of the Shinsengumi, the only one in the English language,
author Romulus Hillsborough paints a provocative and thrilling picture of this
most fascinating period in Japanese history.
- Sales Rank: #1139735 in Books
- Published on: 2005-09-15
- Released on: 2005-01-15
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x 1.00" w x 6.00" l, 1.04 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 256 pages
Review
"So, what do the Hell's Angels and the Shinsengumi have in common? They both had a propensity for violence, a strict internal code of conduct, and an alarmingly excessive reaction to insult, real or perceived. Also, they probably would have slaughtered each other on sight." —Goodreads
From the Author
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps is the only English-language history of the shogun's notorious hit-squad in Kyoto during the final years the shogun's government. It is my most controversial book. I think that much of the controversy is due to the language. I experimented in this book, repeating certain phrases to stress certain characteristics of the Shinsengumi leaders, including their "propensity to kill." Readers either love it or slam it. But I stand behind my original language and would not change a single word.
About the Author
Romulus Hillsborough, originally from Los Angeles, lived in Tokyo for sixteen years, immersing himself in the study of Japanese language, history and culture. Most of his reading focused on major literary and historical works of Japan. He was particularly drawn in by the tumultuous history of the final years of the shogun's government and the return of political power to the Emperor.
To compliment his reading, the author traveled to historical cities and towns around Japan where his samurai subjects lived and died and where the revolution to overthrow the shogun unfolded. During that time he worked as a writer for a popular weekly magazine in Tokyo and later as a contributing journalist to a number of other Japanese publications.
Upon returning to the United States, Hillsborough settled in San Francisco. Since then, he has returned to Japan many times to resume his travels to historical cities and deepen his understanding of his samurai subjects.
Romulus Hillsborough is an acclaimed expert in the field of Japanese history and culture. His books have been published in seven languages. The author has appeared numerous times on television and radio including The History Channel special "The Samurai," first aired in 2003, and an NHK television special about the Shinsengumi in 2004. He has spoken at such internationally recognized venues as the Asian Art Museum (San Francisco, CA), the Pacific Asia Museum (Pasadena, CA), the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (Tokyo) and the Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan (San Francisco, CA).
Hillsborough's other books include "Ryoma: Life of a Renaissance Samurai," "Samurai Tales," and the forthcoming "Samurai Revolution: The Dawn of Modern Japan Through the Eyes of the Shogun's Last Samurai." Hillsborough currently lives in San Francisco.
Most helpful customer reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
Three Phrases Would Have Done It
By Brian Bear
When I saw this book, (quite by accident, actually), I was impressed that here was a book on something that I had never even heard of before. So, the expectation was high.
Hillsborough has tried to bring out the spirit of the organisation without getting bogged down in the details. Actually, it was the details that I was looking for and often the details will give you something of the spirit of the subject anyway. Some of the historical detail was there, and Hillsborough certainly came across as one who knew his subject material and sources. However, with his book being the first in English on the topic, I question whether the deliberate focus away from the said details was justified. For the average non-Japanese, that historical data would have been priceless, as most of us have nothing else about the Shinsengumi to read.
Three phrases were repeated and repeated ad nauseum: "propensity to kill", "will to power" and "self-importance". The latter had some variations, but all three are constantly hammered and drummed into the reader. At one point, the first phrase appears in almost every sentence for about two paragraphs. While it is certainly worthy to explore the motivations of anyone of historical importance, I again question whether the point needed to be laboured to the degree that it was.
A lot of the historical information regarding important incidents involving the Shinsengumi read a bit like a medieval version of "Battle Royale". At one point, I wondered if I were indeed reading a "historical novel" rather than a book on history. This is something to keep in mind, if you are thinking of purchasing the book.
While the book was interesting, it was certainly not fantastic. It left a huge number of unanswered questions and also left me wondering just why the Shinsengumi was feared so much. From what the book described, there were far more vicious individuals around. That information would have gone a long way to create an understanding of just why the Shinsengumi were so feared and hated.
It is an average book, though with nothing else that I know of in English, there is little choice if someone wants to know about the topic. The Shinsengumi are interesting and worth the look, so for that reason alone the book is worth getting. Just don't expect too much from it, that is all.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Great information; terrible writing
By analog shoujo
If you don't speak Japanese, Mr. Hillsborough's books are pretty much your only source for information on the people and personalities of the Meiji Restoration. (Kenshin, Peacemaker, and Gintama can only get you so far!) If you are interested in Japanese history--or the pop culture surrounding the Shinsengumi et. al.--these books are definitely worth a read. But be warned that the writing is just this side of awful...there is more cliche, hyperbole, and terrible dialogue than you can shake a bokken at.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Kind of scholarly, kind of gossipy
By BRYCE O PLATT
I'm not too sure how to describe this book.
First, let me say that I did enjoy the story. For those only marginally acquainted with he subject, the Shinsengumi were supposed to be a pseudo-police force to protect the Shogun at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. They failed, on many levels. the Shinsengumi have a special place in the hearts and history of the Japanese - the closest parallel I can think of is the Texas Rangers, and even then that is not a good comparison. The Shinsengumi have been portrayed in film and anime (most notably Rurouni Kenshin for anime and, well, Shinsengumi with Toshiro Mifune for film); it's through anime that I became interested in knowing more.
The good parts: There is a lot of information here. This is the scholarly part. Mr. Hillsborough does a good job of telling the story of the Shinsengumi, explaining the historical setting and giving insight into the characters and their motivations. Footnotes and textual explanations while not copious are sufficient.
The bad parts: somehow, even though we are talking only a period of some 6 years the story seems short, almost a sketch. Dry. Bring a bottle of water with you dry. And, one of the most dramatic moments of the Shinsengumi - one of the most dramatic moments in Japanese history, the incident at Ikeda'ya - is pretty unsatisfying. Accurately portrayed I have no doubt but somehow lacking.
For a student of Japanese history and culture, this is a good book and does the job well and I do recommend it for this reader. For the casual reader in Japonica, maybe not so much.
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough PDF
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough EPub
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough Doc
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough iBooks
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough rtf
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough Mobipocket
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, by Romulus Hillsborough Kindle
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar