"It is 1615, and the samurai, Japan's elite fighting class, are at the zenith of their powers. Trained in every manner of combat, from sword-fighting and archery to karate and ju-jutsu, the samurai warrior is the emperor's last line of defence against the barbarians of Japan and beyond. Take up your sword, young samurai! This handy manual tells you everything you need to know about maintaining the honour of the samurai class both on and off the battlefield. Written by a leading authority on Japan and Samurai culture and combining the latest research with contemporary lives, descriptions and reconstructions, this bookprovides a dramatic picture of what it was really like to be a SAMURAI. Learn ...: How to master the Way Of The Warrior ; Whom you should kill, and what to do with their heads afterwards ; What the cultured samurai does between battles ; How to storm or lay siege to a castle ; How to conduct a tea ceremony with Zen-like composure ; What you will need to command and maintain an army ; How to prepare for entry into the White Jade Pavilion after your death."-- Provided by publisher.

Text written by Stephen Turnbull under the name of the fictional character Umawatari Bogyu, 1549-1615, whom the author based upon advisors to the first Tokugawa shoguns.

Japan today : what every samurai needs to know -- From samurai to samurai warrior -- Armour, swords and costumes to adorn the warrior -- The martial arts : just how good are you? -- Your role in guaranteeing a harmonious realm of peace -- Japan : the land of the Gods -- The cultivated samurai -- The samurai as military commander -- The samurai on the battlefield -- Castles and sieges : a very different challenge -- After the battle -- Old age and death.