
Samurai
A Very Short Introduction
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $11.17
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Eric Jason Martin
-
By:
-
Michael Wert
About this listen
The idea of the sword-wielding samurai, beholden to a strict ethical code and trained in deadly martial arts, dominates popular conceptions of the samurai. As early as the late 17th century, they were heavily featured in literature, art, theater, and even comedy, from The Tale of the Heike to the kabuki retellings of the 47 ronin. This legacy remains with us today in countless renditions of samurai history in anime, manga, and video games. Acknowledging these common depictions, this book gives listeners access to the real samurai as they lived, fought, and served.
Much as they capture the modern imagination, the samurai commanded influence over the politics, arts, philosophy, and religion of their own time, and ultimately controlled Japan from the 14th century until their demise in the mid-19th century. On and off the battlefield, their story is one of adventures and intrigues, heroics and misdeeds, unlikely victories and devastating defeats. This book traces the samurai throughout this history, exploring their roles in watershed events such as Japan's invasions of Korea at the close of the 16th century and the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. Coming alive in these accounts are the samurai, both famed and ordinary, who shaped Japanese history.
©2019, 2021 Oxford University Press (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Martin Bunton
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The conflict between Palestine and Israel is one of the most highly publicized and bitter struggles in history. In this accessible and stimulating Very Short Introduction, Martin Bunton clearly explains the history of the problem, reducing it to its very essence - a modern territorial contest between two nations and one geographical territory.Providing a clear and fair exploration of the main issues, Bunton explores not only the historical basis of the conflict, but also looks at how and why partition has been so difficult and how efforts to restore peace continue today.
-
-
Even-handed.
- By Tom Judge on 11-15-23
By: Martin Bunton
-
The Russian Revolution
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: S.A. Smith
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This concise, accessible introduction provides an analytical narrative of the main events and developments in Soviet Russia between 1917 and 1936. It examines the impact of the revolution on society as a whole - on different classes, ethnic groups, the army, men and women, youth. Its central concern is to understand how one structure of domination was replaced by another. The book registers the primacy of politics, but situates political developments firmly in the context of massive economic, social, and cultural change.
By: S.A. Smith
-
The European Union
- A Very Short Introduction, 4th edition
- By: John Pinder, Simon Usherwood
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this fully updated fourth edition, Pinder and Usherwood cover the migrant crisis and the UK's decision to leave the Union, set in the context of a body that is now involved in most areas of public policy. Discussing how the EU continues to draw in new members, they conclude by considering the future of the Union and the choices and challenges that may lie ahead.
-
-
Educational
- By Jeffrey Pagulong on 03-03-22
By: John Pinder, and others
-
The History of the Samurai in a Nutshell
- The Rise and Fall of Japan’s Revered Warriors (History in a Nutshell)
- By: Willoughby H. Huxley
- Narrated by: John Duffy
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Explained in simple terms for a brief, yet comprehensive listen, this resource is packed with all the essential information you need to dive into the history of the samurai. Uncover the strength of mankind and explore the rich culture behind Japan’s revered warriors. If you want to enrich yourself with the history of the samurai and their principles, then scroll up, and click the “Buy” button right now.
-
-
Insightful Journey into Samurai Heritage
- By Destiny Simpson on 08-27-23
-
Rivers
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Nick Middleton
- Narrated by: John Leistner
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rivers have acted as cradles for civilization and agents of disaster; a river may be a barrier or a highway, it can support trade and sediment, culture and conflict. This Very Short Introduction is a celebration of rivers in all their diversity. Geographer Nick Middleton covers a wide and eclectic range of river-based themes, from physical geography to mythology, to industrial history and literary criticism.
By: Nick Middleton
-
American Legal History
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: G. Edward White
- Narrated by: Jason Huggins
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Law has played a central role in American history. From colonial times to the present, law has not just reflected the changing society in which legal decisions have been made - it has played a powerful role in shaping that society, though not always in positive ways. Eminent legal scholar G. Edward White offers a compact overview that sheds light on the impact of law on a number of key social issues.
By: G. Edward White
-
Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Martin Bunton
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The conflict between Palestine and Israel is one of the most highly publicized and bitter struggles in history. In this accessible and stimulating Very Short Introduction, Martin Bunton clearly explains the history of the problem, reducing it to its very essence - a modern territorial contest between two nations and one geographical territory.Providing a clear and fair exploration of the main issues, Bunton explores not only the historical basis of the conflict, but also looks at how and why partition has been so difficult and how efforts to restore peace continue today.
-
-
Even-handed.
- By Tom Judge on 11-15-23
By: Martin Bunton
-
The Russian Revolution
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: S.A. Smith
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This concise, accessible introduction provides an analytical narrative of the main events and developments in Soviet Russia between 1917 and 1936. It examines the impact of the revolution on society as a whole - on different classes, ethnic groups, the army, men and women, youth. Its central concern is to understand how one structure of domination was replaced by another. The book registers the primacy of politics, but situates political developments firmly in the context of massive economic, social, and cultural change.
By: S.A. Smith
-
The European Union
- A Very Short Introduction, 4th edition
- By: John Pinder, Simon Usherwood
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this fully updated fourth edition, Pinder and Usherwood cover the migrant crisis and the UK's decision to leave the Union, set in the context of a body that is now involved in most areas of public policy. Discussing how the EU continues to draw in new members, they conclude by considering the future of the Union and the choices and challenges that may lie ahead.
-
-
Educational
- By Jeffrey Pagulong on 03-03-22
By: John Pinder, and others
-
The History of the Samurai in a Nutshell
- The Rise and Fall of Japan’s Revered Warriors (History in a Nutshell)
- By: Willoughby H. Huxley
- Narrated by: John Duffy
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Explained in simple terms for a brief, yet comprehensive listen, this resource is packed with all the essential information you need to dive into the history of the samurai. Uncover the strength of mankind and explore the rich culture behind Japan’s revered warriors. If you want to enrich yourself with the history of the samurai and their principles, then scroll up, and click the “Buy” button right now.
-
-
Insightful Journey into Samurai Heritage
- By Destiny Simpson on 08-27-23
-
Rivers
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Nick Middleton
- Narrated by: John Leistner
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rivers have acted as cradles for civilization and agents of disaster; a river may be a barrier or a highway, it can support trade and sediment, culture and conflict. This Very Short Introduction is a celebration of rivers in all their diversity. Geographer Nick Middleton covers a wide and eclectic range of river-based themes, from physical geography to mythology, to industrial history and literary criticism.
By: Nick Middleton
-
American Legal History
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: G. Edward White
- Narrated by: Jason Huggins
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Law has played a central role in American history. From colonial times to the present, law has not just reflected the changing society in which legal decisions have been made - it has played a powerful role in shaping that society, though not always in positive ways. Eminent legal scholar G. Edward White offers a compact overview that sheds light on the impact of law on a number of key social issues.
By: G. Edward White
-
The Roman Republic
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: David M. Gwynn
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rise and fall of the Roman Republic occupies a special place in the history of Western civilization. From humble beginnings on the seven hills beside the Tiber, the city of Rome grew to dominate the ancient Mediterranean. Led by her senatorial aristocracy, Republican armies defeated Carthage and the successor kingdoms of Alexander the Great, and brought the surrounding peoples to east and west into the Roman sphere. Yet the triumph of the Republic was also its tragedy.
-
-
Great pithy introduction
- By ABrar on 05-08-24
By: David M. Gwynn
-
Theodor Adorno
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Andrew Bowie
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
T. W. Adorno (1903-1969) was a German philosopher and social and cultural theorist. His work has come to be seen as increasingly relevant to understanding the pathologies of contemporary society evident in today's climate emergency, the financial crash, the reappearance of fascism in many countries, and the growing instability of the world order. This Very Short Introduction covers Adorno's work and life, explaining his key philosophical concepts and the philosophical background and historical context of Adorno's thinking.
By: Andrew Bowie
-
The Roman Empire
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Christopher Kelly
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Roman Empire was a remarkable achievement. It had a population of 60 million people spread across lands encircling the Mediterranean and stretching from northern England to the sun-baked banks of the Euphrates, and from the Rhine to the North African coast. It was, above all else, an empire of force - employing a mixture of violence, suppression, order, and tactical use of power to develop an astonishingly uniform culture.
-
-
I love it
- By Amazon Customer on 08-23-21
-
The French Revolution
- A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition
- By: William Doyle
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The French Revolution is a time of history made familiar from Dickens, Baroness Orczy, and Tolstoy, as well as the legends of let them eat cake, and tricolors. Beginning in 1789, this period of extreme political and social unrest saw the end of the French monarchy, the death of an extraordinary number of people beneath the guillotine's blade during the Terror, and the rise of Napoleon, as well as far reaching consequences still with us today, such as the enduring ideology of human rights, and decimalization.
-
-
A Solid Overview - Good for the Uninitiated
- By The Lee Family on 07-07-23
By: William Doyle
-
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
-
-
Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
- By Cynthia on 12-11-13
By: Jack Weatherford
-
The Mughal Empire
- A Captivating Guide to the Mughal Empire in South Asia and the Impact the Mughals Had on the History of India
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mughal Empire, also known as the Moghul Empire, lasted for about three centuries, and at its peak, it covered 3.2 million square kilometers, from the outer borders of the Indus Basin in the west to the highlands of Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and from Afghanistan and Kashmir in the north to the Deccan Plateau in the south. The Mughal Empire also took the territories of what used to be known as Hindustan in the northern Indian subcontinent.
-
-
The Empire of the far east and time
- By Kiaf on 03-14-25
-
China: A History of China and East Asia 3rd Edition
- By: Adam Brown
- Narrated by: Sarah Moore
- Length: 4 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever wondered how China became the most populous and one of the most industrially active nations today? This audiobook will take you from Ancient China and imperial dynasties to communism and capitalism. Discover the rich history of this superpower. Subjects include: agriculture, capitalism, ancient Chinese culture, language, spirituality and religion, literature, music, arts, architecture, history of martial arts, old-world medicine, military history, and the Sun Tzu dynasties.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Amber Levine on 09-10-19
By: Adam Brown
-
Ancient History
- A Captivating Guide to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm, Timothy Burke
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Three captivating manuscripts in one audiobook: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome.
-
-
Think about our ancient cultures
- By fiona on 11-02-18
-
Poland
- The First Thousand Years
- By: Patrice M. Dabrowski
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since its beginnings, Poland has been a moving target, geographically as well as demographically, and the very definition of who is a Pole has been in flux. In the late medieval and early modern periods, the country grew to be the largest in continental Europe, only to be later wiped off the map for more than a century. Yet even under these constraints, Poles persisted in their desire to wrest from their oppressors a modicum of national dignity and, ultimately, managed to achieve much more than that.
-
-
Easy listen.
- By Pieter Reyneke on 01-11-23
-
Suleiman the Magnificent: A Captivating Guide to the Longest-Reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Desmond Manny
- Length: 1 hr and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During his reign, Suleiman the Magnificent guided the Ottoman Empire through its golden age of trade and expansion. His reign changed the face of the world and the lives of millions of people, and his name echoes down to us in the present day. Suleiman the Magnificent was unlike any other sultan before or after him, and this audiobook explains why.
-
-
Disappointed
- By Maria T. Fagnan on 10-24-19
-
A Brief History of the Samurai
- Brief Histories
- By: Jonathan Clements
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a leading expert in Japanese history, this is one of the first full histories of the art and culture of the Samurai warrior. The Samurai emerged as a warrior caste in Medieval Japan and would have a powerful influence on the history and culture of the country from the next 500 years. Clements also looks at the Samurai wars that tore Japan apart in the 17th and 18th centuries and how the caste was finally demolished in the advent of the mechanized world.
-
-
An Excellent History of the Samurai
- By Michael on 08-08-14
-
The Most Powerful Women in the Middle Ages
- Queens, Saints, and Viking Slayers, From Empress Theodora to Elizabeth of Tudor
- By: Melissa Rank, Michael Rank
- Narrated by: Anne Day-Jones
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The idea of a powerful woman in the Middle Ages seems like an oxymoron. Females in this time are imagined to be damsels in distress, trapped in a high tower, and waiting for knights to rescue them, all while wearing traffic-cones for a hat. After rescue, their lives improved little. Their career choices were to be either docile queens, housewives, or be burned at the stake for witchcraft. But what if this image of medieval women is a complete fiction? It turns out that it is. Powerful female rulers fill the Middle Ages.
-
-
Wonderfully empowering
- By Teresa Carter on 01-29-23
By: Melissa Rank, and others
What listeners say about Samurai
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Walden
- 07-02-22
Not really about samurai, read Musashi instead
Wert comes off as a Westerner with an agenda to judge a foreign culture. aside from the fact that the author spends half of the book attempting to demonize the centrality of warrior values in Bushido, he also makes questionable analyzes like claiming that a Confucian perspective should be used to judge Bushido. this is two levels removed; it's not the Italians learning about pasta from the chinese, but more akin to a French chef telling a Spanish bureaucrat to judge how the Ferraris are made in Modena. there can be multiple perspectives on a subject, but perhaps the actual cultural natives have more credibility. I strongly recommend reading the Hagakure and Miyamoto Musashi's Book of The Five Rings. The Japanese named one of their most expensive ships after him from a position of honor; respect for arguably "THE" Kensei of Kenseis.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful