Must-read/view Samurai stuff

[kenjib]

... being a Tom Cruise film, I suspect that the scenery is going to be the only thing worth seeing it for. :-)

Well, that and my Mom, who is an extra in the film.  See is a shocked grandmother in the background when someone's head gets chopped off.  We'll see if she made the final cut when it is released.  :D

[kenjib]

Oh, and that also means that while some landscapes may be done in New Zealand, many other parts were filmed in studios in Los Angeles.

[Quadral]

For flavor and background/history, I heartily recommend "The Tale of the Heike." It's the Japanese equivalent of Romance of the 3 Kingdoms or the Iliad and talks about the fall of the Taira and rise of the Minamoto in the 12th Century.  In my experience, most stuff on samurai is on the Sengoku age or during the Tokugawa era, which leaves out a lot of depth.

I've read the version translated by Helen McCullough, which is good.

Also, the story of the 47 Samurai/Ronin is must (and a great example of how spiritual attributes can drive people).  I can't recommend any of the translated books (as I haven't read any of them), but I have seen Japanese dramas and heard stories about it.

I would also recommend Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa (Taiko is interesting too, but not so much to do with combat).

...as for books and movies with actual useful fighting stuff, I'll have to think about it.

Finally, it's not a book or movie, but I'd like to put a plug in for the jitte (probably a defensive weapons with the cut and thrust style, though I don't know how you'd do the sword breaking) and the kusari-gama.  I hope they make it in.

[Ben Morgan]

I have to recommend "Shinju" by Laura Joh Rowland. Classic murder mystery set in Tokugawa-era Japan. The main character Sano is a recently appointed yoriki in Edo, investigating what appears to be a suicide pact between a nobleman's daughter and a commoner, but turns out to be much more. Sano risks everything - his position, his honor, his family, not to mention his life - in his pursuit of the truth.

Mulder had it easy in comparison.

-- Ben

[Kaare_Berg]

If you want a twist that at the same time discusses Hagakure, check out the movie Ghost Dog. Setting wise it is nothing, but the retainer/loyalty/honour conflict is dead on.

[Tony Irwin]

Kudos to Qudral for mentioning Musashi by Eiji Yokishawa, its a gripping  novelisation of the life of the Musashi credited with the Book of 5 Rings - stacked with great RPG material, his SAs drive the whole story.

The Samurai Sourcebook by Stephen Turnbull. Great historical writer, I used this one for general information for our L5R games. He has a slew of books out with more specific subjects. I understand some of the recent L5R writers corresponded with him while researching.

Ninja: The True Story of Japan's Secret Warrior Cult, by Stephen Turnbull. I don't own this yet but have it on order. Reason I bring it up is that everyone who first comes to a samurai game (including me) seems to think Cool! I'll play a Ninja! Turnbull seems very grounded in historical research, I'm hoping this book will give me something that strips away the "American Ninja in Feudal Japan" images ;-)

There's a trilogy of films based off the Musashi novel, I'll list them but haven't seen them so can't vouch for any:

Musashi Miyamoto, Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and Duel at Ganyru Island, all staring The Man, Toshiro Mifune.

The Tale of Murasaki, by Liza Dalby a kind of diarised novelisation of Murasaki Shikibu's life, she wrote Tale of Genji which I think I recall may have been the world's first novel? (maybe depends how you define novel). Anyway gives wonderful insight into customs, superstitions, culture and courtly life. Also some interesting stuff on China's relationship with Japan at the time. (11th Century)

Hell, also Geisha by Liza Dalby, because its brilliant and has lots of historical content on the geisha tradition. She's also got a book out on the history of the kimono, I don't have that one.

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Edited for spelling

[Sneaky Git]

Wow.  Great List so far.  A lot of the must reads have been covered all ready.  Musashi is an excellent read.  And Hagakure is fantastic. Also of note is a novelization of the Tale of the Heike.  It's called Genpei, and was written by Kara Dalkey.  I found Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan to be an interesting read.  Well-referenced, it provides a look at the exponents of bujutsu (bushi and heimin), where they learned, and what they learned (both inner and outer).  Pretty neat stuff.

Shipwrecks, by Akira Yoshimura, was a quick read, and dark.  All about a fishing village in medieval Japan that gains much of its prosperity by luring ships onto the shoals around their village (during stormy nights) and then slaughtering their crews and plundering them.  All I can say is that payback is a bitch.  Great read.

The Sano Ichiro mysteries (Laura Joh Rowland) were good, if a bit formulaic.

The Fox Woman, by Kij Johnson, was fun, telling the story of a Kitsune that had fallen in love with a human.

Hideyoshi (Mary Elizabeth Berry) delves into the life and times of the man who set the table for the Tokugawa.

Edwin O. Reischauer is considered by many to be the  leading American scholar on things Japanese.  Somewhat dry, his books do tend to be informative.

I can't remember if it has already been mentioned, but Everyday Life in Traditional Japan (Charles Dunn) is a "must-read" for those interested in learning about life in traditional Japan.

If you are not purely interested in Japan, the you have to take a look at Jonathan D. Spence.  God's Chinese Son, Treason by the Book, and many others (most of his stuff is very good) would go a long way towards inserting a Chinese "feel" to TRoJ...if that is what you'd like.

[Brian Leybourne]

You could also do worse than Eric Van Lustbader's "Nicholas Linnear" series (The Ninja, The Miko, White Ninja, The Kaisho, and a couple more I forget the names of).

Modern setting, but they go a lot into the mysticism and grandeur of ancient (and modern) Japan.

Brian.

[6inTruder]

Did you mean the traditional Tale of the Heike, or the Yoshikawa version?

[Quadral]

6inTruder, if you're asking me, I read the translated traditional version, not the Yoshikawa version.  It's pretty involved reading, but worth it.  I haven't read the Yoshikawa book.

I noticed no one has mentioned anything about the Bakumatsu (end of the Tokugawa era). (besides Ruroni Kenshin)  Does anyone have suggestions on books or movies for this period?

[Luke]

Assume that I've seen every Kurosawa movie. 6 times. Some of these are new reccomendations, though, which is what I wanted.

Jake

Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
a very good description of the inner path of the sword. (but a bit maudlin at times.) Very japanese. Very long.

The Osprey Man-at-Arms series has some good stuff on medieval japanese soldiers (some of it illustrated by Angus McBride), and their book on Sekigahara is one of their best, in my opinion. Also, they just release a book on Warrior Monks. ::drool::

-L

[tralese]

I did the fatal mistake of trying to watch Shogun in one single setting.  6 hours fo a movie where most of the languag was in japanese.  It was long and difficult, but it remains a classic for the japanese fan.

[6inTruder]

I noticed no one has mentioned anything about the Bakumatsu (end of the Tokugawa era). (besides Ruroni Kenshin) Does anyone have suggestions on books or movies for this period?

Um...
*looks around*
Sword of Doom?

... Oh, and that other Karl Friday book: Legacies of the Sword.

And I've got the Heike Monogatari. Translated anyway. Never finished it though. The Yoshikawa version I've not seen a complete translation of unfortunately (yeah, they really published half a book). Still an interesting read.

[Quadral]

I haven't seen it, so I didn't recognise the title.  I'll check it out.  Thanks for the recommendation.

[Grex]

Do any of you have some suggestions? My list is pretty large, and I'm pretty well read, but there's always stuff that slips through the cracks...

Am I the first to mention Zatoichi? It is quite possibly the finest chambara franchise of all time; some episodes even surpass Kurosawa's samurai epics in terms of, well, "japaneseness". Also, many of the characters in the series, notably Zatoichi himself, are driven by complex emotions, principles, or flaws -- prime TRoS-fodder.

Here's a link to a review of my personal favorite episode, Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold:

http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/zatoichi06.htm

(This is all very IMHO; I'm a complete sucker for Zatoichi)