Japanese Castles Ad 250-1540

Dr Stephen Turnbull is internationally recognised for his research into and writing on Japanese military history. Here he applies his scholarship to an account of the evolution of Japanese defensive architecture and engineering, from early earthworks through to wooden and earth castles and, finally, the emergence of the stone towers that are so characteristic of the samurai. He also plots the adaptation of Japanese castles to accommodate the introduction of firearms. With unpublished photographs from the author's private collection and full-colour artwork, including detailed cutaways, this is an essential guide to the fascinating development of Japanese castles.

Stephen Turnbull is widely recognised as the world's leading English language authority on the samurai of Japan. He took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) and a PhD from Leeds University. He is now retired and pursues an active literary career, having now published 85 books. His expertise has helped with numerous projects including films, television and the award-winning strategy game Shogun Total War.

"The book covers the complete design and implementation of castle styles and shows how the various works were modified or improved to meet the needs of the areas in which they were placed. In all, a superb addition to the Fortress series and a book that I believe you will find interesting." -Scott Van Aken, "modelingmadness.com" (May 2008)
"After describing the history and location of these fortifications, the author presents details of their design and construction...An interesting work..." -J.E. Kaufmann, "Site-O" (April 2008)