Tales of the Samurai
Stories of Old Japan. Book 1
Roald Knutsen
9781898823025
252 pages
Amsterdam University Press
Overview
Written by the pen of a high-ranking swordsman who has immersed himself in the warrior traditions of old Japan for over fifty years and author of several books relating to the Samurai culture and its traditions, here are some absorbing short tales supported by the author’s own illustrations that will take the reader directly back to both ancient and medieval Japan. The stories end in the final upheavals of the mid-sixteenth century prior to the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shoguns. Drawing inspiration from his own extensive researches and popular folklore of late-nineteenth century scholars, these brilliantly crafted stories offer an authentic flavour of the humour, hardships, and sudden violence of a country often suffering from war. Dangers lie hidden on all sides... Compulsive reading.
Author Bio
Roald Knutsen, born of Anglo-Norwegian parents, has combined a successful career in advertising and occasional film design with more than fifty years study both in the UK and Japan with traditional Kendo, Iai-jutsu, and So-jutsu, holding high rank in the first two. He has written several books on the historical cultural background of the Martial Arts. He co-authored a study of Japanese spears with his wife, also holding high rank in Kendo.
