Samurai!

An eye-opening account of the first encounter between England and Japan, by the acclaimed author of Nathaniel's Nutmeg. Samurai William is the fascinating story of a clash of two cultures, and of the enormous impact one Westerner had on the opening of the East.

The samurai were the best of the military, and the daimyo were the best of the samurai. This authoritative account gives an in-depth military history of the daimyo's times as well as a discussion of the warriors' code of honor. Includes many illustrations.

In one of these tales of Zen wisdom, a would-be swordsman must first learn patience before he learns how to defeat his enemy.

The vain young daughter of a samurai finds her comfortable life ripped apart when opposing warrior clans begin a struggle for imperial control of Japan.

Matsuyama Kaze is a "ronin," a Japanese knight errant. Kaze must travel across Japan until he fulfills a promise made to his dying Lord and Lady -- to find their nine-year-old daughter. As this masterless samurai searches the countryside, he is caught up in a series of mysteries that test his strength and skills as well as his Confucian training.

By the Sword is an epic history of sword fighting—a science, an art, and, for many, a religion that began at the dawn of civilization in ancient Egypt and has been an obsession for mankind ever since. With wit and insight, Richard Cohen gives us an engrossing history of the world via the sword.

David Lowry found his teacher, his sensei, right in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri. Lowry makes the story of his lessons in Japanese culture, bushido, and the mental training of a warrior come alive for his readers.