Sengoku Jidai. Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu: Three Unifiers of Japan

Fantastic book and shipped in great condition. Researching and learning was the best part of this book. It has taken me longer to read as there are times I want to know more about something that took place and find myself lost looking into that. Great for anyone wanting to know more history of the world that helped create modern Japan.

I bought this book after getting hooked on the current (2023) NHK taiga drama, "Dou Suru Ieyasu", and I needed something to help me keep all the many characters and relationships straight. Within a few days of starting to read this book, I was already better able to figure out who was who on the show, and understand why they were all doing what they did. This is thanks to Danny Chaplin's dedication to painting as full and as human a portrait as possible of as many people as possible. He makes sure to include personal stories about almost everyone involved in the history of the three warlords, as well as physical descriptions where possible (such as when a particular person was known to cut a particularly dashing figure on the battlefield), and insights into what may have been going on in their minds. Chaplin makes the many characters come alive, which has really enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of the show. In addition to the human element, Chaplin present exhaustive information about the timeline, such that no important detail is left undiscussed. Again, this has really helped me to follow along with Dou Suru Ieyasu. Even at those moments when I don't catch every word of the Japanese dialogue, I can still follow along with the plot thanks to what I've read in this book. While it is true that the presentation style takes some getting used to at first, as numbers and lists of names can sometimes come in dense blocks before the "action" gets started in a chapter, I would encourage anyone who really wants to learn about this time period to push through it. If you're like me, you'll get used to the style, and possibly even figure out places where you can skim through to the information that interests you. But that is one of the best things about this book -- there is enough information for everyone. Someone who is interested in the exact income per year of a particular daimyo will find what they want here, along with someone who may be interested in something else entirely, such as what the armour of a particular warrior looked like. Additionally, I enjoy the fact that Chaplin doesn't take sides in favor of one historical figure over another. He presents each person neutrally and fairly. Nobody is presented as all good or all bad, or better than anyone else, which is nice. If I had to nitpick, I would point out a few small things. 1) One particular section describes Hideyoshi as "in his prime" at age 45, but then describes his early-40s sister as "aging". To be fair, the "aging" statement was written to contrast how she differed from some young concubines, and how a grown woman probably didn't want to be offered up as a trophy in a dynastic marriage, but the way it was phrased made me stop and think about the lopsided aging standards which society applies to women but not to men. This may not have been Chaplin's intent, but that's just how it struck me. 2) There is sometimes a lack of necessary commas, which can make it hard to parse the meaning of certain sentences on a first read. With these things aside, I would wholeheartedly recommend this as a must-have piece for the library of anyone interested in the Sengoku Jidai, and I would especially recommend it for someone who is a beginner in that area of study. I knew nothing about this period prior to reading this book and watching Dou Suru Ieyasu, and now I feel like I know very much indeed! Thanks to Danny Chaplin for putting together such a wonderful resource, which has most definitely increased my knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of the highly complex world of the three unifiers of Japan!

I found this book to be an excellent read about these 3 unifiers. At times it's a bit hard to follow as there are so many names introduced throughout the book, and many of them have both first and last names changed through arranged marriages and such. One thing that I got used to was, the author took a subject such as a battle an took it from the seeds of the dispute through the end. Then the next subject, maybe about religion from the first landing of priests through acceptance of their being in Japan. Since the periods of the 2 subjects overlapped, some people that died in the battle might still be alive during the religious period. I think the author did the right thing, but it took a little getting used to. I wished there was more written on the battle of Sekigahara. What was written left me wanting more. I guess, I'll get another book on just that subject. There is a fair amount of gore in the book, it didn't bother me, but might bother some people.

The landscape and history of Japan have been sculpted by the three unifiers. This history is fantastically detailed, to a fault. The fact that this history has been written by someone who is not Japanese and who is a specialist in Western history is remarkable. If you are planning on touring Japan I recommend this book. Or if your interest in Japanese history is inspired by the recent Shogun series, based on the history of Tokugawa, I also recommend this book. As I mentioned, the book is extremely detailed. The people and minor events detailed here can drag and I skipped over some parts.

Very good, detailed historical narrative on the Japanese Sengoku period. At times it is difficult to read and comprehend because of the large quantity of detailed characters in the book. Much like reading a history book.

If You love war stories, if you love stories about strategy, history, great leaders, and epic journeys you’ll love this book. A comprehensive and fulfilling novel that transports one to the warring states period of Japan. It includes many details I’ve not previously encountered. It is well worth the time, energy and cost in my opinion.

I can’t comment on the historical accuracy of this book, since it’s the only formal book of history I’ve read on this period and these characters. Like many, I have consumed a lot of media that takes place in this setting: Akira Kurosawa’s movies, James Clavell’s books etc. I read this book to get the real story behind the historical fiction which I have enjoyed elsewhere. I say it’s a focused read because it focuses on Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu as a matter of course in its structure. A poorly written book would have lost its focus and been confused and meandering. I say it’s informative because it provides detailed information, especially the facts I was looking for to compare with the aforementioned historical fiction. Overall it really satisfied and kept me basically engaged and interested. I gave it 4 stars- I would give it 4.5- because nothing is perfect and, I’ll say at times I wished the content was more entertaining or was presented in a more entertaining way. Perhaps if there had been some kind of break from the routine from time to time- more episodes into private life, or simply more examples of the characters quoted speech. That’s all I could ask more for. However overall I can’t fault the book for these reasons too much. I came for history and I got history, and in a very readable form.

Book arrived on time and came in relatively good condition!

Good book to learn all about de unification of Japan.

The book is a very detailed historical essay. I have been searching for a book about the Sengoku period, which is crucial to Japanese history, for a long time.

I absolutely loved this book. As an American who fell in love with Japan in his twenties half a century ago, I have struggled over the years to make sense of the Sengoku Period. Totally convoluted history. A cast of characters that is a mile long with intricacies of plot that boggle the mind. But Danny Chaplin has organized all this material in such a methodical way that for the first time, after decades of trying, I managed to make sense of this crucial century or so of Japanese history. Mr. Chaplin has done a great service to English-speaking lovers of Japanese history. No one else has ever managed to lay out the whole panoply of the fascinating and ever-so-important Sengoku Period in such digestible form. Thank you for this marvelous contribution to world history, sir. The one-time US ambassador to Japan and Harvard professor, Edwin Reischauer said that Westerners have traditionally thought that civilization started in the Fertile Crescent, moved to Egypt, then Greece and Rome, then to Europe and finally to America and have next to no idea of the riches of Oriental history. Danny Chaplin has made an extremely vital contribution to redressing the imbalance.

Libro detalladisimo de todo el periodo sengoku, narra con detalle inaccesible en cualquier otro texto multitud de campañas. Una joya.

It felt very authentic and the acting was stellar. I would recommend it.