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The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori Paperback - 2005 - 1st Edition
by Mark Ravina
Summary
The dramatic arc of Saigo Takamori's life, from his humble origins as a lowly samurai, to national leadership, to his death as a rebel leader, has captivated generations of Japanese readers and now Americans as well - his life is the inspiration for a major Hollywood film, The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. In this vibrant new biography, Mark Ravina, professor of history and Director of East Asian Studies at Emory University, explores the facts behind Hollywood storytelling and Japanese legends, and explains the passion and poignancy of Saigo's life. Known both for his scholarly research and his appearances on The History Channel, Ravina recreates the world in which Saigo lived and died, the last days of the samurai. The Last Samurai traces Saigo's life from his early days as a tax clerk in far southwestern Japan, through his rise to national prominence as a fierce imperial loyalist. Saigo was twice exiled for his political activities -- sent to Japan's remote southwestern islands where he fully expected to die. But exile only increased his reputation for loyalty, and in 1864 he was brought back to the capital to help his lord fight for the restoration of the emperor. In 1868, Saigo commanded his lord's forces in the battles which toppled the shogunate and he became and leader in the emperor Meiji's new government. But Saigo found only anguish in national leadership. He understood the need for a modern conscript army but longed for the days of the traditional warrior. Saigo hoped to die in service to the emperor. In 1873, he sought appointment as envoy to Korea, where he planned to demand that the Korean king show deference to the Japanese emperor, drawing his sword, if necessary, top defend imperial honor. Denied this chance to show his courage and loyalty, he retreated to his homeland and spent his last years as a schoolteacher, training samurai boys in frugality, honesty, and courage. In 1876, when the government stripped samurai of their swords, Saigo's followers rose in rebellion and Saigo became their reluctant leader. His insurrection became the bloodiest war Japan had seen in centuries, killing over 12,000 men on both sides and nearly bankrupting the new imperial government. The imperial government denounced Saigo as a rebel and a traitor, but their propaganda could not overcome his fame and in 1889, twelve years after his death, the government relented, pardoned Saigo of all crimes, and posthumously restored him to imperial court rank. In THE LAST SAMURAI, Saigo is as compelling a character as Robert E. Lee was to Americans-a great and noble warrior who followed the dictates of honor and loyalty, even though it meant civil war in a country to which he'd devoted his life. Saigo's life is a fascinating look into Japanese feudal society and a history of a country as it struggled between its long traditions and the dictates of a modern future.
First line
Saigo was born in Kagoshima, a castle town and the capital of Satsuma domain.
Details
- Title The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
- Author Mark Ravina
- Binding Paperback
- Edition number 1st
- Edition 1
- Pages 265
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Wiley, Somerset, New Jersey, U.S.A.
- Date February 7, 2005
- Illustrated Yes
- ISBN 9780471705376 / 0471705373
- Weight 0.91 lbs (0.41 kg)
- Dimensions 9.28 x 6.18 x 0.76 in (23.57 x 15.70 x 1.93 cm)
- Library of Congress subjects Japan - History - Restoration, 1853-1870, Saigo, Takamori
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2003006646
- Dewey Decimal Code B
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The Last Samurai : The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
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The Last Samurai The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
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The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
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THE LAST SAMURAI The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
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Wiley. Very Good+. 2005. Softcover. 0471705373 . Light scratching to covers. ; Story that inspired the Tom Cruise movie. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 288 pp .
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The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
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THE LAST SAMURAI. The Life And Battles Of Saigo Takamori.
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John Wiley & Sons, Inc.:, 2004. 265 pages, illustrated in b&w. "This book chronicles Saigo's life, from the childhood events that shaped his courage and passionate sense of justice to Saigo's demise by his own hand on the battlefield of the Satsuma Rebellion." FINE- SOFTCOVER, some of the pages top coners had been folded over.. Soft Cover. Fine-. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
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The Last Samurai The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
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