Samurai Tales: Courage, Fidelity, and Revenge in the Final Years of the Shogun

Samurai Tales is about the legendary men reborn from the samurai class who fought for the helm of power in 19th century Japan. In an internecine war that was unique in its scope and character, Hillsborough gives us a rare and fascinating look at the men who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their leaders and their country. Names like Sakamoto Ryoma, Saigo Takamure, Kondo Isami, and Katsu Kaishu, whose achievements and adventures have been recounted here, have become samurai legends in this pivotal era in Japanese history. These are stories of courage, honor, fidelity, disgrace, fate, and destiny set in the bloody time of political change and social upheaval in the final years of the Shogun.

Romulus Hillsborough lived in Japan for over fifteen years, seven of which were spent doing extensive research on the times surrounding the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. He has worked on the editorial staff of a Japanese weekly magazine in Tokyo, and as a US correspondent for the Japanese press. His other titles include Shinsengumi: The ShogunÆs last Samurai Corps and Ryoma: Life of a Renaissance Samurai.