CompleteMartialArts.com - Pirate of the Far East: 811-1639 (Warrior)
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List Price: $17.95
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Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Paperback
Brand: Osprey Publishing Limited
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.45
EAN: 9781846031748
ISBN: 1846031745
Label: Osprey Publishing
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 64
Publication Date: 2007-11-20
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Release Date: 2007-11-20
Studio: Osprey Publishing
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Editorial Reviews:
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For many centuries, international relations between Medieval Japan, Korea and China were carried out by means of the 'inseparable trinity' of war, trade and piracy. Much has been written about the first two means of interaction. The third element, which combined the other two in a violent blend of free enterprise, is the subject of this original and exciting book. It is written by Stephen Turnbull, who has visited all three countries in search of the elusive pirates of the Far East.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very good overview of the medieval Japanese pirates
Comment: This book provides a comprehensive overview of the history of the Japanese pirates. It provides enough details to make one feel like one learned something interesting but does not overwhelm with boring details.
The "further readings" section has a lot of useful references (though I don't think I have time to dig into all of them...)
Basically, the early Japanese pirates were thugs, or 'terrorists', who engaged in rape, murder, theft, kidnapping and arson etc. They terrorized the coasts of Korea and China. These violent pirates later became 'navy' during the 'warring period' and the 'Imjin War (invasion of Korea)'. While now we can read with amusement (just like the pirates of the Carrabeans), they were one of the 'axis of evil' at that time.
Giving five star does not mean it is above my criticism. The 'pirate ships' section is a little shakey in my humble opinion.
As the author acknowledged, there is no remnant of the ships, nor is there any detailed drawing to tell us conclusively the size or compartment of the pirate ships. So, stating that the Atakebune (large battleships) manned 80 oarsmen and 60 fighting men (140 men crew) can be misleading if not inaccurate. I tried to find where this 140 men number came about, but couldn't find it. There are documents that describe much larger battleships built by daimyos such as Oda Nobunaga (200 oars battleship) and Kuki, not to mention Hideyoshi, who preferred large battleships. As the warring period intensified in Japan, many diamyos who teamed up with pirates pushed for larger Atake ships.
There was by no means a unified version of Atakebune. This was a very different situation from Korea, where the design/size of the Korean battleships were standardized under one Court.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but a little thin.
Comment: In other books the author has mentioned the piratical activities of the Wako, or Japanese pirates. This book is a good expansion on those mentions, and a good summary of wako activities. Illustrations are good. I feel, however, that the format of the book limited the information to be had. I would have liked to see more on the Portuguese pirates that joined the late-era Wako, for example, as well as more detail on the campaigns and life-styles of the pirates. The title, incidentally, is misleading, implying that the Chinese and Malay pirates, who were long-standing menaces to the Far East, would also be included. All in all, a good book, but not enough pages. This could be the basis for a larger, much better book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Warfare and Water
Comment: I never knew there were pirates of this nature. Brutal and bold. I loved this book and will reread.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Medieval Oriental Pirates
Comment: I remember when I first saw this title advertized earlier this year. 'Pirate of the Far East 811-1639? What the heck?' This had to be the most obscure title yet published by Osprey! Nonetheless, as a fan of both Samurai Warfare and Stephen Turnbull, I went ahead and bought it. I was not disappointed.
To sum it up, Turnbull examines 800 years of raids on the civilizations of China, Korea, and of course Japan by bands of cutthroats, mercenaries, lordless Samurai, and plain scum, and the wars of revenge fought against them both on land and at sea. These fierce and unruly warriors, known for their cruelty and complete lack of respect for any ruler or religion, had the ragtag appearance one would expect, but many managed to acquire Samurai weaponry and armor. In fact, one of their greatest leaders, the 'pirate-king' Murakami Takeyoshi, was of an illustrious Samurai clan.
Turnbull opens his book with a summary of the history of these fearsome seamen, and goes on to describe their culture and outline their history. He then examines their physical appearance, clothing, armor, weapons, and ships, and then looks at their daily life, chain of command, and the various types of raid they made. Then he examines their tactics and the battle experience of individual pirates. He closes the title with sections on museums, sites, and further reading. As with another recent warrior title, the plates and plate commentary are spread out throughout the book, rather than being grouped together at the center and back.
Overall, despite their exotic location and appearance, these pirates were just that-typical pirates whose lifestyle and tactics were not overly different from the contemporary Vikings and European mercenary bands, and the classical buccaneer and Caribbean-type pirates still to come. As he already has with the warrior-monks, ashigaru, and ninja, Turnbull does these hard-fighting and murderous raiders a service by revealing to the modern English-speaking world just how vital a role they played in the the politics and wars of contemporary China, Japan, and Korea, and does so in a manner than is exciting and readable, and leaves the reader stunned at the chilling cruelty of these pitiless mercenaries.
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