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Has water damage. Spine is rounding. Has heavy shelf wear and heavy curling on cover corners. May have other minor cosmetic defects. Ships from Amazon!! Has water damage. Spine is rounding. Has heavy shelf wear and heavy curling on cover corners. May have other minor cosmetic defects. Ships from Amazon!! See less
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Ninja AD 1460–1650 (Warrior) Paperback – Illustrated, February 19, 2003

by Stephen Turnbull (Author), Wayne Reynolds (Illustrator)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 56 ratings
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The Ninja were the secret agents and assassins of feudal Japan and they remain a subject of enduring fascination. They first emerged during the power struggles of 9th and 10th century Japan, in response to the increasing demand for spies, informants and even assassins, and they were used until the mid-1600s when they disappeared on account of a campaign to destroy them. This title provides an accurate and detailed account of the reality of the Ninja, detailing their daily life, training, hiring, combat use and secret operations; also covered are the Ninja's use and knowledge of poisons, medicines and charms.
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  1. Part of series
    Warrior
  2. Print length
    64 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Osprey Publishing
  5. Publication date
    February 19, 2003
  6. Dimensions
    7.25 x 0.35 x 9.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1841765252
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1841765259
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Insights into the real lives of history's fighting men, packed with full colour illustrations, highly detailed cutaways, exploded artwork of weaponry and armour, and action-packed battle scenes.

About the Author

Stephen Turnbull is widely recognised as the world's leading English language authority on the samurai of Japan. He took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) and a PhD from Leeds University. He is now retired and pursues an active literary career, having now published 85 books. His expertise has helped with numerous projects including films, television and the award-winning strategy game Shogun Total War.

WAYNE REYNOLDS was born in Leeds, UK, and attended art college in Middlesbrough. He has had a life-long passion for illustration, and since 1991 has worked as a professional artist. Wayne has provided illustrations and source material for many gaming companies, creating figures, landscapes and interiors, as well as providing core characterisation. He is perhaps best known for his work on titles such as 2000AD, Slaine, and Judge Dredd. Wayne is also a keen modeller and historical re-enactor.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing (February 19, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1841765252
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1841765259
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.25 x 0.35 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 56 ratings

About the author

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Stephen Turnbull

Stephen Turnbull

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Welcome to my Amazon page!

My name is Stephen Richard Turnbull. I have a lifelong interest in Japan, and I write books about military history and religious studies. Many are about Japan, but I also have an interest in European history and folk religion.

My latest samurai book is The Samurai Art of War as illustrated in Hojo Godai ki. It contains all 90 pictures from the 1659 edition of the great samurai classic.

Just published too is The Onin War, the first authoritative military history of the important turning point in Japanese history

I have been interested in Japan for over fifty years. I took my first degree at Cambridge and have two MAs (in Theology and Military History) from Leeds University. In 1996 I received a PhD from Leeds for my thesis on Japan’s Kakure Kirishitan, the ‘Hidden Christians’ whose brave ancestors were persecuted. In its published form the work won the Japan Festival Literary Award in 1998.

Having lectured in East Asian Studies and Theology I am now retired with the nice titles of Honorary Lecturer at Leeds, Research Associate at SOAS and Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University. I have published 86 books and many journal articles.

My expertise was put to use in helping design the award-winning computer strategy game Shogun Total War.

You can contact me via my website at www,stephenturnbull.com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
56 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

T. Hooper
5.0 out of 5 stars Ninjas in Detail
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2004
Verified Purchase
Military historian Steven Turnbull does an excellent job of portraying historical ninjas in this thin volume. A lot of the book on ninjas cover either ninja legends or "ninjitsu" which is a kind of reconstructed martial art which is practiced mainly by American ninja fans and Japanese who are working at ninja theme parks. Turnbull strips all this away and shows us what an authentic ninja was like. The real ninja was a mercenary who specialized in espionage, sabotage, and assassination. The image of a black-clad ninja is perhaps inaccurate. The point of espionage is not to get noticed, so ninja were more likely to be dressed as everyday people in order to infiltrate towns and castles. There are, however, lots of illustrations and photos of black-clad ninjas. Perhaps undercover ninjas are not so interesting to look at. The time period covered is 1460-1650 which was the golden age of ninjas, and which roughly corresponds to the Sengoku (Warring States) period of Japanese history. After this time period, Japan was in a state of peaceful unification and isolation which rendered the ninjas obsolete.
One great point of this book is that it introduces the excellent ninja museum in Iga-Ueno in Mie prefecture. I've visited this museum and they have a ninja house and a wonderful collection of fascinating ninja tools. The highlight of visiting the museum is the excellent ninja show. If you visit the Osaka or Kyoto area, and you have an extra free day, I recommend that ninja fans visit this place and check it out.
32 people found this helpful
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K. Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Ninja Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2007
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I love this book! It strips away all the mythology and stuff we think is true because its in the movies and examines the historical shinobi ('ninja'), his role, training, tactics, motives, and his equipment. I cannot believe how many tools they had for getting into castles and killing their victims. One of the last sections of the book, 'Ninja in War' tells the heroic story of real life ninja and their involvement in the campaigns of the Sengoku Jidai Period. Interestingly, the author says that the ninja often disguised themselves as monks or enemy samurai, yet of the 48 ninja depicted in action in the plates, all but two are clad in the classic black ninja garb. The plates are also very good, and the plate commentary has helped me in my study of the ninjas' tools. The best book I have read on the subject, highly recommended for anyone seeking to read about the real ninja.
9 people found this helpful
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Dese
4.0 out of 5 stars Informative book
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2009
As usual with Stephen Turnbull this is quite an informative book. I have always like the Osprey military books for their content and quality and this one is no exception. One thing I liked about the book is that Turnebull points out that some Ninja were of Samurai decent. Not a seperate caste in some cases. One important thing Turnbull does in this book is to dispell the mythology and superhuman aspects that surround Ninja that some people have been exposed to by watching movies or reading comic books or questionable magazine articles. As always there is great artwork in the book which is one of my favorite aspects of Osprey books. For anyone curious about the Ninja I would recommend this book. As with all Osprey books I feel the cover price is somewhat too high but even so is a worthy book in my opinion.
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Eric Griffith
5.0 out of 5 stars Historically accurate picture of ninjas
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is a tough subject to write about. The truth about ninjas has been covered, hidden, and confused for centuries. To make matters worse, pop culture makes them into fireball and lightening throwing, water walking, flying, invisible super spies/assassins. What I like about this book is that Steven Turnbull has been writing about Far Eastern history for 3 decades. Knows his stuff and does his homework. Combine that with the fact that he sticks to historical accounts, quoting authentic Japanese historical documents. The sense I got after finishing this book, is that I now have a clearer picture of where the ninja fit into the greater history of Japan. He's not a ninjutsu expert, so don't expect intimate knowledge or secrets, but he is a historian and portrays the history as accurately as possible.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Louis de Paris
4.0 out of 5 stars Inusable Turnbull !
Reviewed in France on May 5, 2017
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Encore un volume sur le Japon et ses guerriers par le professeur Turnbull, enseignant bien connu de l'université de Leeds en Grande-Bretagne.
Dans ce volume, il tente de séparer le mythe des Ninjas propagé par Hollywood et les studios chinois de la réalité de ce que furent ces mercenaires spécialisés en assassinats, espionnage et autres sabotages.
La période couverte par ce volume (1460-1650) est censée être celle de leur plus forte activité; elle correspond en gros à la période Sengoku. La paix retrouvée et l'isolement croissant du Japon par la suite semble avoir stoppé le développement des activités des Ninjas.
En conclusion, un petit volume qui décevra les lecteurs à la recherche de récits d'exploits de Ninjas mais qui au contraire devrait ravir les amateurs des travaux solides et agréables à lire du professeur Turnbull.
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Galland5
5.0 out of 5 stars Ninja AD 1460 - 1650
Reviewed in Italy on January 12, 2017
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Non avevo mai letto nulla su questi fantomatici guerrieri, Quindi la lettura di questo libro in formato Kindle é particolarmente affascinante.
Bel lavoro Turnbull!
Galland5
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GB
5.0 out of 5 stars A peek in what it is...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2012
Verified Purchase
...a murky legend,impossible to discern between reality and myth.A glimpse,trying to separate fiction from evidence.Proper information probably scarce,but the book managed to cover important flagpoles.
Good graphics and a few useful references for the eventual trip at the source.
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mr m b ward
5.0 out of 5 stars good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
purchased for a friend bought as a gift, for a friend for xmas as far as i know she liked it very much thank you
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Matthew Ridler
4.0 out of 5 stars Book o.k and still reading
Reviewed in Canada on March 17, 2023
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good on History
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