Ashigaru 1467-1649 (Warrior 29)

Rating:
Summary: The grunts of medieval Japan
Review: This book, as far as I know, is the first to focus on the anonymous warriors of feudal Japan. Turnbull does an excellent job of shedding light on the class of warriors that bore the brunt of fighting during sengoku jidai. He covers everything from arms and armor, how the farmer/soldiers were mobilized in time of war, to life on campaign and medical treatment for wounded soldiers. He also shows how ashigaru went from being despised underlings to finally being granted the social status of samurai under Hideyoshi, who himself started his military career as an ashigaru. All of this in 64 pages. Well worth the money.