The samurai bible is an 18th-century book known as The Hagakure (Behind the Leaves). Scholars believe that a samurai-turned-Zen-monk named Yamamoto Tsunetomo dictated its contents to a disciple ...

In fact, many different types of people helped shape the medieval period. Over 400 years, from the late twelfth to the late sixteenth ... Medieval war tales and other accounts tell us a lot about the ...

Samurai warriors derived their status and salaries from the daimyo lords they served. When a daimyo died, these warriors became "ronin," masterless samurai. After Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun in ...