I picked up this book after watching the short docu-series on Netflix called Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan. The series was fascinating, and I wanted to learn more about the lifestyles of these larger than life figures. This book by Dersin seemed like the best introduction, being brief, full of pictures, but still covering a lot of ground. There's so much to impart that the iconic Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu only appear near the end of this book. Samurai and Shoguns does not only discuss the daily lives of these figures, but it also does a lot to setup up the world they inhabit and gives added dimension to their motives. This book is thought-provoking, informative, but also entertaining to read about.

Unlike Dersin's other book in this series about Imperial China, Samurai and Shoguns delves into the daily lives of its characters. You learn about the fashions of the people, as well as the women who helped shape the empire of Japan. You learn about how the merchant class organized themselves into guilds alongside learning about historic battles. Overall, Dersin does a much better job here of painting a complete picture of 16th-17th century Japanese society, to the point where users can imagine it for themselves.

If you're interested in this period of Japanese history, I highly recommend both the book and the docu-series. Together, the two paint a really compelling and complex picture of medieval Japan that is truly incomparable. ( )