Personally I cannot recommend Hagakure as a good
historical peace for early Japan, it?s an Edo book
expressing values that where not really embraced until
still later. My suggestion to Scott would be to attack
the subject one topic at a time, for example if you
want to start with military history then you can pick
up one of Osprey?s men at arms books. Good primers,
which is what it sounds like you are interested in.
The book that got me into the military history of
Japan is ?Arms and Armor of the Samurai?.
If, however you just want a general overview of the
entire history of Japan then ?Japan, its history and
culture,? by W. Scott Morton is reasonable.
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"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."
-Abraham Lincoln
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