"Recommend some Samurai fiction" Topic

So I'm looking at a pile of 28mm samurai and related figures. This may be the sixth time I've owned samurai, but not painted them. Somehow I never get started, but the idea is cool and after living in Japan for 3 years some time ago I've got the bug. I'd like to actually get the project started this time. A good book can get me motivated to start, and once I start, I'll eventually finish. I have a variety of reference books, both Ospreys and others plus a bit of art I picked up while living in Japan, thus I'm looking for fiction. So TMPers, please recommend some good books about the Samurai (in English).

Tomoe Gozen
The Golden Naginata
Thousand Shrine Warrior

"Shogun" by James Clavell.

"Usagi Yojimbo" by Stan Sakai

I used to really like Blade of the Immortal, a comic by Hiroaki Samura. It has a strong fantasy element, so it might not be what you are after. The U.S. editions are available from Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse also publish Lady Snowblood and Lone Wolf and Cub (the latter may be out of print). To really get your bushi on, you should check out some movies (but that's another topic).

Ron

Taiko or Musashi by Yoshikawa.

Doug

DING DING DING!!!!

elsyrsyn wins the prize I too highly recommend the novels by Yoshikawa.

Both are long and detailed so if you want period immersion they are the books to get. You can also see the trilogy of films based on Musashi starring Mifune Toshiro.

There's a series of illustrated novels (yes, manga) for adults about an Edo period police chief. Unfortunately, it's only in Japanese and hasn't (at least that I've found) been translated and printed in English.

Ronin/Kaze Trilogy by Dale Furutani
"The Samurai Banner of Furin Kazan" by Yasushi Inoue
Shuhei Fujisawa "The Bamboo Sword & Other Samurai Tales"
Child of Vengeance David Kirk
Sword of the Samurai (short stories) Eric Kimmel

I'll third Mushashi (I haven't read Taiko.) Musashi is chock full of great characters and good action (no major battles if you're looking for that kind of experience; I think Taiko might be a better choice for that.)

I just finished re-reading Shogun and it's one of the best historical fiction novels I've ever found. There are several low-level battles in the book that would make for great skirmish-size wargame scenarios.

Cloud of Sparrows link and Autumn Bridge link by Takashi Matsuoka.

The Tales of the Otori series is also pretty good.

Sundance, do you mean Sabu to Ichi Torimonohikae (Sabu and Ichi's Arrest Warrant)? I found an online fan-translation: link

Shogun is quite a good read, and in my opinion Clavell's best book. Somewhere around here I have a book on the real life Englishman upon whose story it's loosely based.

Doug

Musashi by Eiji Yoshioka.

This book heavily influenced how the Japanese saw themselves and their history in the years before WWII. Stoic warriors fearless of death, able to defeat any foe. It pretty-much created the image of what being a Samurai was to modern Japan.

Taiko.