What Life Was Like Among Samurai and Shoguns tells the story of a grand empress's unstoppable ambition to determine who would rule her nation, along with many other compelling tales of the men and women of medieval Japan. It focuses on the daily lives of emperors and artisans, samurai and poets, and courtesans and monks in the capitals of Kyoto and Edo, in the countryside, in various castle towns and military fortifications, as well as in action on the battlefield.
People like Murasaki Shikibu who wrote of the romantic lives of the Kyoto courtiers in her Tale of Genji; the great warrior Kusunoki Masashige, who committed seppuku rather than face capture by enemy troops; and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded, when so many others had failed, in unifying Japan. Distinctive and colourful scroll paintings bring Japan's people, places and events vividly to life. Fabulous artifacts, such as gold- and silver-dusted lacquerware boxes; kimonos of rich, embroidered silk; enigmatic No masks; and fearsome samurai body armour complete the setting of the scene.
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