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Type of bind: Paperback
Brand: Osprey Publishing Limited
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.45
EAN num: 9781846031748
ISBN number: 1846031745
Label: Osprey Publishing
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 64
Printing Date: November 20, 2007
Publishing house: Osprey Publishing
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 373786
Studio: Osprey Publishing
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Pirates Of The Far East
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Rated by buyers 
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In other books the author has mentioned the piratical activities of the Wako, or Japanese pirates. This book is a good expansion on those mentions, and a good summary of wako activities. Illustrations are good. I feel, however, that the format of the book limited the information to be had. I would have liked to see more on the Portuguese pirates that joined the late-era Wako, for example, as well as more detail on the campaigns and life-styles of the pirates. The title, incidentally, is misleading, implying that the Chinese and Malay pirates, who were long-standing menaces to the Far East, would also be included. All in all, a good book, but not enough pages. This could be the basis for a larger, much better book.
Rated by buyers 
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I never knew there were pirates of this nature. Brutal and bold. I loved this book and will reread.
Rated by buyers -
I remember when I very first saw this title advertized earlier this year. 'Pirate of the Far East 811-1639? What the heck?' This had to be the most obscure title yet published by Osprey! Nonetheless, as a fan of both Samurai Warfare and Stephen Turnbull, I went ahead and bought it. I was not disappointed.
To sum it up, Turnbull examines 800 years of raids on the civilizations of China, Korea, and of course Japan by bands of cutthroats, mercenaries, lordless Samurai, and plain scum, and the wars of revenge fought against them both on land and at sea. These fierce and unruly warriors, known for their cruelty and complete lack of respect for any ruler or religion, had the ragtag appearance one would expect, but many managed to acquire Samurai weaponry and armor. In fact, one of their greatest leaders, the 'pirate-king' Murakami Takeyoshi, was of an illustrious Samurai clan.
Turnbull opens his book with a summary of the history of these fearsome seamen, and goes on to describe their culture and outline their history. He then examines their physical appearance, clothing, armor, weapons, and ships, and then looks at their daily life, chain of command, and the various types of raid they made. Then he examines their tactics and the battle experience of individual pirates. He closes the title with sections on museums, sites, and further reading. As with another recent warrior title, the plates and plate commentary are spread out throughout the book, rather than being grouped together at the center and back.
Overall, despite their exotic location and appearance, these pirates were just that-typical pirates whose lifestyle and tactics were not overly different from the contemporary Vikings and European mercenary bands, and the classical buccaneer and Caribbean-type pirates still to come. As he already has with the warrior-monks, ashigaru, and ninja, Turnbull does these hard-fighting and murderous raiders a service by revealing to the modern English-speaking world just how vital a role they played in the the politics and wars of contemporary China, Japan, and Korea, and does so in a manner than is exciting and readable, and leaves the reader stunned at the chilling cruelty of these pitiless mercenaries.
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