Description
Book SynopsisThe dramatic arc of Saigo Takamori's life, from his humble origins as a lowly samurai, to national leadership, to his death as a rebel leader, has captivated generations of Japanese readers and now Americans as well - his life is the inspiration for a major Hollywood film, The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe.
Trade Review“Ravina’s portrait of Saigo is well drawn and sympathetic…” (
Asian Affairs, November 2004)
"...Reads like a thriller..." (Good Book Guide, February 2004)
"...Ravina's writing grips with the intensity of a great adventure story and vividly portrays the upheavals caused to a nation..." (Yorkshire Evening Post, 24 January 2004)
"...a pacy narrative that reads like a thriller, complemented by maps and photographs..." (The Good Book Guide, January 2004)
Table of ContentsNOTE TO THE READER.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
INTRODUCTION.
1. “POWERFULLY SENTIMENTAL”
Saigo’s Early Years in Satsuma.
2. “A MAN OF EXCEPTIONAL FIDELITY”
Saigo and National Politics.
3. “BONES IN THE EARTH”
Exile and Ignominy.
4. “ TO SHOULDER THE BURDENS OF THE REALM”
The Destruction of the Shogunate.
5. “ TO TEAR ASUNDER THE CLOUDS”
Saigo and the Meiji State.
6. “THE BURDEN OF DEATH IS LIGHT”
Saigo and the War of the Southwest.
NOTES.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
SOURCES.
INDEX.
