The Best Books About Samurai

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Updated July 17, 2019 353 votes 204 voters 44.4K views
Over 200 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Books About Samurai

List of best books about samurai, including jacket cover images when available. Though many readers think of Clavell's Shogun as the premiere samurai novel, there are many other fantastic books about the legendary Japanese swordsman of feudal Japan as well. All these popular books on Samurai are sorted by popularity, so the highest rated books are at the top of the list. This well-researched Samurai bibliography includes out-of-print titles and generally contains the most popular, famous, or otherwise notable novels - fiction or non-fiction - about Samurai. If you're looking for a list of top books on Samurai then you're in the right place.

The list you're viewing has a variety of books in it, like The Snow Empress and The Way Of The Traitor. There are also many books by Laura Joh Rowland, including the Sano Ichiro series. You should be able to answer the question, "What are the best books about Samurai?" after checking out this list.

This greatest Samurai book list contains various bits of information, such as the author's names and what genre the books fall under. Most of these Samurai books can be bought on Amazon with one easy click.

Jon Scieszka, Frank Miller, and Laura Joh Rowland have all written books about Samurai.

Ranked by
  • Musashi
    1

    Musashi

    Eiji Yoshikawa
    86 votes
    • First Published: 1935
    • Subjects: Japan
    • Genres (Book): Historical fiction, Fiction, Historical novel
    Musashi is a Japanese novel written by Eiji Yoshikawa. It was serialized in 1935 in the newspaper Asahi Shimbun.
  • Shogun: A Novel of Japan
    2

    Shogun: A Novel of Japan

    James Clavell
    61 votes
    • First Published: 1975
    • Subjects: Shogun, Adventure, Japan, History
    • Genres (Book): Historical fiction, Fiction
    Shōgun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel of the author's Asian Saga. A major bestseller, by 1990 the book had sold 15 million copies worldwide. Beginning in feudal Japan some months before the critical Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Shōgun gives an account of the rise of the daimyo "Toranaga". Toranaga's rise to the Shogunate is seen through the eyes of the English sailor John Blackthorne, called Anjin by the Japanese, whose fictional heroics are loosely based on the historical exploits of William Adams.
  • Cloud of Sparrows
    3

    Cloud of Sparrows

    Takashi Matsuoka
    16 votes
    • First Published: 2002
    • Subjects: Japan, History
    • Genres (Book): Historical fantasy, Fiction
    Cloud of Sparrows is the first historic novel by author Takashi Matsuoka featuring the struggle of Genji, the young Great Lord of Akaoka, in the year 1861. This is only six years after Japan opened to the West and features three American missionaries who become involved with Genji, notably, Emily who hopes to find solace in Japan and build a church and Matthew, a product of the American West who seeks revenge. As Genji struggles to bring his clan to victory during turbulent times, he enlists the help of his geisha lover, his master swordsman uncle all while fighting enemy clans and ninjas. This book is praised for its cultural and historic accuracy. The second book in the series features the Cloud of Sparrows castle and the missionary Emily, titled Autumn Bridge.
  • Frank Miller's Ronin
    4

    Frank Miller's Ronin

    Frank Miller
    14 votes
    • First Published: 1983
    • Subjects: Samurai, Comics
    • Genres (Book): Fantasy, Fiction, Speculative fiction, Humour
    Ronin is a comic book limited series published between 1983 and 1984, by DC Comics. The series was written and drawn by Frank Miller with artwork painted by Lynn Varley. It takes place in a dystopic near-future New York in which a ronin is reincarnated. The six-issue work shows some of the strongest influences of manga and bande dessinée on Miller's style, both in the artwork and narrative style.
  • Taiko
    5

    Taiko

    Eiji Yoshikawa
    15 votes
    • First Published: Kodansha International
    • Subjects: Japan, Japanese History
    • Genres (Book): Biographical historical fiction
  • Autumn Bridge
    6

    Autumn Bridge

    Takashi Matsuoka
    7 votes
    • First Published: 2004
    • Subjects: Women, Japan, History
    • Genres (Book): Historical fantasy fiction, Fiction