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Orange Leaves

If you're looking for a one-stop-shopping experience to learn about the "warring states" period in Japanese history, look no further than this. Chaplin does an admirable job of giving some run-up background/history, then going play-by-play through the rise and fall of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the rise and continuance of Tokogawa Ieyasu. In places Chaplin gets very detailed, giving the names of individuals present at battles, individuals killed, what swords they carried, who smithed those swords, etc. But it's not simply a battle-by-battle military history, Chaplin also covers the machinations, politics, significant cultural and religious developments, etc. 

I would have been helped with maps of the important battles, though at least Chaplin does provide a map of Japan with localities listed as he uses them. As I was reading this on my Paperwhite Kindle, such graphics are of less value, but overall individual battle layouts would add a lot to the volume in other formats. Chaplin's style can be a little old-school, he'll describe someone as "bravely" doing this or something "tragic" about that, so it's not a dry "just the facts ma'am" rendition. 

A specialist looking for something deeper could still start here, as Chaplin provides a good bibliography for further reading, though obviously a work like this is most appealing to someone seeking more of an introduction to the subject. A very good read for what it offers.

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