Rating: 
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Dr. Stephen Turnbull isn't just the leading 'Western' expert on the Samurai: he is the leading expert on the samurai... period! He is more knowledgeable than any Japanese scholar on the subject, and this is well known and undisputed. This book highlights this fact very well. There has never been a book written in such detail or of such a size on this war in any language. It is an epic drama from beginning to end. To tell you the truth, I was unable to put it down, and I ended up spending my whole weekend reading it from cover to cover. We all know about how the samurai fared when fighting their own kind, but what happened when they went up against the Koreans and Chinese? There is a clash of civilizations here: something of a world war in fact. The Japanese had built up a culture and technology of warfare, second to none at the time in the world, through fighting each other: one clan versus the next. In this book we see them take their skills and put them against the peoples from whom their culture mostly came. The Koreans employed diametrically opposite strategies to those of the samurai, and the way the war played out is absolutely fascinating. There are so many hilarious little anecdotes too. I have to add that one great thing about this book is that it is complete: most of Dr. Turnbull's other samurai books only tantalizingly tell you part of the story; you have to go out and buy all the other books in order to fill in the missing pieces: how frustrating!!! With this book you learn everything there is to learn, within reason, about this conflict, and you'll feel like you've gotten right to the heart of Japanese and Korean culture. It is without doubt the most exciting book I've ever read about anything historical. If you were interested enough to bother to come to this webpage, then you really ought to buy it. It is truly an amazing work.
Rating: 
Summary: War, Aggression, and Retaliation: The Imjin Wars
Review: From 1592-1598, Korea and Japan were locked in fierce battles that become known as The Imjin Wars. This essential time period in Korea and Japan's history wreaked havoc on both country's societies and economies. Stephen Turnbull's book The Samurai Invasion gives a very detailed and graphic picture of this significant time period.
Turnbull systematically and chronologically depicts the start of the war by describing Korea's society and military, Korean-Japanese relations in the late 1500s as well as Japan's rational for the ensuing invasion on Korea. The Choson dynasty in Korea had brought a time of peace and stability that placed Korea in a perilous position as it caused laxity in its defenses, an inefficient military system and an increase of internal factionalism. Meanwhile, Turnbull describes the rise of Hideyoshi and parallel to his rise: the unification of Japan. This helps to form a base of knowledge that will help the reader grasp a deeper understanding of the work at hand: the Imjin Wars itself.
Labeled as "Blitzkrieg in Korea," Turnbull chronicles in full detail both land and sea battles, offering an all-encompassing view on the First and Second Invasion of the Japanese into Korea. Reader friendly, even those who are far from being military history fanatics will be able to find this reading appealing. Being written in what seems to be the third person narrative, the text takes on almost a novel like character, which makes it all the more captivating to its readers. Turnbull's portrayal of naval mastermind, Korean General Yi Sun-sin is especially striking. Beautiful sketches, paintings, and photographs of battle scenes, palaces and statues nicely illustrate and reinforce the ideas set forth in the text. Not to mention being a welcomed break from the text itself.
The only drawback to this work is the profuse amount of information given to the reader. Each battle and every movement is brimming with countless facts, names, and military action. For a less interested reader, this can be overwhelming, especially the seemingly countless number of generals and divisions. An index in the back does help to rectify the problem a little. Perhaps, Turnbull could have been a bit more concise, although overall Turnbull's work is quite informative, interesting, and well-presented. Turnbull gives a thorough view of the Imjin Wars.
Rating:
Summary: Despite minor problems, an informative read.
Review: Having had a strong interest in Japan's History (mostly around the Sengoku Jidai) I can strongly recommend this book as an in-depth and detailed look into the Japanese war against Korea (though by default, since China was the main goal). Having another of Turnbull's books (The Samurai Sourcebook) he again does not let the reader down with exhaustive documentation of events, including maps, contemporary and recent images and eye-witness testimony.
However, there are a few rough qualities to this text. Several times, the testimony of the Korean accounts are held in higher esteem than that of the Japanese. It can help the overall theme of the uber-pride of the samurai during the war, but time after time can become a bit annoying. There are some inaccuracies that can potentially damage its credibility: misspelling of common words, and the battle of Sekigahara (written as happening in October of 1600) actually happened the month before on September 15th. So, there are times when the writing seems rushed.
Overall, this is an informative book about this horrific time and worth the read, despite the minor problems.
Rating: 
Summary: A solid and appealing work
Review: I typically detest history books, especially those whose focus is a war, but despite my most sincere attempts to merely skim this narrative well enough to complete a short college paper I found myself drawn into Turnbull's sometimes flippant prose, the liberal use of primary quotes, and the wealth of beautiful prints, colorful photos and useful maps bound into this fine book. This book provides good coverage of events basically ignored by the Western world, but Turnbull's writing is a bit weak in some areas. The book is significantly stronger in chronicling the Japanese side of the conflict than the Koreans' (though I rather expected this from the title), and in beginning chapters there are a few conflicting statements and a tendancy to ignore the Korean political and economic climate that set the stage for defeats in battle. However, Turnbull does review the social aspects of this time well, and a good treatment of Korean action is given once he turns to the naval side of the conflict. Additionally, his liberal use of subheadings to divide a very long account into manageable sections does wonders for transforming a potentially boring historical record into a fairly quick read for those of us with an, er, slightly shorter attention span than the typical military history buff..
Rating:
Summary: The Samurai Invasion
Review: In the last decade of the sixteenth century, Korea was a country which was unfamiliar with wars other than border raids and pirate attacks for two centuries. Japan, on the contrary, was a country which had known nothing but war for five. In the spring of 1592, these two different countries collided head to head, in what would be known as Japan's Korea War or the Imjin War (1592-1598).Stephen Turnbull's Samurai Invasion is the most complete account of Japan's Korean War, or the Imjin War (1592-1598), to be ever written. By using photographs, archives, diaries, and other anecdotes, Turnbull clearly provides the overall history of this war and its significance. Specifically, he illustrates the failed invasion of Hideyoshi, and explores the world of late 16th-century warfare in East Asia. All in all, Stephen Turnbull solves the problem, which he states in the opening sentences of this book: "Japan's Korean War of 1592-1598, which devastated the Korean peninsula and gravely damaged the resources of Ming China, is so little known in the western world that it is often not even dignified with the title of a war." In other words, he provides an eloquent collection of vivid pictures, accounts of the military strategy and tactics for the Western audience. With extracts from both ancient and contemporary archives, this book will interest general readers and belongs in public as well as college libraries. This book should be read by avid followers of the Samurai tradition, scholars in East Asian studies, or any other reader who wants to be entertained.
Rating:
Summary: The Samurai Invasion
Review: In the last decade of the sixteenth century, Korea was a country which was unfamiliar with wars other than border raids and pirate attacks for two centuries. Japan, on the contrary, was a country which had known nothing but war for five. In the spring of 1592, these two different countries collided head to head, in what would be known as Japan's Korea War or the Imjin War (1592-1598). Stephen Turnbull's Samurai Invasion is the most complete account of Japan's Korean War, or the Imjin War (1592-1598), to be ever written. By using photographs, archives, diaries, and other anecdotes, Turnbull clearly provides the overall history of this war and its significance. Specifically, he illustrates the failed invasion of Hideyoshi, and explores the world of late 16th-century warfare in East Asia. All in all, Stephen Turnbull solves the problem, which he states in the opening sentences of this book: "Japan's Korean War of 1592-1598, which devastated the Korean peninsula and gravely damaged the resources of Ming China, is so little known in the western world that it is often not even dignified with the title of a war." In other words, he provides an eloquent collection of vivid pictures, accounts of the military strategy and tactics for the Western audience. With extracts from both ancient and contemporary archives, this book will interest general readers and belongs in public as well as college libraries. This book should be read by avid followers of the Samurai tradition, scholars in East Asian studies, or any other reader who wants to be entertained.
Rating:
Summary: the other korean war
Review: Often glossed in history books as a couple of failed invasions, the prolonged Japanese campaign in Korea finally gets the account it deserves with Turnbull's painstakingly researched book. After centuries of internecine conflict, the samurai finally united under their shogun only to turn their bellicose attentions to foreign fields. Ruining Korea, almost bankrupting Japan, and fatally destabilising the shaky Ming dynasty in China, the so-called "Imjin" war was an event of crucial historical importance. Turnbull is no armchair historian; he has dutifully padded round the old battlefields himself, assembling painstaking plans of who did what in the war's numerous skirmishes. His fieldwork also lends a powerful visual touch, with copious photos and a number of truly breathtaking modern Korean paintings that add dramatic flourishes.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Japan's Korean War
Review: Stephen Turnball seized the enormous challenge of examining the events that took place during a time in history where many authors have not yet ventured into studying. In his Samurai Invasion: Japan's Korean War 1592-1598, Turnball's illustrations and stories catch every imagination right away as he brings to life the historical accounts of the brutal Japanese Samurai attacks on the Koreans. This book was an absolutely astonishing account of Japan's two invasions of Korea and how Korea withstood the attacks to survive. Turnball gave an extraordinary picture of the strategies and tactics that the Japanese used in their warfare. Japanese technology was also recounted for. This book aided in visuals by providing elaborate maps and photographs from museums. Other black and white drawn illustrations also helped in understanding the events that took place during the Samurai Invasion.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Japan's Korean War
Review: Stephen Turnball seized the enormous challenge of examining the events that took place during a time in history where many authors have not yet ventured into studying. In his Samurai Invasion: Japan�s Korean War 1592-1598, Turnball�s illustrations and stories catch every imagination right away as he brings to life the historical accounts of the brutal Japanese Samurai attacks on the Koreans. This book was an absolutely astonishing account of Japan's two invasions of Korea and how Korea withstood the attacks to survive. Turnball gave an extraordinary picture of the strategies and tactics that the Japanese used in their warfare. Japanese technology was also recounted for. This book aided in visuals by providing elaborate maps and photographs from museums. Other black and white drawn illustrations also helped in understanding the events that took place during the Samurai Invasion.
Rating:
Summary: New light on an old war
Review: Stephen Turnbull's book on the Japanese invasion of Korea during the last years of the reign of Toyotomi Hideyoshi proves to be one of the most complete coverage of one of history's most forgotten wars. Its written with great deal of clarity and it was pretty obvious that great deal of researched was done although lack of sources seriously hampered the details. I thought Turnbull wrote this despite of the title, with a more Korean slant then the Japanese. It may be that all these new sources from the Korean side excited the author enough that he wrote this from Korean side a bit more in detail then the Japanese side. The Chinese accounts remains almost minor despite of the major role they played in the war.
Although book may be regarded almost like an introductory level into this war, this is probably the only book on the subject written in English. Still, it would helped the readers if they had some background of the Sengoku Period of Japan to familiarized themselves with many of the characters who played a leading part of the invasion.
The book comes with excellent maps and illustrations. Most of the Japanese illustrations were contemporary works while most of the Korean illustrations were modern colored works. They were all useful in helping the readers understand the conflict.
I was bit troubled over certain errors written in this book however, made by the author which make me think some of his other assessments may also be questionable. A good example was his reference that Battle of Sekigahara was fought in October 1600 when anyone who knows anything about Japanese history will know that it was fought in Sept. Also, I thought it was bit amazing that the author failed to realized that during the Sekigahara campaign, both sides were basically "fighting" for the Toyotomi family, a fight between retainers so to speak. Of course, one side had a greater ulterior motive then the other side. The fact that Stephen Turnbull don't understand this make me suspect what else he may not understand. After all, he's one of the greatest authorities on Japanese samurai history in the English speaking world!!
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