ebooks The Story of the Second World War for Children: 1939-1945 by Peter Chrisp in History

Description

The ashigaru were the foot soldiers of old Japan. Although recruited first to swell an army's numbers and paid only by loot; the samurai began to realise their worth; particularly with arquebuses and spears; until well-trained ashigaru made up a vital part of any samurai army. This book tells the story of the ashigaru for the first time; their origins; recruitment training and use in various wars; such as the Gempei Wars of 1180-1185 and the Onin War of 1467-1477. Stephen Turnbull draws on previously untranslated Japanese sources and unpublished illustrations that show the range of ashigaru activity; from sailors to catapult artillery men as well as the disciplined ranks of warriors that they had become.