A richly illustrated study of the origins, recruitment, training, and combat of the ashigaru, a vital element of samurai armies. 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. Drawing on previously untranslated Japanese sources, Stephen Turnbull examines the origins, recruitment, training and use in war of the ashigaru. He surveys the range of ashigaru activity, including their roles as sailors and catapult artillery men as well as the disciplined ranks of warriors that they had become. Illustrated throughout with specially commissioned artwork and previously unpublished illustrations, this book tells the story of the ashigaru for the first time.

Ashigaru 1467–1649

During the 16th century, Japan underwent a military revolution, characterized by the deployment of large armies, the introduction of firearms and an eventual shift towards fighting on foot. This study encapsulates these great changes through an exploration of the experience on the ground at three key battles, Uedahara (1548), Mikata ga Hara (1573) and Nagashino (1575), in which two very different types of warrior were pitted against each other. On one side were samurai, the elite aristocratic knights whose status was proclaimed by the possession and use of a horse. On the other side were the foot soldiers known as ashigaru, lower-class warriors who were initially attendants to the samurai but who joined the armies in increasing numbers, attracted by loot and glory. These two types of warrior battled for dominance across the period, changing and adapting their tactics as time went on. In this title, the development of the conflicts between samurai and ashigaru is explored across three key battles, where highly trained elite mounted samurai of the Takeda clan faced ashigaru at very different stages in their development. The profound and irreversible changes that took place as the conflicts progressed are analysed in detail, culminating in the eventual incorporation of the ashigaru as the lowest ranks of the samurai class in within the standing army of Tokugawa Japan.

Samurai vs Ashigaru

Combines material previously published as Warrior 29: Ashigaru 1467-1649, Warrior 64: Ninja AD 1460-1650, Warrior 70: Japanese Warrior Monks AD 949-1603, with a new section on Samurai, new images, and a new introduction and conclusion. Driven by strict codes of honour and bound by deep allegiances of rank, family or religion, the elite warriors of medieval Japan were bold fighters, loyal comrades and deadly enemies, With rare material from Japanese sources and lavish artwork and photography, this book examines the military lives, beliefs and battle experience of four formidable warrior types – samurai, ninja, warrior monk and ashigaru foot soldier – resulting in a highly authoritative account of Japan's warrior elite.

Warriors of Medieval Japan

A look at Samurai warfare and specific battles in which it was applied.

Samurai Warfare

The Ōnin War was the key turning point in samurai warfare. There had been conflicts before, but what made the Ōnin War unique was the fierce street-fighting that went on within Kyoto itself. The battles were conducted from fortified mansions, which were surrounded by stout wooden walls and ditches and sported tall observation towers.

The Ōnin War 1467-77

The Sengoku The Jidai, 'Age of Warring States', is the age of the samurai the military aristocracy of Japan. This period, which lasted from the outbreak of the Onin War in 1467 to the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the early 17th century, was a period of endemic warfare, when a lack of central control led to constant struggles between the daimyo, 'great names', who sought to extend the influence of their families through political and military means. This title will examine the complicated nature of family and clan that governed so much of the initial organization of the armies, how this changed over the period and how battlefield tactics developed over a series of major encounters such as Nagashino and Sekigahara.

Samurai Armies 1467–1649

Sekigahara was the most decisive battle in Japanese history. Fought against the ritualised and colourful backdrop of Samurai life, it was the culmination of a long-standing power struggle between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hashiba Hideyoshi, two of the most powerful men in Japan. Armies of the two sides met on the plain of Sekigahara on 21 October 1600, in thick fog and deep mud. By the end of the day 40,000 heads had been taken and Ieyasu was master of Japan. Within three years the Emperor would grant him the title he sought – Shogun. This title describes the campaign leading up to this great battle and examines Sekigahara, including the forces and personalities of the two major sides and that of the turncoat Kobayakawa Hideaki.

Sekigahara 1600

The Battle of Sekigahara took place on October 21, 1600 in what is now Gifu Prefecture on the Japanese island of Honshu at the end of the Sengoku period. This battle was fought by the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu against a coalition of clans loyal to Toyotomi, under Ishida Mitsunari, several of whom defected before or during the battle, leading to Tokugawa s victory. However, in this simulation, the loyalist army will be commanded by Môri Terumoto, who will count, then, in addition to the loyalty of all the clans aligned under the Toyotomi flag, with more effectives of his army as daymiô, as he could mobilize more than 40 thousand men for a battle.

Battle Of Sekigahara, 1600, In The Civil War In Japan From 1573 To 1615

The Ashigaru were foot soldiers who served as the backbone of feudal Japanese armies, particularly prominent during the Sengoku period (1467-1603). Originally, Ashigaru were peasant conscripts, but over time, they evolved into a more professional and better-equipped infantry force. They were primarily armed with spears, bows, and later, matchlock guns (arquebuses), introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The Ashigaru played a crucial role in many battles, their numbers and newly adopted firearms helping to shift the balance of power from samurai warriors to daimyo (feudal lords) who could afford to maintain large armies. As the warring states period ended and the Tokugawa shogunate established a more stable society, the Ashigaru transitioned into other roles, including town guards and police, reflecting their importance and integration into the military and social structure of feudal Japan.

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Ashigaru

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