Ridgeback Press, 2001, $29.95, ISBN 0-9667401-8-1, 236 pages

Admittedly, the first thing I think of when I hear "Samurai" is a Kurosawa film. And if I think upon it a little longer, I come up with the Shogun mini-series. Both of these are set up in the late renaissance, or early musket era. From a time period standpoint, Samurai Sketches covers from 1862 to 1876--not exactly a Samurai period to me, but after reading this book, an increasingly fascinating era when East and West collided.

The fall of the last Shogun is covered in blood, deceit, and betrayal. A curious mix of honor, cruelty, and discipline receives eloquent treatment in 16 profiles of historical Samurai. These perspectives may repulse, amaze, and sometimes bewilder our western sensibilities, but they resound with emotion, clarity of purpose, and personal honor.

Written more like short stories than historical narratives, these well-crafted anecdotes draw you into the Samurai mindset, tapping into their darkest actions as increasing anarchy engulfs the Tokugawa Shogunate and gives rise to the Meiji Restoration. The various factions, as blood thirsty and ruthless as any medieval noble with a taste for power, tangle with each other and the Western powers over the fate of Japan.

I finished this book quickly, for Hillsborough has an engaging style, then went back to re-read selected chapters. And then I re-read some more and then even more until I ended up reading the book several times. I didn't know much about Samurai in general, or mid-19th Century Samurai in specific, but Samurai Sketches provided an insightful look at a little-known era. It's well-written, easy to pick up for a quick read, and just plain fascinating.

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