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Battle of Shiroyama, The: The History and Legacy of the Samurai’s Last Stand in Japan
On September 25, 1877, on a rain-soaked, muddy field in Kagoshima, Japan, a small group of proud samurai warrior rebels prepared for one last stand. It was early morning, 6:00 a.m., and the remaining 40 samurai warriors still capable of fighting prepared themselves for the glory of death on the battlefield. They had been shelled by powerful artillery guns and naval cannons relentlessly through the night, and the rebels had no real shelter or protection. Instead, they cowered like rats in small, rain-filled mud holes, showered by a torrent of steel shells and shrapnel. For seven months, the samurai rebels had fought a losing battle against the army of Emperor Meiji, the new ruler of Japan’s central government. It was a modern army, filled with conscripts, armed with rifles, and trained in European tactics. The samurai rebels were also armed with rifles, but months of fighting had stripped them of ammunition. They still possessed their distinctive personal weapons – their katana swords - and they intended to use them one last time. Despite the overwhelming firepower and numbers advantage wielded by the central government, the rebels, led by Saigō Takamori, a samurai warrior and proud defender of the samurai tradition, remained stoic in their final moments. By early morning, the last capable samurai drew their swords and launched a final suicidal charge into the rapidly firing rifles of 30,000 conscript troops, members of Japan’s modern imperial army. It would be the samurai’s last stand.
Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)
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Battle of Sekigahara, The: The History and Legacy of the Battle that Unified Japan under the Tokugaw
On October 21, 1600, two massive Japanese armies, totaling an estimated 200,000 soldiers armed to the teeth with swords, yari (spears), arrows, muskets and cannons, faced off on a battlefield near the town of Sekigahara. A bitter fight to the death ensued, and the results would determine the course of Japanese history for the next 250 years. On the battlefield was the warlord Ieyasu Tokugawa, a man desiring domain over the entire island of Japan, but standing in his way was Ishida Mitsunari, a warlord controlling vast swaths of western Japan. Moving with his armies from the east, Ieyasu maneuvered into a position at Sekigahara. Ieyasu was relying heavily on the legendary Japanese samurai, but contrary to popular belief, the samurai warriors of that era were avid firearm users, and this battle would be no exception, as both armies bristled with muskets and cannons. Ieyasu was outnumbered, but he had a trump card: traitors placed in the enemy army. These treacherous warlords would join Ieyasu in the midst of the battle, turning it in his favor. When Ieyasu became shogun (military dictator) of Japan, he presided over the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate, which brought peace and stability to all of Japan if only by ending the constant civil wars. Many changes took place, most notably in the capabilities of the samurai, Japan’s ruling military class, who were no longer active combat participants. Instead, most of these warriors were fighters in name only, ruling, instead, as privileged bureaucrats. They served the Tokugawa Shogunate, a military government that moved to isolate Japan from the rest of the world, for more than two centuries, and military service became the exclusive domain of a privileged warrior class that combined the military with an intricate network of social status and vassalage to feudal lords.
Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)
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Nitobe Inazō (1862 –1933) was a Japanese agricultural economist, author, educator, diplomat and politician. His book, ‘Bushido; The Soul of Japan’ explains Samurai culture to a western audience. First published in English in 1900, ‘Bushido’ takes a look at the virtues associated with the warrior’s way: rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty and self-control. Identifying the roots of Bushido in Buddhism, Shintoism and Confucianism, he examines correspondences in Western philosophy, from modern thinkers down the ages through Greco-Roman culture all the way back to Biblical times. The author found many resemblances between the Samurai ethos and the spirit of medieval chivalry. 'Bushido' became an international bestseller, popular with intellectuals and statesmen, and has been translated into more than twenty languages.
Inazo Nitobe (Author), Bridget Lawrence (Narrator)
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Sekigahara and Shiroyama: The History of the Battles that Unified and Modernized Japan
On October 21, 1600, two massive Japanese armies, totaling an estimated 200,000 soldiers armed to the teeth with swords, yari (spears), arrows, muskets and cannons, faced off on a battlefield near the town of Sekigahara. A bitter fight to the death ensued, and the results would determine the course of Japanese history for the next 250 years. On the battlefield was the warlord Ieyasu Tokugawa, a man desiring domain over the entire island of Japan, but standing in his way was Ishida Mitsunari, a warlord controlling vast swaths of western Japan. Moving with his armies from the east, Ieyasu maneuvered into a position at Sekigahara. Ieyasu was relying heavily on the legendary Japanese samurai, but contrary to popular belief, the samurai warriors of that era were avid firearm users, and this battle would be no exception, as both armies bristled with muskets and cannons. Ieyasu was outnumbered, but he had a trump card: traitors placed in the enemy army. These treacherous warlords would join Ieyasu in the midst of the battle, turning it in his favor. On September 25, 1877, on a rain-soaked, muddy field in Kagoshima, Japan, a small group of proud samurai warrior rebels prepared for one last stand. It was early morning, 6:00 a.m., and the remaining 40 samurai warriors still capable of fighting prepared themselves for the glory of death on the battlefield. They had been shelled by powerful artillery guns and naval cannons relentlessly through the night, and the rebels had no real shelter or protection. Instead, they cowered like rats in small, rain-filled mud holes, showered by a torrent of steel shells and shrapnel. For seven months, the samurai rebels had fought a losing battle against the army of Emperor Meiji, the new ruler of Japan’s central government. It was a modern army, filled with conscripts, armed with rifles, and trained in European tactics.
Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)
Audiobook
Emperor Hirohito: The Life and Legacy of Japan's Ruler during World War II
The man known to most of the world as Emperor Hirohito ruled during some of the most tumultuous years in Japanese history. When he came to the throne in 1926, he inherited control of a country which had only recently emerged as a major industrial and world power, and through the aggressive expansion and wars of the 1930s, Hirohito was at the head of one of the world’s foremost powers. Throughout the maelstrom of World War II, he remained in power, a distant and, to most outsiders, inscrutable factor in the rise of the Japanese Empire. Before and during the war, many people in America and elsewhere believed that Emperor Hirohito was at least partly responsible for both the confrontational Japanese approach to foreign affairs, and for the often brutal conduct of the Japanese armed forces during the wars which followed. As such, when the war ended, there were plenty of calls for the emperor to be indicted for war crimes along with other senior figures in Japan. However, a new feeling emerged at that time, suggesting that in reality Hirohito had been little more than a figurehead taken along by a tide of militarism, helpless to intervene or influence the course of events. This book looks at the role of the enigmatic leader in the rise, fall and rebirth of modern Japan. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Emperor Hirohito like never before.
Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)
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Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent
Few places have been as influential as the Indian subcontinent in shaping the course of life on Earth. Yet its evolution has remained largely unchronicled. Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent fills this gap. From the oldest rocks, formed three billion years ago in Karnataka, to the arrival of our ancestors 50,000 years ago on the banks of the Indus, the author meticulously sifts through wide-ranging scientific disciplines and through the layers of earth to tell us the story of India, filled with a variety of fierce reptiles, fantastic dinosaurs, gargantuan mammals and amazing plants. Beautifully produced in full colour, with a rare collection of images, illustrations and maps, Indica is full of fascinating, lesser-known facts. It shows us how every piece of rock and inch of soil is a virtual museum, and how, over billions of years, millions of spectacular creatures have reproduced, walked and lived over and under it.
Pranay Lal (Author), Vikrant Chaturvedi (Narrator)
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பொன்னியின் செல்வன் அமரர் கல்கி (1899-1954) எழுதிய புகழ் பெற்ற தமிழ் வரலாற்றூப் புதினமாகும். 1950 - 1955 ஆண்டு வரை கல்கி வார இதழில் தொடர்கதையாக வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இப் புதினத்துக்குக் கிடைத்த மக்கள் ஆதரவு காரணமாகத் தொடர்ந்தும் பல்வேறு காலகட்டங்களில் இதே புதினத்தைக் கல்கி இதழ் தொடராக வெளியிட்டது. தவிர தனி நூலாகவும் வெளியிடப்பட்டுப் பல பதிப்புக்களைக் கண்டுள்ளது. கி.பி. 1000 ஆம் ஆண்டு வாக்கில் இருந்த சோழப் பேரரசை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டு இந்த வரலாற்றுப் புதினம் எழுதப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.
Kalki (Author), Bombay Kannan (Narrator)
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பொன்னியின் செல்வன் அமரர் கல்கி (1899-1954) எழுதிய புகழ் பெற்ற தமிழ் வரலாற்றூப் புதினமாகும். 1950 - 1955 ஆண்டு வரை கல்கி வார இதழில் தொடர்கதையாக வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இப் புதினத்துக்குக் கிடைத்த மக்கள் ஆதரவு காரணமாகத் தொடர்ந்தும் பல்வேறு காலகட்டங்களில் இதே புதினத்தைக் கல்கி இதழ் தொடராக வெளியிட்டது. தவிர தனி நூலாகவும் வெளியிடப்பட்டுப் பல பதிப்புக்களைக் கண்டுள்ளது. கி.பி. 1000 ஆம் ஆண்டு வாக்கில் இருந்த சோழப் பேரரசை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டு இந்த வரலாற்றுப் புதினம் எழுதப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.
Kalki (Author), Bombay Kannan (Narrator)
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பொன்னியின் செல்வன் அமரர் கல்கி (1899-1954) எழுதிய புகழ் பெற்ற தமிழ் வரலாற்றூப் புதினமாகும். 1950 - 1955 ஆண்டு வரை கல்கி வார இதழில் தொடர்கதையாக வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இப் புதினத்துக்குக் கிடைத்த மக்கள் ஆதரவு காரணமாகத் தொடர்ந்தும் பல்வேறு காலகட்டங்களில் இதே புதினத்தைக் கல்கி இதழ் தொடராக வெளியிட்டது. தவிர தனி நூலாகவும் வெளியிடப்பட்டுப் பல பதிப்புக்களைக் கண்டுள்ளது. கி.பி. 1000 ஆம் ஆண்டு வாக்கில் இருந்த சோழப் பேரரசை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டு இந்த வரலாற்றுப் புதினம் எழுதப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.
Kalki (Author), Bombay Kannan (Narrator)
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பொன்னியின் செல்வன் அமரர் கல்கி (1899-1954) எழுதிய புகழ் பெற்ற தமிழ் வரலாற்றூப் புதினமாகும். 1950 - 1955 ஆண்டு வரை கல்கி வார இதழில் தொடர்கதையாக வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இப் புதினத்துக்குக் கிடைத்த மக்கள் ஆதரவு காரணமாகத் தொடர்ந்தும் பல்வேறு காலகட்டங்களில் இதே புதினத்தைக் கல்கி இதழ் தொடராக வெளியிட்டது. தவிர தனி நூலாகவும் வெளியிடப்பட்டுப் பல பதிப்புக்களைக் கண்டுள்ளது. கி.பி. 1000 ஆம் ஆண்டு வாக்கில் இருந்த சோழப் பேரரசை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டு இந்த வரலாற்றுப் புதினம் எழுதப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.
Kalki (Author), Bombay Kannan (Narrator)
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Alexander the Great in India: The History and Legacy of the Macedonian King’s Final Campaign
After he had finished off the Persian Empire, Alexander must have been glad to leave Persia and its adjoining provinces at his back. Alexander was planning to march onwards, into India, and had made overtures to the wild tribesmen that inhabited the region that is now Pakistan, but he had been abruptly refused. The chieftains of the hill clans who guarded the passes of the mighty Hindu Kush mountains were determined to make a fight of it, secure in the knowledge that the high passes of their domains were virtually unconquerable. Alexander, never one to accept defiance, made his preparations and, in midwinter, a season traditionally reserved for rearmament and regrouping, he began his campaign. The Aspasioi, the Guraeans and the Assakenoi, inhabitants of the rocky valleys of north-western Pakistan, all opposed him, so Alexander destroyed their fortresses one by one, determined to extinguish them. The hill clans were fierce fighters, and each fortress, small though they generally were, was only carried by storm after days of vicious fighting which resulted in grievous losses among the Macedonian ranks. To give an idea of the brutality of this conflict, Alexander himself was seriously wounded twice during two separate sieges, taking a javelin through the shoulder fighting the Aspasioi and then a spear-thrust to the ankle in the assault against the Assakenoi fortress of Massaga. His reprisal was fierce: every fortress of the hill clans that did not surrender him was razed to the ground, and its inhabitants put to the sword, to the last man. Despite the war-weariness of his veterans and many of his generals, after having vanquished the hill tribes Alexander pressed south and east into the Punjab. There he clashed with the most powerful enemy he had encountered since he had vanquished Darius at Gaugamela, the great Indian ruler Rajah Porus, whose domains included virtually the whole Punjab and who commanded an army tens of thousands strong.
Charles River Editors (Author), Daniel Houle (Narrator)
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பொன்னியின் செல்வன் அமரர் கல்கி (1899-1954) எழுதிய புகழ் பெற்ற தமிழ் வரலாற்றூப் புதினமாகும். 1950 - 1955 ஆண்டு வரை கல்கி வார இதழில் தொடர்கதையாக வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இப் புதினத்துக்குக் கிடைத்த மக்கள் ஆதரவு காரணமாகத் தொடர்ந்தும் பல்வேறு காலகட்டங்களில் இதே புதினத்தைக் கல்கி இதழ் தொடராக வெளியிட்டது. தவிர தனி நூலாகவும் வெளியிடப்பட்டுப் பல பதிப்புக்களைக் கண்டுள்ளது. கி.பி. 1000 ஆம் ஆண்டு வாக்கில் இருந்த சோழப் பேரரசை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டு இந்த வரலாற்றுப் புதினம் எழுதப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.
Kalki (Author), Bombay Kannan (Narrator)
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