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This book traces the development of the samurai, in the way they regarded themselves and their role in society. From their origins as provincial men-at-arms they gradually evolved into a very powerful group who had an almost mythical status. Their concept of chilvarous behaviour and strict code based on the central principle of loyality to death and beyond, hitherto largely ignored by scholars, has since earned them a worldwide appeal.

This indispensable collection of material picks up the story of Western contact with Japan at the beginning of the nineteenth century, after some 200 years of isolation.

The travel journal of Olof Eriksson Willman, a Swedish employee of the VOC, provides a highly personal account of his sea voyages to and from Asia. His observations during a year in Japan include glimpses of daily life at Deshima and a detailed description of the Hofreis to Edo, and his encounters with Tokugawa Bakufu officials there. Willman, who had served in the Swedish army, seems to have found favour with the notorious Inoue Masashige, who summoned him on more than one occasion to demonstrate and discuss European firearms. Willman observed religious celebrations, saw...