This book is a valuable addition to the regrettably sparse collection of works related to the Ryukyu Kingdom during the Tokugawa period. The main document in this study is a letter from a court official to his son describing the virtues that a good samurai should demonstrate. This text has been translated from Classical Japanese and rendered quite clearly into English.
Quast's analysis, which makes up the remaining two thirds of this work, are where the transition from mere scholarship to new research occurs. Using direct examples from the text, as well as references to contemporary documents, the author demonstrates how the Samurai fit into the complex group of courtiers surrounding the Okinawan king. Quast also deacribes the role of palace officials in the labyrinthine relations between Okinawa and its Satsuma overlords in regards to the trade relation of the Ryukyu kingdom and China.
The author writes from the viewpoint of a karate practitioner, and therefore also describes the role unarmed combat may have played in the lives of Okinawan officials. A sharp distinction is drawn between imported Satsuma fighting schools and what may be references to a karate like fighting system referred to as Karamuto.
Overall this is a fine addition to the library of anyone interested in the social and institutional history of the Ryukyu archipelago in the period before the opening of Japan in the 19th Century. Mr. Quast has produced a work that is not just readable, but in fact enjoyable, and suited to both specialists and non-specialists. I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next.
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Top reviews from other countries
robert welch
Scholarly, readable addition to the study of Early Modern Okinawa.
Reviewed in the United States on 14 May 2018Verified Purchase
Kindle-Kunde
Einblicke in den Dienst der damaligen Zeit
Reviewed in Germany on 3 July 2018Verified Purchase
Alex
👍👍👍👍👍👍
Reviewed in Germany on 15 November 2020Verified Purchase
Itzik
For those who love Karate and interested to further dig into Karate history ...
Reviewed in the United States on 18 June 2018Verified Purchase
JOHN CARLYLE
Another great book on traditional Okinawan life from a past era ...
Reviewed in the United States on 21 June 2018Verified Purchase
