Birkitts Books presents ... Musui's Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai ISBN: 0816512566 Author: Katsu Kokichi Publisher: University of Arizona Press Release Date: 1991-07-01 Seller Category: History Qty Available: 1 Condition: Used: Very Good Sku: 250329003 Notes: Minor shelf wear, covers arebinding tight, pages clean and unmarked. Katsu Kokichi (1802-1850) was a low-ranking samurai who lived during the last decades of the Tokugawa period of Japan. Upon his retirement he wrote an autobiography that offers modern readers a richly detailed account of daily life in Edo during the early nineteenth century. "[This charming book . . . portrays Tokugawa society as it was actually lived, instead of as it was portrayed in moralizing tracts and governmental ordinances. Attractively trans-lated by Teruko Craig, it depicts the life of a man born into a family with the hereditary privilege of audience with the shogun, yet he shamelessly consorted with the riffraff of Edo, ran a protection racket, lied, cheated, and stole. . . . Anyone interested in Japanese history and society or in how people interact with each other in whatever age or place will enjoy reading this book." Monuments Nipponica 44. . . a lively revelation of the world of brawls, gangsterism, and petty swindling behind the formal facade of nineteenth-century Japanese society. Ms. Craig's introduction and notes are excellent, as are the maps and illustrations supporting the text." ?The Atlantic "Fruit from an esoteric branch of literature, to be sure, but also a colorful, involving glimpse of the gritty side of a distinctly foreign culture." ?Kirkus Reviews Don't forget to check out other great deals in our Store!!