Honor, loyalty, and self-sacrifice defined the life of the samurai, fierce warriors who controlled Japan for more than seven centuries. This book explores the history of these dedicated fighters from their roots as soldiers of the imperial court to their eventual rise to power greater than that of the emperor. Illustrated with B&W era drawings and art. CAROL GASKIN is a writer, editor, and website producer who has written fifteen books and numerous articles on history and fiction. She lives in Sarasota, Florida. VINCE HAWKINS is a professional military historian with over 17 years' experience in historical research, writing and analysis. He received his Master's Degree in History from George Mason University in Virginia. He has written numerous articles for various periodicals, including Military Heritage magazine, as well as being a contributing author to such books as The Encyclopedia of Military Biography, The International Military and Defense Encyclopedia and Understanding Defeat. He is currently working on a book project with the U.S. Army Historical Foundation on a chronology of the U.S. Army. He is a member of the Company of Military Historians, the Indiana Historical Society, the American Revolution Round Table of D.C. and the First Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line re-enactment unit. His hobbies include miniature figure painting, historical war gaming and Revolutionary War re-enacting. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.