Our Warring States

Li Di (pen name Yingxuewan)Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaAug 2023

Rating 3.5
Word count
141K words
Chapters
7
ISBN
9787550205918

Tags

World History Historical SagaMilitary StrategyWarring States EraPortrait GalleryPower GamesAntiheroHeroismPopular NarrativeTurbulent EraFirst-Person View

Summary

Told from the first-person perspectives of dozens of notable figures of the Sengoku period, this book recounts over a century of Japanese Sengoku history from 1467 to 1616. Grounded in historical sources and structured around chronology and specific individuals, it also employs the techniques of fiction to present a panoramic view of the people and stories of the Sengoku era.

Editor's review

Our Sengoku is not a serious academic history but a new window onto Japan's Sengoku period opened by Sakura Yukimaru in his signature light touch. The author deftly transforms the tangled historical threads and personal relationships into vivid scenes of human drama, stripping away the cold shell of the historical record to reveal the flesh-and-blood commanders, strategists, and daimyo of that distant age—real faces with desires and flaws. The book's value lies in its distinctive "commoner's perspective": it does not insist on grand historical narrative or deep deconstruction of power struggles, but focuses on individual choices, fortunes, and joys and sorrows amid the tide of history. Sakura Yukimaru excels at interpreting historical events through contexts and analogies modern readers can grasp, lowering the barrier to entry so that readers with only a vague notion of Japanese Sengoku history can read smoothly and gain a clear cognitive framework. Yet this approach also limits its depth; it is better suited as a trailhead to spark interest than as a desk reference for deep research. Overall, this is an excellent popular history: fluent and humorous in style, brisk in narrative pace, allowing readers to effortlessly build a basic picture of the Japanese Sengoku period while enjoying the reading experience.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read alongside a Sengoku-themed film, TV series, or game to add fun and vivid imagery.
  2. Don't force yourself to memorize every name and event at once; treat the book as a collection of independent yet connected stories for a more relaxed experience.
  3. After reading, try expanding into more academic or thematic works on Sengoku history to build a more three-dimensional body of knowledge.

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

Contents

  1. 一休1
  2. 一休2
  3. 老兵回忆录
  4. 窃国物语（斋藤道三篇）1
  5. 窃国物语（斋藤道三篇）2
  6. 窃国物语（斋藤道三篇）3
  7. 附录

FAQ

How does this book differ from the Japanese History series? The Japanese History series presents Japan's history from ancient times to the present in a general-history format, covering a broad span; Our Sengoku focuses on the single specific era of the Japanese Sengoku period, with more concentrated content and more detailed portrayals of people and events.
Does the content match historical fact? The book narrates based on basic historical facts, and its core events and personal relationships are reliable. However, the author adopts a literary and popularized style and adds personal interpretation and imagination to enhance readability, so it should not be treated as a 100 percent accurate historical document.
Is it suitable for middle school students? The language is accessible and the storytelling is strong, making it very suitable as extracurricular reading for middle school students encountering Japanese history and culture; it can effectively cultivate historical interest. Note, however, that the book involves war and power struggles, so appropriate guidance in understanding is recommended.

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About the author

Li Di (pen name Yingxuewan) Author · China · 1986

Yingxuewan, whose real name is Li Di, was born in Shanghai in July 1986 and is a Chinese author of popular Japanese history. After leaving university and studying in Japan for many years, he specialized in the history of Japan's Warring States period, the early modern era and the modern era, and has made Japanese history accessible to Chinese readers in a humorous, playful style. His works mainly focus on the Warring States period and the Meiji Restoration, including the "Greatest Japanese History" series, "Sixty Years of the Meiji Restoration", "Our Warring States" and "Moe Japanese History", with eleven titles held in the library. His writing turns specialized historical knowledge into light, readable narrative, giving him a distinct personal style and some influence among fans of Japanese history. Public information on the details of his early education is limited, so they are not discussed here.