This is for the physical book which will be mailed to you. If you are looking for the digital version (with no shipping charges), this book is in the Japanese History Digital Bundle.

Recommended for upper beginner students of Japanese.

Get FREE Sound Files of the stories read by a native Japanese speaker. The download link will be emailed to you instantly upon ordering (we will also ship the physical book). Listen while reading. Each story has two MP3 versions: Read Slowly & Normal Speed

Quick! What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word Japan? Maybe it is anime, Hello Kitty, geisha, or sumo, but I bet high on that list is the samurai warrior class. This book contains three essays on samurai history.

Read--in Japanese--about the greatest swordsman in history, Miyamoto Musashi, one of the most important reformers of the bakumatsu period, Sakamoto Ryōma, and the three great warrior leaders who consolidated Japan. Yes, you can read real Japanese--even if you are fairly new to Japanese.

• 157 pages
• All Japanese have furigana those starting out with kanji.
• Every sentence is broken down word-for-word and with explanation of the grammar.
• The full story in Japanese only (without the running gloss) is also provided so you can practice reading without interruption.
• Kanji in Focus covers the key kanji found in each essay
• Finally, we have included a simple and mostly literal English translation for you to check your understanding (Don't cheat! Work through the Japanese first!).
• Includes FREE Sound files to listen while you study. Includes both normal speed and slow speed readings. You will be emailed a download link instantly after ordering (the actual physical book will also be mailed to you).

While beginners to Japanese can get a lot from this, hiragana knowledge is required.

Finally, we invite the reader to contact us with questions or requests for future Japanese readers. You will find our personal email addresses in the book. To your Japanese!