658. Dawn of the Samurai: The Shadow of the Sword (Part 1)

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Described as the great epic of medieval Japan and the Iliad of Japan, this work was inspired by the massive civil war between rival samurai clans in the late 12th century.

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The host mentions this as a nice book for people interested, and references Harding's story about samurai going to America which captures the culture clash when they encounter American food and customs.

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Described as a fabulous book that does what it says on the tin and is the definitive study of Bushido as an invented tradition.

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Referenced for Baden-Powell's 1908 comments about Bushido, where he wrote about how the Japanese have their Bushido or laws of the old samurai warriors, comparing it to medieval chivalry.

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Mentioned as an enormous 1,100-page novel written around the year 1000 by Lady Murasaki and set in the imperial court, which they had covered in a previous series and notably barely mentions warfare.