'Rich in disasters, deredful in its battles, rent by its seditions and even cruel in its times of peace,' the Warring States Period was the most destructive epoch in Japan's long history of civil strife, a time when thousands upon thousands of warriors perished on the battlefield. Only those with superior martial skills remained standing to count the severed heads of their fallen foes.

Two such men were Iizasa Choisai Ienao and Kamiizumi Ise no Kami Nobutsuna. Ienao served on the Shogunal Guard when, following the outbreak of the Onin War in 1467, Kyoto was reduced to ashes in a decade of trench warfare. Nobutsuna witnessed how, in the wave of anarchy that followed in its wake, all that his ancestors had toiled for was lost.

Their story, told against the greater historical backdrop of ruthless political intrigue and vast military compaigns, is a story of the tragedy of civil war experienced at the personal level-it is a story of sacrifice, of blind devotion, of seemingly insurmountable setbacks, Their incredible deeds of personal valor are still a moving testimony to the kind of perseverance and dedication that can have no equal in times of peace.

Contents

Introduction
Iizasa Choisai Ienao
Principal figures in this chapter
Kamiizumi Ise no Kami Nobutsuna
Principal figures in this chapter
Old provinces
Historical periods
Battles and rebellions
Glossary
Bibliography
Index