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Alphabetically arranged entries along with primary source documents provide a comprehensive examination of the lives of Japan's samurai during the Tokugawa or Edo period, 1603-1868, a time when Japan transitioned from civil war to extended peace.A timeline highlights important events related to the samurai, while a narrative history overviews the background of the samurai More than 100 alphabetically arranged reference entries provide authoritative information about the samurai and their world Sidebars provide interesting facts, note the role of the samurai in popular culture, and mention various tourist sites for readers to visitEntries provide suggestions for further reading, and an end-of-work bibliography directs users to other important works about the samurai.