May 2004.  The Last Samurai. The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori, by Mark Ravina. If you've ever been to Ueno Park in Tokyo, and seen the statue of the guy and his dog, that's Saigo Takamori.  This biography gives a good historical background on mid-19th Century Japan and the modernization of Japan.  The author is a professor of Japanese history at Emory University, and is also listed as a consultant for the movie "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise.  This has 214 pages of text and 40 pages of notes and sources.  Excellent book. Back to reading list