This book explains the history of Japan in a different era. From the early years of Japan's development to what it is today; Japan in the 21st century. There are breakdowns in this book that also tell the history of different periods in Japan. The Tokugawa era has been considered a critical period in Japanese history because it helped Japan evolve into the pre-war period and into 21st century Japan. The highlight of the book was about the Tokugawa era, as the author mainly focused on this critical period and extensive research was carried out on this topic. The Tokugawa era was brought about by Tokugawa Ieyasu which was a military dictatorship and he helped achieve hegemony and stability over the entire country after Japan's control and rule for over 200 years since the 1600s The author was a professor of Asian history and knows what he is writing and many years of research and effort have gone into this book, which is evident. In conclusion, this book provides relevant and sufficient research on this topic of interest.Sadler, AL, & Sadler, AL (2009).Shogun: The Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu: The Dramatic Story of the Man Who United the Feudal Japan and established the traditional Japanese way of life. Tokyo: Tuttle Pub. Tokugawa Ieyasu was cited as "one of the greatest men the world has ever seen" in the book and he is already widely known as one of the legendary rulers in Japanese history who is also the founder and leader which begins the Tokugawa era. The life of Tokugawa Ieyasu unfolds in this book. From the day he was born until his death, as well as all the legendary deeds he left behind, as a great empire of great soldiers who led Japan to two centuries of stability and peace, from 1600 to 1868. A...... middle of paper...... THE KUGAWA PERIOD 5 included 250 lords who had an annual production of 50,000 bushels of rice or more. These people from the upper strata participated in expensive rituals, elegant architecture and landscaped gardens, noh theater, patronage of the arts, and tea ceremonies. Below these lords, there were three other social groups. Peasants came next, as the rice crop they grew for a living was taxed to provide for the needs of the upper class. Artisans and artisans were lower than peasants in the social hierarchy because they produced non-agricultural goods. Finally, traders were placed because they do not participate in production. These layers were not consistent with social realities, as many traders benefited from them and became extremely wealthy, even though the strict social hierarchy prevented them from using their harvests to improve their position of power or status...