Stephen Turnbull (historian)

British historian of Japan (b. 1948) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stephen Richard Turnbull (born 6 February 1948) is a British historian concentrating on Japanese military history, especially the samurai period, and has published numerous books.[1] He has worked as a historical consultant for the film 47 Ronin,[2][3] as well multiple television documentaries,[4] and the Shogun: Total War series of video games.[5][6]

Born
Stephen Richard Turnbull

February 1948 (age 78)
OccupationWriter, military historian, researcher, narrator
LanguageEnglish
NationalityBritish
Quick facts Born, Occupation ...
Stephen Richard Turnbull
Born
Stephen Richard Turnbull

February 1948 (age 78)
OccupationWriter, military historian, researcher, narrator
LanguageEnglish
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge, University of Leeds (Philosophiæ doctor) (1996)
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Biography

Turnbull attended Cambridge University where he gained his first degree. He holds 2 MAs in Theology and Military History and a PhD for his research on Kakure Kirishitan from the University of Leeds, where he is presently a lecturer in Far Eastern Religions,[2] in a program of study jointly overseen by both the Departments of East Asian Studies and Theology and Religious Studies.[7]

He was on the editorial board of the short-lived Medieval History Magazine (2003–2005), which was published in association with the Royal Armouries. He was a consultant for the PC game Shogun: Total War[5] and also its sequel Total War: Shogun 2,[8] both products of Creative Assembly, as well as historical advisor on the Hollywood film 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves.[9] He also appeared as a subject matter expert for the Netflix documentary series Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan in 2021.[3]

He is semi-retired, but still holds the post of Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University in Japan.[2]

Selected works

Journal articles

  • "Legacy of Centuries: The Walls of Constantinople", Medieval History Magazine (MHM), Issue 2, October 2003.
  • "Mongol strategy and the Battle of Leignitz 1241", MHM, Issue 3, November 2003.
  • "The Teutonic Knights' battle for Riga", MHM, Issue 6, February 2004.
  • "The Passing of the Medieval Castle", MHM, Issue 9, May 2004.
  • "St Catherine's Monastery: Sanctuary of Ages", MHM, Issue 11 July 2004.
  • "Fighting Cardinals: Henry Beaufort & Guiliano Cesarini", MHM, Issue 13, September 2004.
  • "A Tale of Two Cities: Siege success and failure at Constantinople and Belgrade", MHM, Issue 16, December 2004.
  • "The Blunted Arrowhead: The defensive role of the great medieval fortresses of Albania", MHM, Issue 17, January 2005.
  • "The Ninja: An Invented Tradition?", Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective, Vol. 9: No. 1, Article 3, 2014.
  • "Biting the Bullet: A Reassessment of the Development, Use and Impact of Early Firearms in Japan", Vulcan, Vol.8: No.1, December 2020.

Filmography

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan Self-Historian TV documentary [3]
2013 47 Ronin Historical advisor Film [2]
2013 Samurai Headhunters Self—Japanese historian TV documentary [10]
2012 Ninja Shadow Warriors Self—Historian TV documentary [4]
2011 Total War: Shogun 2 Historical consultant Video game [6][8]
2008 Heroes and Villains (TV series) Historical consultant TV Documentary[11]


2000 Shogun: Total War Historical consultant Video game [5]
2004 Samurai: The Last Warrior Historical consultant (as Dr. Stephen Turnbull) TV documentary [4]
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Honours

Notes

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