STEPHEN TURNBULL took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) from Leeds University. In 1996 he received a PhD from Leeds for his thesis on Japan’s ‘Hidden Christians’. In its published form the work won the Japan Festival Literary Award in 1998\. Having lectured widely in East Asian Studies and Theology, he is now retired and pursues an active literary career. His expertise has helped with numerous projects including films, television and the award-winning strategy game _Shogun Total War_. His latest work is _The Lost Samurai: Japanese Mercenaries in Southeast Asia 1593-1698_.