Product Description
Japan's catapult to world economic power has inspired many studies by social scientists, but few have looked at the 45 years of postwar Japan through the lens of history. The contributors to this book seek to offer such a view. As they examine three related themes of postwar history, the authors describe an ongoing historical process marked by unexpected changes, such as Japan's extraordinary economic growth, and unanticipated continuities, such as the endurance of conservative rule. A provocative set of interpretative essays by eminent scholars, this book will appeal to anyone interested in the history of twentieth-century Japan and the dilemmas facing Japan today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good overview of Postwar Japan upto 80s
I read this book in a graduate class. So I didn't touch all bits of it. But judging from what I read, this book worths your time, I think.
1. Writers are well-known figures in their own field. So, unlike other edited materials, the quality of each article is superb.
2. As the title implies, this book was intended to provide the viewpoint to overview postwar Japan as an entity, upto 80s.
3. The subjects, covered in this fat book (500 pages), vary from economy, mass culture, urban lifestyle to political practice. If you expect some in-depth specilized material, this is not your choice. But if you want to get some starting point, this is yours. ... Read more

Product Description
Once slighted as mere copying from China, the arts of Japan are now seen as a unique alternation of advances and withdrawals. At times the islanders produced Chinese-style works of great beauty, unmatched on the continent. When they chose to be independent, their art differs at every level. Sculpture, and even more painting, are concrete, sensuous, and emotional, speaking directly to all. All that was most native in architectural taste survived the periods of Chinese monumentality - huge temples and gridiron city plans - with little change. The rambling, wood-paper-and-bamboo dwelling re-emerged 1000 years ago, almost as it may still be seen today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Japanese art - A bird's eye view
'The Art and Architecture of Japan' is an interesting overview of the three main artistic fields: sculpture, painting and architecture. It is divided into two parts, the first one touching the first two, the second totally devoted to buildings. They have been written by different historians.

For a general and synthetic view, it is a very good book. It's main problem is the fact that all its pictures are in black and white. The original text is also a bit old, but it has been tweaked and revised, and put up-to-date with notes (specially the second part). I give it 4 and not 5 stars because of the pictures, which in an art book (and more so with Japanese art, extremely colourful), you lose a lot from the use of B & W. If you can get it cheap, it is still a great general guide.

The Art and Architecture of Japan: Third Edition
Book was in the condition it stated.Prompt delivery.I will use this seller again.

Authoritative, scholarly work on a focused subject.
I purchased this book in my never ending pursuit of sholarly discourse onJapanese Buddhist sculpture. It is one thing to study sculpture andpainting. It is quite another to understand it in the context of historyand the architecture that housed it. Enlightening, to say the least, andmeaningful reading. Its coverage of Buddhism and Buddhist art in Japan isnoteworthy. ... Read more

Product Description
Japan’s Postwar History is the only book that provides anintegrated analysis of Japan’s social, political, and economic historyfrom 1932 until the present day. Gary D. Allinson has substantiallyupdated his work for a second edition that takes Japan from thebursting of the economic bubble through the long recession of the1990s and up to 2003. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great overview of Japan
Gary Allinson delivers an excellent summary of the post war history of Japan and the major trends that occurred following World War II. Overall it is a quick read with a focus on the societal and economic changes. He also touches on cultural and political changes but does not go into a great deal of detail. If you know very little about post war Japan this is a great place to start but not for the experienced reader in those areas.

Will update when I'm done, hopefully
I respect a great deal the teacher who assigned this book for our class.I enjoy his lectures.This book, however, I cannot read without zoning out or falling asleep.It honestly reads, so far, like something that would have been assigned to me in high school.I can't stand the tone of the book, though I'm sure it's accurate and informative.Unfortunately I do not have a more entertaining alternative--this is the book we'll be reading.

In short, I respect the professor, so the book's probably good if you're just trying to get the right idea, but it's not holding my attention very well.Oh well!

Japón de la postguerra
Me interesa saber datos específicos de la postguerra en el Japón, el nacimiento de los zaibatzu y el surgimiento de la economía japonesa que le dio el título de nuevo imperialismo japonés, o "el milagro japonés. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good for overall history
This book is a great resource for the reader/researcher who is looking for a general overview of the history of writing in Japan.It is one of the few books on the subject that is in English, which is a big plus. However,if you are looking for details of a specific period of the writing this book is not for you. ... Read more

Product Description
Employing a wide range of primary source materials, Modern Japan: A History in Documents, Second Edition, provides a colorful narrative of Japan's development since 1600. A variety of diary entries, letters, legal documents, and poems brings to life the early modern years, when Japan largely shut itself off from the outside world. A picture essay highlights the tumultuous decade and a half following the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry and the U.S. Navy in 1853, which led to unprecedented changes and a new government. The dramatic rush to modernity in the late 1800s and early 1900s--accompanied by Japan's entry into the imperialist rivalry--is seen through travel accounts, novelists' recollections, and imperial rescripts, while editorial cartoons and prison memoirs recount the early twentieth-century rush, first toward pluralism, then toward war. Japan's recovery after defeat in World War II and its emergence as a vibrant democracy with the second largest economy in the world is chronicled through records as diverse as a funeral eulogy, a comic book description of Adam Smith's economic theories, and an e-journal interview. The documents are woven together in a scintillating narrative that brings to life one of the world's most remarkable national stories.

The second edition includes an updated introduction with a note on sources and interpretation and twenty-five new documents including new evidence of Japanese imperialism, especially its expansion into Korea; the role of minorities in modern society; and events since the mid-1990s. There are additional editorial cartoons from the Meiji and Taisho eras, rare photos, archival maps, as well as excerpts from fiction and other literature, and updated further reading and website lists. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of essays tackles a neglected field of Japan's history. ... Read more

Product Description
Japan: A Modern History provides a comprehensive narrative that integrates the political, social, cultural, and economic history of modern Japan from the investiture of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 to the present. Japan: A Modern History integrates the everyday experiences of farmers, artisans, families, soldiers, and laborers into the general narrative. Throughout, the point of view is based in Japan, emphasizing the Japanese as makers of their own history. Professor McClain provides in-depth coverage of the early modern period and the subsequent emergence of new dimensions in all areas of Japanese life. Numerous maps, illustrations, chronologies, and a helpful glossary reinforce central themes and events. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Outstanding--the Ideal
This book is an absolutely stellar treatment for its genre: the generalized universal history of a country over a long period.Such topics are extremely difficult to do well, but McClain's book is pretty much the way such books should be.

The book is excellent for the following reasons:

1. All countries have stereotypes and clichéd account of the past; even if an historian makes an effort to avoid the ones about the subject of the book, other countries or historical periods will intrude with theirs.McClain never seems to do this.He successfully escapes the heavy hand of stereotypes about Japan, and also those of countries that played a prominent role in Japanese history (e.g., the USA, China, Russia, the UK).He also avoids the proverbial versions of famous events.

2. McClain's treatment of the characters shows analytical fairness.When he has the time to discuss the motives of historical actors, he does so with sympathy for each one's peculiar circumstances.In contrast, lesser histories tend to paint the characters with a few adjectives, and make them out to be slaves of an immutable nature.

3. He addresses very important social movements that are nearly always overlooked by historians.During each of the periods, including the Tokugawa epoch, he describes the evolving role and concerns of Japanese women; of "out groups" such as the Burakumin; and ethnic minorities such as resident Koreans and Ainu.

4. He clearly respects his subject and has compassion for the people he writes about.

On many of the events he describes, I've read other works that are quite excellent: Herbert Bix, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan (2000) and John G. Roberts Mitsui: Three Centuries of Japanese Business (1989); clearly, McClain had done his research assiduously and avoided many common mistakes.

Superb recount of Japan
McClain offers a holistic approach to Japanese history. In this book he explains how Japan got to where it is today by going through the various historical periods. For recent Japanese history, he concentrates on the social aspects as well as the political and economic ones. Readers gain a thorough understanding of Japan with this book.

Concise but a bit boring (sorry)
This is a good summary of the history of Japan. It spans all topics and is quite balanced in social, political and economic issues. McClain's book takes quite an academic approach to Japan's history, (without exessive notes of course). It is well founded, he is precise, concise and avoids controversal or journalistic subjects and speculation (such as whether Roosevelt knew about the attac on pearl harbor). In this sense this book can be highly recommended for those readers who look for a no-nonsense textbook. However, this style makes the read a bit boring. Compared to other historical books I have read I found it hard to read and - as a non-english native speaker - it took me a long time. Because the writer never goes deep into one subject, the reader gets only a kind of the summary of an issue. The book is never really gripping and as a more casual reader it is probably not my the first choice. John Dower and David Nathan have left me more inspired.

The best history of modern Japan (1603 forward)...
McClain has fashioned a highly detailed, sophisticated, and complex history of Japan from 1603 to the present.The historiography is superb (he obviously is totally bilingual and is fluent in Japanese sources).The history is both descriptive (chronological, social, political, economic, family/personal) as well as analytic (how social structure affected the rise of industrial society, for example).The overall effect is to make Japanese history clear and comprehensible.The people of Japan stand out in distinct relief.

I was puzzled that the Boston Globe reviewer was much cooler toward this book than I think most readers are or will be.McClain's history will stand the test of time.

question
I am not writing a review in fact. But I can't find anywhere else here to ask my question: What is the difference between the college edition and hardcover ed.? There is no info on this. ... Read more

Product Description

Louis G. Perez revisits Japan's turbulent past and recent events in the past decade and 21st Century in this revised and fully expanded second edition of The History of Japan, a must-have for all high school and public libraries. This essential resource provides readers with a comprehensive look at Japan's long and rich history, examining its politics, culture, philosophy, and religious beliefs throughout the ages. Also included are up-to-date discussions of political situations, environmental issues, and even a glimpse into the cultural lives of the Japanese today. Students will learn who the Japanese are today, and how the past has shaped their contemporary society. An updated timeline, appendices, and glossary, along with an illustrative bibliographical essay that includes both print and electronic sources, round out this valuable reference tool.

Roughly the same size as the state of California, the island nation of Japan is one of the world's most densely populated nations-not to mention an economic powerhouse and a mecca of advanced technology. But the Land of the Rising Sun did not always lead the world with its success in the automobile industry, innovative electronics, and powerful stock market. Louis G. Perez revisits Japan's turbulent past and recent events in the past decade and 21st Century in this revised and fully expanded second edition of The History of Japan, a must-have for all high school and public libraries. This essential resource provides readers with a comprehensive look at Japan's long and rich history, examining its politics, culture, philosophy, and religious beliefs throughout the ages. Also included are up-to-date discussions of political situations, environmental issues, and even a glimpse into the cultural lives of the Japanese today. Students will learn who the Japanese are today, and how the past has shaped their contemporary society. An updated timeline, appendices, and glossary, along with an illustrative bibliographical essay that includes both print and electronic sources, round out this valuable reference tool.

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Unfortunate Typos....
I found the thesis of the book exciting, a perspective that has not been studied much: interpreting the imperial throne through legal documents.The book traces and illustrates well how one interpretation became dominant in broad academic discourse and people behind it.Such investigation responds, in one way, to a long-standing question of the role of intellectuals in 1930s and 40s Japan.While I agree with the previous reviewer in many respects, the book certainly brought about an overlooked insight about the wartime Japan and its intellectual history.

What ticked me off was rather petty---typos, yet became grave---throughout the book---to the extent that some of them certainly confuse readers.For example, Minoda Muneki is introduced as "Minoda Kyôki" then switched to "Muneki," and returned to "Kyôki."Similarly, on page 233, Tô Katsuaki is misspelled as "Fuji" Katsuaki, while Kajikawa Hikaru as "Kajiwara Hikaru.""Konuma Tadashi" on p. 236 is usually referred as Onuma Shô.Some names miss macrons while other names have extra macrons.Especially, the book does not contain "Kanji," such misspelling can be fatal.

Despite an exciting thesis, I was very much distracted by typos.... which is very unfortunate.

A gag-inducing neoconservative screed with no basis in reality
I am mystified as to why this book was published by an academic press. The theory Skya provides is so patently ludicrous that any Japanologist would have dismissed it before he finished the introduction, and probably recommend that Skya get fired from whatever sad-sack institution he teaches at. Every page of this book has the words "radical Shinto ultranationalism" on it, in that order. Why he chose this phrase is never explained. Why are all these writers "radical"--were they not influential figures in contemporary Japanese society? What is the difference between friendly, familiar Western nationalism and Japanese "ultranationalism"? What makes it "ultra"? Does it provide twice the nationalism of an ordinary nationalist, like concentrated laundry detergent? And finally, most importantly, what the heck does he mean by "Shinto"? He seems to be relying on the theory of D.C. Holtom, a now discredited 1930s missionary who claimed that Japanese nationalism was religious in tone. But the Japanese government, importantly, considered its fascist techniques to be secular.

Skya is either unaware of State Shinto's claim to secularity or purposefully omits it. Instead, he parallels Japanese nationalism to Mark Juergensmeyer's "ethnic-religious nationalisms", in contrast to "Western-style secularized nationalisms". (3) Obviously, Skya is rooting for the allegedly nonsectarian and Western side of the clash of civilizations rather than the "religiously bound" rebels. He's a plain old neoconservative. But what makes Japanese values more religious than our own? This is not directly answered, but an answer is alluded to: their strangeness and foreignness. For Skya, kamikaze attacks in World War II were not just an example of a different set of wartime values, despite their historical precedent, but were rather a "fanatical" and possibly "mentally deranged" expression of "State Shinto ideology", as opposed to sane, sober, and secular Western tactics like remote-controlled missiles and atomic bombs. (7) Because he is so committed to searching for some hidden philosophical narrative being exploited by the state, he makes bizarre historical errors like attributing hakkou ichiu to ancient "Shinto doctrine" rather than recognizing it as an invention of late 1930s ideologues, (25) or claiming roughly everything Japanese ideologues wrote about the state to be a product of "Shinto", including an article on Amida Buddha. (201)

Use this book as toilet paper. ... Read more

Product Description
As a philospher, Shunsuke Tsurumi has underscored the importance of the "everyday life philosophy" of nameless, ordinary citizens and stressed the significance of exploring its potential no matter how amorphous and unsystematic it may be. Immediately after the end of World War II, he founded a journal "Shiso no Kagaku" (Science of Thought), a publication to which numerous non-academic writers have contributed their analyses of Japanese society and culture on the basis of their grass-roots experiences. Professor Tsurumi has written and edited many books, has contributed to many journals and magazines and has profoundly influenced Japan's post-war intellectual current for over half a century. In "A Cultural History of Post-war Japan", now reprinted, Professor Tsurumi continues his study of the intellectual and social history of modern Japan with a penetrating analysis of popular culture in the post-war years. Japanese "manga" (comics), "manzai" (dialogues), television, advertising and popular songs are the medium for a revealing examination of the many contradictory forces at work beneath the surface of an apparently uniform and universal culture.Professor Tsurumi argues that the iconography of these popular forms has deep and significant implications for the development of Japanese national life in the post-growth years that lie ahead. ... Read more

Product Description
: Over the past 150 years, Japanese photographers have created an impressive body of work that ranges from dignified imperial photographs to sweeping urban panoramas, from early ethereal landscapes to modern urban mysteries. Despite the richness, significance, and variety of this work, however, it has largely been neglected in Western histories of photography. This gorgeous and groundbreaking book—the first comprehensive account of Japanese photography from its inception in the mid-nineteenth century to the present day—reveals to English-speaking audiences the importance and beauty of this art form. Written by a team of distinguished Japanese and Western scholars, this book establishes that photography began to play a vital role in Japanese culture soon after its introduction to Japan in the 1850s. Illustrated essays discuss the medium’s evolution and aesthetic shifts in relation to the nation’s historical and cultural developments; the interaction of Japanese photographers with Western photographers; the link between photography and other Japanese art forms; and photography as a record and catalyst of change. Handsomely designed and generously illustrated with beautiful duotone and color images, the book emphasizes not only the unique features of Japanese photography but also the ways it has influenced and been influenced by the country’s culture and society.Amazon.com Review
Except for the rare international superstar like Araki Nobuyoshi, known for his gamy shots of nude young women, Japanese photography is a closed book to Westerners. Yet it has a distinguished and vital tradition that has enriched every genre, from portraits to landscapes, with a unique blend of lyricism and candor.In The History of Japanese Photography, a wealth of captivating images and essays by seven scholars trace 140 years of stylistic and cultural evolution. In 1857 a local ruler had his portrait taken with a daguerreotype set brought to Nagasaki by a foreign ship. Eleven years later, official photographs of the emperor--never glimpsed in person by his subjects—became widely available. Photographers were increasingly called upon to document new Japanese territories, natural disasters, and wars. Visitors hankered after studio shots of geishas and other exotica. Beginning in the 1890s, upper-class amateur photographers contributed a new emphasis on aesthetics. In the 1930s exquisite Pictorialist images of natural beauty gave way to modernist influences from Berlin and Moscow, and then—in wartime—to a conservative emphasis on traditional rural life. Individual expression dominated postwar photography, as seen in such images as Tomatsu Shomei’s haunting "Beer bottle after the atomic bomb explosion." Recent work reflects the dislocations of urban consumer society. Beautifully produced, with 356 color illustrations, this groundbreaking volume accompanies an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (March 2-April 27, 2003) that travels to the Cleveland Museum of Art (May 18-July 27, 2003).—Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Beautiful and interesting book
I must say that this book is beautiful and I hightly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Japanese photography.I have started reading it and the writing is refreshingly lucid and informative while the photographic reproductions are impressive.At times, the authors do presuppose a knowledge of Western photographic history that may be daunting for some readers. If you are not familiar with that history you may not find the arguments or explanations as productive or interesting as they are. However, even if you are a unfamiliar with the history and you are just curious about the topic, this book has a lot to offer if you just skim the essays.The more academic-minded readers will find the essays to be critically and historically illuminating, intriguing, and thought-provoking. Plus the book is so beautiful.

Simply stunning
This is one of the finest photography books I've seen recently. Filled with page after page of gorgeous photographs spanning a range of over one hundred years, from rare vintage images to fascinating contemporary work, this volume tells the story of a vastly understudied area of artistic work. Everything about this volume--its design, its production, its content--does beautiful justice to the subject matter. Finally--a worthy book on Japanese photography!!! ... Read more

Product Description
The Japanese Experience is an authoritative history of Japan from the sixth century to the present day. Only a writer of W.G. Beasley's stature could render Japan's complicated past so concisely and elegantly. This is the history of a society and a culture with a distinct sense of itself, one of the few nations never conquered by a foreign power in historic times (until the twentieth century) and the home of the longest-reigning imperial dynasty that still survives. The Japanese have always occupied part or all of the same territory, its borders defined by the sea. They have spoken and written a common language, (once it had taken firm shape in about the tenth century) and their population has been largely homogeneous, little touched by immigration except in very early periods. Yet Japanese society and culture have changed more through time than these statements seem to imply. Developments within Japan have been greatly influenced by ideas and institutions, art and literature, imported from elsewhere. In this work Beasley, a leading authority on Japan and the author of a number of acclaimed works on Japanese history, examines the changing society and culture of Japan and considers what, apart from the land and the people, is specifically Japanese about the history of Japan.

The arrival of Buddhism in the sixth century brought a substantially Chinese-style society to Japan, not only in religion but in political institutions, writing system, and the lifestyle of the ruling class. By the eleventh century the Chinese element was waning and the country was entering a long and essentially "Japanese" feudal period--with two rulers, an emperor and a Shogun--which was to last until the nineteenth century. Under the Togukawa shogunate (1600-1868), Chinese culture enjoyed something of a renaissance, though popular culture owed more to Japanese urban taste and urban wealth.In 1868 the Meiji Restoration brought to power rulers dedicated to the pursuit of national wealth and strength, and Japan became a world power. Although a bid for empire ended in disaster, the years after 1945 saw an economic miracle that brought spectacular wealth to Japan and the Japanese people, as well as the westernization of much of Japanese life.Amazon.com Review
In the late ninth century, a Japanese scholar of Chineseliterature named Sugawara Michizane received an unexpected promotionfrom on high: the emperor appointed the outstanding young commoner tothe Council of State, "an advancement," author W.G. Beasleywrites, "almost unheard of for one of his birth." The emperorapparently wanted Michizane to help him in an intrigue against a rivalfamily, but the emperor's plot failed. The emperor was deposed, andMichizane went into exile to Kyushu, where he died in 903. After hisdeath, storms and earthquakes, events attributed to Michizane's ghost,struck the imperial capital.

The story of Sugawara Michizane, a footnote in a long epic ofinterfamilial struggle, illustrates several of the problems scholarsof premodern Japanese history face. For one, important actions weredirected by members of the imperial household, who took pains toconceal their motives. For another, actors in the historical recordtend to appear and disappear quickly from the scene. For stillanother, that record is shot through with mythology and, in Beasley'swords, "distortions of fact and chronology." Beasley ably negotiatesthese considerable difficulties, taking pains to distinguishconjecture from fact as he unfolds a sweeping chronicle of Japanesehistory. Covering a period of 30,000 years, Beasley's book standsamong the best one-volume histories of Japan, accessible to generalreaders and scholars alike. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Good Overview
At just under 300 pages, William Beasley's "The Japanese Experience" provides a short but expert overview of Japanese history and culture. The author, who was born in 1919 and died in 2006, was a pioneer in Japanese studies who specialized in the modern history of Japan. The present book, however, offers the entire sweep of Japanese history, from earliest times down to the mid-1990's. With so much material to cover, the book is short on details, but this is compensated by the author's expertise and graceful writing.

Within the constraints of a short book, Beasley has done an admirable job of integrating Japan's cultural and political history into a readable and consistent narrative. A major theme throughout the book is the Japanese response to outside influence (China, Korea, Europe, America), from the Kofun period (250-350 AD) to the present, that the book explains in a thoughtful and easy-to-understand manner.
Like any expert, Beasley has his own opinions (against Heian-period Japan, for example, and against the idea of Japan's "cultural uniqueness.") However, one doesn't have to agree with everything in the book to appreciate its overall value to the general reader, homeschooler, or beginning student.

A General History of Japan for those with No Knowledge
This is an excellent general history for those who don't have any knowledge of Japanese history or culture. I recommend it to those white Americans who are proud to be rednecks. This book will open your mind to the fact that not all people like to drink beer, watch Nascar and generally behave like louts. After reading this book you will be impelled to read more on this country.

... Read more

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Customer Reviews (32)

Martial Arts
The book is an excellent exploration into the various martial arts with weapons. It has been around for years and is still excellent.

A fantastic basic guide to the Japanese Samurai martial arts.
Even though there were many reviews of this great book, I thought I would add a few comments.First off, the critics have some valid points concerning the accuracy of every single martial art covered in this 483 page book.However, with the volume of material this book covers, there is bound to be some errors. Nevertheless, I think the authors did a very good job of researching most of the material.This book is very detailed and impressive.The illustrations were clear and meaningful.If you are a serious martial artist this book provides a good overview of the way of the warrior.If you are a historian this book will be of great value in your research.As a follower of Bushido, I highly recommend this book.Rating: 5 stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Season of the Warrior: A Poetic Tribute to Warriors, The Monadnock Defensive Tactics System, Use of the Monadnock Straight Baton, PR-24 Baton Advanced Techniques, Use of the Mini-Baton).

Accurate & Detailed!
This is a long book, not something you are going to sit down and read straight thru. It is a valuable reference book, however, showing the basic principles and tactics of a variety of styles. It is one of the few books you will find that points out the differences between different schools/ styles of the same general art type (such as different styles of Jujutsu or different style of Karate). This is not a teaching book that allows one to learn a style, but it will help people from most arts to grow in their understanding of such practices and disciplines.

A Note to the Ignorant
This book is a work of genuine scholarship. An assertion has been made that there is no such
thing as tessenjutsu, as though the authors made the art of the iron fan up for some unfathomable reason.
This statement is either an outright lie or a reflection of the critic's own ignorance. Search for the terms
tessenjutsu or tessen online and you will find a satisfactory amount of information on this technique. I have
patronized a source in the U.S. that sells top of the line Japanese weaponry, including tessen. Know of what you speak before you write, gang.

A great addition to any library
Having read Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere by Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook, I looked forward to reading this book and adding it to my library.While Aikido was the newer of the two books, it was my first exposure to these authors.I had grown fond of their academic, though dry at times, writing style as well as their tendency to research their topic in great detail.I was hoping this book would live up to that standard, and I was not let down.In Secrets of the Samurai Ratti and Westbrook explore in great depth the historical roots and many practices of the samurai culture of feudal Japan.To lend some context or background for the focus of this book they include an introduction that contains a brief time line of the era, as well as some meaning to the words bujutsu (the group of methods employed by the military).The book then quickly moves into the structure of the Japanese military itself.

The authors go into great detail on the ranking system of the military, as well as it's relation to the government of the period.However it is not a book strictly about the rise of the samurai.Instead, the authors include a vast amount of detail about many topics surrounding the warrior class.Details such as the clothing that would be common for each rank or class, the armor the samurai would have adorned and the weapons they had employed.They do not limit their exploration to just the samurai themselves, choosing to also cover more obscure topics of the samurai culture, topics such as subcultures that existed within and around the samurai: ninja, Buddhist monks, and the women of the samurai for example.The use of simple sketches and drawings help to fill in the picture and are a nice inclusion.

While they choose to cover many topics, there should be no concern that the material is watered down.Instead, the main focus of the book is given great depth.The authors go into exhaustive detail about the many military tactics the samurai had used.Exploring fighting techniques does not limit itself to weaponry and armed combat.Instead a hearty portion of the book is devoted to many styles of martial arts.Great detail is given in techniques of unarmed combat, as well as the history of many styles and schools that the samurai would have been exposed to.Certainly they give an in depth look into the religious beliefs and spirituality of the samurai, as well as any influence Zen Buddhism may have had on these warriors. Having studied martial arts and eastern philosophy a bit myself I truly appreciated the coverage afforded the martial arts, and spirituality.

Westbrook and Ratti have clearly put a great deal of research into this comprehensive and indispensable text.Some have claimed that their sources lack any ancient Japanese texts, and while most of their sources are English, they do cull information from various Japanese sources.Surely this is not the end all of information regarding the samurai, but it is certainly a good place to start.While it may be a bit dry in reading due to its extremely academic nature, it comes as no surprise and the book never claims to be a page turner.It is however a wonderful asset to anyone interested in martial arts, feudal Japan, and the rise of the militant ethos of the samurai, and may allow at least a fair amount of insight into an old and very foreign culture.This book makes a great addition to a martial artist's library, and is a great value.
... Read more

Product Description
On December 13, 1937, the Japanese army attacked and captured the Chinese capital city of Nanjing, planting the rising-sun flag atop the city's outer walls. What occurred in the ensuing weeks and months has been the source of a tempestuous debate ever since.

It is well known that the Japanese military committed wholesale atrocities after the fall of the city, massacring large numbers of Chinese during the both the Battle of Nanjing and in its aftermath. Yet the exact details of the war crimes--how many people were killed during the battle? How many after? How many women were raped? Were prisoners executed? How unspeakable were the acts committed?--are the source of controversy among Japanese, Chinese, and American historians to this day.

In The Making of the "Rape of Nanking Takashi Yoshida examines how views of the Nanjing Massacre have evolved in history writing and public memory in Japan, China, and the United States. For these nations, the question of how to treat the legacy of Nanjing--whether to deplore it, sanitize it, rationalize it, or even ignore it--has aroused passions revolving around ethics, nationality, and historical identity. Drawing on a rich analysis of Chinese, Japanese, and American history textbooks and newspapers, Yoshida traces the evolving--and often conflicting--understandings of the Nanjing Massacre, revealing how changing social and political environments have influenced the debate. Yoshida suggests that, from the 1970s on, the dispute over Nanjing has become more lively, more globalized, and immeasurably more intense, due in part to Japanese revisionist history and a renewed emphasis on patriotic education in China.

While today it is easy to assume that the Nanjing Massacre has always been viewed as an emblem of Japan's wartime aggression in China, the image of the "Rape of Nanking" is a much more recent icon in public consciousness. Takashi Yoshida analyzes the process by which the Nanjing Massacre has become an international symbol, and provides a fair and respectful treatment of the politically charged and controversial debate over its history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A rare balanced examination of a deeply polarized issue
This is a rational, lucid exploration of the way the Nanking incident has been treated in China, Japan, and the United States. The author has managed to avoid outright denial, raging indignation and smug Japan bashing while dissecting all three. Truly unique. It is unfortunate that this book is not more widely available.

Anyone who wishes to explore this topic will find this short book a very good place to begin. ... Read more

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Japan's ancient age was a period of radical and political change during which a Chinese-style empire emerged. This volume of The Cambridge History of Japan spans the beginnings of human existence to the end of the eighth century, focusing on the thousand years between 300 BC and 784, the end of the fabulous Nara period. The volume explores this period in four stages: (1) The Yayoi period (to about AD 250) when small kingdoms and kingdom federations accumulated enough power to dispatch diplomatic missions to Korea and China; (2) the Yamato period (to 587) when priestly rulers, having gained economic and military power, conquered most of Japan; (3) the Century of Reform (to 710) when Japanese leaders, pressed by China's expanding T'ang empire, set out to build a strong Chinese-style empire of their own; (4) the Nara period (to 784) when spectacular literary, artistic, architectural, and religious advances were made. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The First 99,000 Years
'Ancient Japan' is the initial volume in 'The Cambridge History of Japan.'As such it is a stunning effort to collect and organize the results of recent discovery about of Japan's early history.What surprised me from the beginning of the book was how much of Japan's early history has only been discovered in the last half of the 20th Century.In that period of time archeology and scholarship has added vast amounts of information to the story, dispelling some myths and affirming others.

The format is the classical form of a series of chapters written by experts in the field.Delmer M. Brown, who is Professor Emeritus at the Center for Japanese Studies (UC Berkeley) has done an excellent job of bringing the work together and making this first volume work as a whole, including writing a good piece of the text himself.Eight other writers contribute, with sections on the Jomon, Yayoi, Yamato, Asuka (century of reform) and Nara periods, ending with 784 CE.Collateral chapters on Japan's relations with the continent, Kami worship and Buddhism, Nara economic and social institutions, and culture are also included to fill out the overall picture.The religious and cultural studies I found particularly informative.

When a book attempts to cover this much material, the pace of exposition is often overwhelming.Brown manages to keep this from being extreme, but it would be dishonest to describe 'Ancient Japan' as a leisurely armchair read.On the other hand, it is the perfect vehicle for forming a mental picture of the periods under study, and identifying additional sources for further reading.As such, the footnotes, citations, and index/glossary are invaluable.In addition, the writing is all in a competent academic style that never bores, even when it fails to excite.Despite the steep price this volume is an important addition to a scholarly library.I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

The definative English language history of Japan
This book brings post war scholarship on the history of Japan up date.Excellent index and glossary.Too expensive for the general reader ofcollege text but an excellent addition to any library. ... Read more

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Few people can point to Okinawa on a map, yet this tiny island sitting between China and Japan was and continues to be one of the most crucial Asian nerve centers in all U.S. strategic defense.Ninety percent of all U.S. military forces in Japan are located on Okinawa, one of the Ryukyu Islands, and it was through these troops that the martial art of karate was exported to the U.S.In Okinawa: History of an Island People, noted Eastern affairs specialist George Kerr recounts the fascinating history of the island and its environs, from 1314 A.D. to the late twentieth century.First published in 1958, this edition features a new introduction and appendix by Okinawa history scholar Mitsugu Sakihara, making this the most comprehensive resource on the small, vital, and intriguing island of Okinawa. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Looks Like A Text Book -Reads Like A Novel - Sort of!
My goodness! When this tome of a book crashed on to my doormat, my immediate thoughts were, 'Oh no! Text book; too demanding, too wordy, too much to bother with today and put it on the coffee table because if nothing else it actually looks pretty impressive. Not that I'm desperate to impress. HONESLTLY!

I've been researching Okinawa and in particular the 1609 Satsuma invasion and had already read the excellent "The Samurai Capture A King" which at times became quite a chore to study with the huge amount of dates, names etc etc etc.

When I finally picked up this book I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that it was written in an extremely simple and understandable way and not at all in the high faluting fashion I had been expecting. I've only read-up what I've needed so far and have discovered some wonderful facts about the Ryukus, their people and in particular their mythical beliefs and deities; The Dragon Castle, The Sun Goddess to name but two, which I found fascinating.

I'm greatly looking to working further into the book to read about another historical event that has always fascinated me: The Battle for Okinawa in 1945. WhenI get to it I'll tell you all about it but it could take a long and very interesting while

If you, like me are a Karateka interested in discovering more about the place of your arts origin; or if you just have an interest in the amazing history between, Okinawa and it's great influences, China and Japan, this book is simply a MUST HAVE.

EXCELLENT!!

Excellent information and very well written
I am currenty writing a book on Okinawan martial arts and felt that a better overview of the history of Okinawa would better enable me to write my own book.There is little to nothing on Okinawan martial arts in this book, but it is an extremely readable book on the history of Okinawa up to the end of WWII.There are also a couple of addtional small sections at the end of the book with corrections and a brief history of Okinawa from the end of WWII to the end of the twentieth century.I learned a lot from this book and found it to be easy to read and easy to understand.I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Orient in general and Okinawa in particular.

Understanding the heart of Okinawan culture
Researched and written by George H. Kerr, I believe that this book is accepted as the premiere text of authority with regard to the history of pre-war Okinawa.
I've read and re-read this book and have a much greater understanding of the people of the Ryukyu Islands - and I also have a much deeper regret for having not known this history while living among the Okinawans.

"...this is the history of a little-known people whom events have made it necessary to know well. It is also one of those all-too-rare books that happily combine solid scholarship and detailed accuracy with a forthright, enjoyable literary style that does justice to the storybook quality of many of the episodes. It will long remain the standard history of Okinawa and the Ryukyus."

good niche book
Just as Gibbon's classic history of the Roman Empire tells us that Armenia has been a center of conflict since time immemorial, so also does Kerr's classic work remind us of the centuries of conflict Okinawa has witnessed. Just like Armenia, so also does Okinawa deserves something better.

Okinawa's early history was pockmarked by a series of kings struggling to maintain control over fighting warlords. Although Shunten established his kingdom in the 13th Century by defeating his rivals, the entire island was not totally unified until a century later when Sho Hashi conquered the three kingdoms, which made up the island. Peace, of a sort, reigned until 1609, when the Shimazu clan from Satsuma, in southern Japan, invaded Okinawa.

For the next 270 years, Okinawa was, in effect, a Satsuma colony. Satsuma demanded taxes from the Okinawans and controlled trade in exchange for island protection. Commodore Perry's black ships, as chapter seven explains, also paid an unwelcome visit during 1853 and 1854.Perry, who established a small military base there, clearly had plans to bring the entire Ryukuyu Islands into the American ambit.

Napoleon Bonaparte had similar plans. He regarded Okinawa as being central to France's vital interests. Anglo-Chinese tensions brought Okinawa further unwanted attention from both Britain and China. Because Britain, France and the United States were all making efforts to colonize the island chain, an increasingly apprehensive Japan tightened its grip on the island by sending a military detachment there in 1868. Later in 1879, Japan abolished the royal government and annexed Okinawa as a prefecture.

Okinawa was then left in relative peace until 1944, when the Japanese Army arrived in force to counter the impending American attack. The Battle of Okinawa was one of World War II's longest, bloodiest and hardest fought campaigns. Total American casualties were 49,151, including 12,500 killed or missing in action. Japanese Imperial Army losses totaled over 75,000. Nearly one-third of Okinawa's civilian population-100,000 people-also perished during those nightmare months. The battle ended on June 22, 1945, when Old Glory fluttered unchallenged from Okinawa's mountains and towns.

The Stars and Stripes have been flying there ever since. The area stayed under American military control until May 15, 1972, when Richard Nixon transferred administrative authority of the Ryukyu Islands back to Japan. The islands resumed the status they held prior to 1945 - the 47th prefecture of Japan.

Ryukyu means Beautiful Country of the Southern Ocean. Like Armenia, it is indeed a beautiful and haunted land. However, just like Armenia, it is in an unfortunate position. Because it straddles the seaways between China and Japan and because it is near to Korea, the Spratly Islands and a host of other strategically important sites, it remains one of the most militarized places on earth. As the author makes plain, China and the Philippines periodically claim the island chain as their own. When we read the book, we see how truly unfortunate this is.

Kerr paints the golden days of Okinawa before these outside pressures came to dominate the island. He describes how an impoverished people living on barren islands with no metals and little forest wealth were able to construct and preserve for many centuries a complex, progressive and stable government and society. Unlike some of the world's more endowed areas, the Okinawans, like the Armenians, had a toy state, with dignified kings, sententious and learned prime ministers, as well as an abundance of temples and shrines. Okinawa's whole fragile, minuscule structure was developed in a faithful effort to emulate great China, Asia's fabled Middle Kingdom.

Although Kerr paints this beautiful experiment with enchantingly melancholic hues, he makes it plain that there can be no return to those golden days. Maybe with peace pending on the Korean peninsula, a new and equally beautiful experiment in social engineering can begin. The people of Okinawa richly deserve it.

Informative, but Plates are Missing
This book contains a very thorough description of the history and culture of Okinawa.However, the Plates, listed in the Table of Contents and referenced throughout the text, were missing from the book that I purchased. ... Read more

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Highly praised when published in Germany, The Quest for the Lost Nation is a brilliant chronicle of Germany's and Japan's struggles to reclaim a defeated national past. Sebastian Conrad compares the ways German and Japanese scholars revised national history after World War II in the shadows of fascism, surrender, and American occupation. Defeat in 1945 marked the death of the national past in both countries, yet, as Conrad proves, historians did not abandon national perspectives during reconstruction. Quite the opposite--the nation remained hidden at the center of texts as scholars tried to make sense of the past and searched for fragments of the nation they had lost. By situating both countries in the Cold War, Conrad shows that the focus on the nation can be understood only within a transnational context. ... Read more

Product Description
The two hottest genres in comics gleefully collide head-on, as the most beloved American superhero gets the coolest Japanese manga makeover ever.

In 1966, during the height of the first Batman craze, a weekly Japanese manga anthology for boys, Shonen King, licensed the rights to commission its own Batman and Robin stories. A year later, the stories stopped. They were never collected in Japan, and never translated into English. Now, in this gorgeously produced book, hundreds of pages of Batman-manga comics more than four decades old are translated for the first time, appearing alongside stunning photographs of the world’s most comprehensive collection of vintage Japanese Batman toys.

This is The Dynamic Duo as you’ve never seen them: with a distinctly Japanese, atomic-age twist as they battle aliens, mutated dinosaurs, and villains who won’t stay dead. And as a bonus: Jiro Kuwata, the manga master who originally wrote and drew this material, has given an exclusive interview for our book.

More than just a dazzling novelty, Bat-Manga! is an invaluable, long-lost chapter in the history of one of the most beloved and timeless figures in comics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

The Lure of Batman Isn't Lost in Translation
Few things get comic book fans--not to mention hardcore Batman-lovers--more irate than the thought of the campy 1960s "Holy haberdashery!"-era Batman TV show. It took 20 years and the vision of director Tim Burton for the Batman mythos to live the campy TV show down. Surprisingly, it lived on in Japan even longer in the form of manga.

Perhaps it's the ability to look back on this time with nostalgia from the relative comfort of a time when a Batman movie is seriously discussed as an Oscar contender. Whatever it is, the massive volume Bat-Manga! is a delightful look back at a time long gone but whose presence is still felt, in comics and in the real world.

Bat-Manga! seems to be a labor of love for legendary graphic designer Chip Kidd. He's packed it full of content, given it an amazing cover, and kept it in the original, right-to-left manga format. All the material reprinted within was originally published in Japanese in a weekly anthology called Shonen King and has now been translated into English for the first time. Perhaps even more enticing are the numerous images of Batman-related toys and memorabilia from the '60s.

Considering that, these days, Batman seems to fight the Joker over and over again in his current comics, it's almost refreshingly original to see him and his boy wonder pal Robin fight robots and aliens and mad scientists. It's pure '60s zeitgeist all the way through, but it's also fun and adventurous in a way that a lot of comics have forgotten how to be.

Another favorite from this collection: The quotes, trivia, and tidbits that run along the margins of some of the pages. They helpfully explain such things as "Bruce's butler, Alfred: The one who knows Batman's true identity. He's behind the scenes but provides all kinds of assistance." Or random gems like this: "Fruit trivia: At the turn of the Meiji Era, all kinds of watermelons were brought in from America, and their prices dropped because they became so abundant."

Longtime comics fans will chuckle to see an old villain known in the States as the Weather Wizard remade in these pages as Go-Go the Magician. And silly comic-book staples like the Bat-copter make an appearance here as well. It's all in good fun.

Perhaps most impressive of all is the solid detail of the art, which is decidedly set in the '60s era but also mixes elements of the '40s and '50s in, while also using deep inks and shadings to create stark contrasts on each page. The traditional manga style of artwork that most Americans are familiar with doesn't come into play here either. Instead, these strips walk a fine line--they're certainly for kids, but they're not as corny as one might expect.

It turns out the lure of Batman isn't lost in translation. True fans of the hero should enjoy this opportunity to see the Dark Knight cast in a different light.

-- John Hogan

Fun book to pick up again & again
Just a very cool looking book that you'll want to pickup over and over.The incomplete stories can be annoying, but with the predictability of the plots it's not exactly like they're cliffhangers!The artwork is great, but the photos interspersed of Batman toys that were sold in Japan in the 60's is the greatest feature!

This edition is a real complement to your Batman collection

wow, I thought I will never see this Batman manga again.This re-publication of the Japanese Batman manga is really a dream comes true.I can remember in my childhood days, this is a very popular manga, and re-reading this English copy brings back all the good memories.The manga artist Mr. Kuwata is famous for his sci-fi series: 8-man, Ultraseven, The Yellow Glove, Super-dog, etc.,His clean-cut drawing style and great story-presentation skills capture generation of fans in Japan.We're all grateful to Mr. Kidd for bringing this project to live to the English speaking world.My only compliant is volume two is not out yet (there are missing episodes in volume one).If the book can be printed in the Japanese manga paper, that will be perfect.

Great Buy
If you like comics books, or obscure bits of culture, this is perfect. In addition to the actual Batman manga the book also shows all the different Japanese Batman Merchandise. The hardcover version is entirely worth it, and makes the book feel incredibly special. I recommend this without any shadow of a doubt.

Any Batman Fan Will Love it!
In 1966, the Japanese manga anthology, Shonen King, licensed the Batman character for original stories. Those stories ran for about a year and were never collected in either Japanese or English. Until now. Graphic artist and book cover designer, Chip Kidd has collected the stories, translated them into English, and included many photos of Japanese Batman toys from the collection of Saul Ferris. The stories are often erratic, the reprints from the original newsprint two-tone; neither distracts from the wonderfulness of the book. The Japanese take on Batman is eerily prescient of the current look on several of the recent Batman animated series, and the manga influence on many of today's current comic artists. There is also an interview with Jiro Kuwata, the manga writer and illustrator who wrote the stories in the collection. Sure, it's dated and campy, but it is a spectacular book and any Batman fan will love it. ... Read more