Critical Readings on the Emperors of Japan

Like others in the publisher's Critical Readings publications, this four-volume set offers a focused resource assembled by a noted scholar. In the first volume, Shillony (emeritus, Japanese studies, Hebrew U. of Jerusalem, Israel) introduces his selection of 55 readings on the "singular phenomenon" of the Japanese imperial institution, noting its distinguishing characteristics, its survival for at least 1,500 years, and its evolved but ongoing status postwar and today. He also supplies an introduction to each of the other three volumes and gives context for the periods under consideration. Starting with ancient times, initial selections relate to how the state and the dynasty began and analysis of to what extent the emperors were considered gods. Subsequent selections, arranged chronologically, cover feudal Japan through the Tokugawa era, Komei, the Meiji emperor, Taisho, Showa, postwar Japan, and the dynasty's future. The selections are from such sources as Monumenta Nipponica, Japan Forum, and Journal of Japanese Studies, as well as numerous books. The fourth volume concludes with a glossary, bibliography, and index. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ben-Ami Shillony, Ph.D. (1971), Princeton University, is Professor Emeritus of Japanese Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the recipient of the Order of the Sacred Treasure and of the Japan Foundation Award. In 2012, he became a member of the Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and he has been elected Honorary President of the Israeli Association for Japanese Studies. His books include Enigma of the Emperors (Global Oriental, 2005) and The Emperors of Modern Japan (Brill, 2008).