Since the end of World War II, Japan has determinately remained outside the current of world events and uninvolved in the processes determining global history and politics. In Japan and the World, di
How did Buddhism, so prominent in Japanese life for over a thousand years, become the target of severe persecution in the social and political turmoil of the early Meiji era? How did it survive attack
In this detailed analysis of the life and teachings of Deguchi Nao (1837–1918) and the religion she founded, Omotokyo, Emily Ooms expands and refines our understanding of women’s roles in the creation
When the Emperor Hirohito died in 1989, Japanese newspapers had to use a special, exalted word to refer to his death, and had to depict his life uncritically, as one beginning in turbulence but ending
When Pico Iyer decided to go to Kyoto and live in a monastery, he did so to learn about Zen Buddhism from the inside, to get to know Kyoto, one of the loveliest old cities in the world, and to find ou
"[Peattie’s] remarkably readable narrative goes far beyond military and diplomatic history." —Choice"Peattie’s comprehensive and fascinating book adds greatly to our knowledge of colonial governments
This study analyzes New Theses (Shinron), by Aizawa Seishisai (1781—1863), and its contribution to Japanese political thought and policy during the early–modern era. New Theses is found to be indispen
"Hoyt's biography, taking advantage of recent posthumous revelations of a Japanese foreign service diplomat, portrays Hirohito as a man of peace held captive by his role in Japanese society and govern
Essays discuss the Japanese approach to life, Tokyo, symbolic systems, theater, film, television, and other amusements, and what they reveal about Japanese society
This collection of essays is built around a major but previously unstudied theme in Japanese history--the extent to which the exaggeration of antiquity has distorted historical understanding. Ranging
In this concise but ambitious historiographical essay, Wilson argues for an approach to the Meiji Restoration that emphasizes multiple lines of motive and action. "By bringing some very interesting cr
Combining translations of five peasant narratives with critical commentary on their provenance and implications for historical study, this book illuminates the life of the peasantry in Tokugawa Japan
The Pacific War was the most traumatic experience for Japan in modern times. This book examines the politics and culture of Japan during this period: the establishment of the wartime regime--its char
Explains the structure of the feudal society, describes the rise of economic life and tells of the impact of Commodore Perry's arrival in 1853. Bibliographical notes
A series of picaresque adventures set against the backdrop of a Japan still closed off from the rest of the world, Musui's Story recounts the escapades of samurai Katsu Kokichi. As it depicts Katsu s
