Front cover image for Japan : its history and culture

Japan : its history and culture

W. Scott Morton (Author), J. Kenneth Olenik (Author)
This is a revision of the long short, illustrated cultural history of Japan, from its beginnings about 3000 BC to the present day. It is designed as a straightforward, detail-rich portrait of a nation not well understood in the West. The position of Japan on the international scene has changed markedly since the current edition was published in 1994: Japan had been a star of postwar industrial production and methods; over the past few years, it has encountered serious trouble with market forces; its financial practices, particularly the tacit collaboration between powerful factions in government and industry, has come under question and even attack. departure from tradition have begun to have a significant presence. The book is distinctive in its incorporation of cultural elements, at their high point, into the unfolding story of political events. Rather than just following the political and military course of history, treating them separately from the cultural side, Morton presents an integrated view, showing the parallel development of cultural and political events, as well as their influence on each other. For example, the sweeping effect of Chinese culture on Japanese is treated as an organic whole, exploring its results in government, social life, religion and art. The book also casts fascinating sidelights on significant personalities, works of literature and historic events
Print Book, English, ©2005
McGraw-Hill, New York, ©2005
History
xii, 340 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm
9780071412803, 0071412808
55518039
The origins and early history of the Japanese
The introduction of Chinese thought and culture: Asuka period: 552-710
The stimulating effect of Chinese culture: Nara period: 710-794
The Japanese pattern: Early Heian period: 794-857; Late Heian or Fujiwara period: 858-1158
The rise of the warrior class and the Gempei War: End of the Heian period: 1158-1185
Government by the military shogun: Kamakura period: 1185-1336
The Ashikaga Shogunate: Nambokucho: 1336-1392; Muromachi: 1392-1573
The golden age of Japanese art: 1378-1490
The unification of Japan: Sengoku-Jidai, the period of the country at war: 1534-1615
Japan in isolation: The Tokugawa Shogunate Part I, 1615-1715
The winds of change: The Tokugawa Shogunate Part II, 1716-1867
The Meiji restoration and the modernization of Japan: 1868-1914
Expansion, liberalism, and militarism: 1914-1931
Manchukuo, the China war, and World War II: 1931-1945
Postwar Japan
Japan today: Economy
Japan today: Foreign affairs and political life
Contemporary Japanese society