The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives
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- Create Date：2022-07-12 06:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Christopher Harding
- ISBN：014199228X
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Summary
From the acclaimed author of Japan Story， this is the history of Japan， distilled into the stories of twenty remarkable individuals。
The vivid and entertaining portraits in Chris Harding's enormously enjoyable new book take the reader from the earliest written accounts of Japan right through to the life of the current empress， Masako。 We encounter shamans and warlords， poets and revolutionaries， scientists， artists and adventurers - each offering insights of their own into this extraordinary place。
For anyone new to Japan， this book is the ideal introduction。 For anyone already deeply involved with it， this is a book filled with surprises and pleasures。
The vivid and entertaining portraits in Chris Harding's enormously enjoyable new book take the reader from the earliest written accounts of Japan right through to the life of the current empress， Masako。 We encounter shamans and warlords， poets and revolutionaries， scientists， artists and adventurers - each offering insights of their own into this extraordinary place。
For anyone new to Japan， this book is the ideal introduction。 For anyone already deeply involved with it， this is a book filled with surprises and pleasures。
Reviews
Richard
，
I didn’t enjoy ‘The Japanese’ as much as Christopher Harding’s previous book on Japan， ‘Japan Story’。 Yet it was a wonderful insight into some of the figures of Japanese history - the notorious and the noteworthy。 I listened on Audible and Christopher’s narration is superb。 A pleasure to listen to as was Japan Story。
Sean
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A broad， glancing look at Japan's shared history and culture， using the biographies of several important Japanese figures as a framework。 Predictably， it doesn't have the time or focus to get really in-depth on either front。 Far too reliant on nineteenth and twentieth-century individuals for my money， too。 I most enjoyed the entries about pioneers of the arts - the nation's first noteworthy novelist， trailblazers of noh and manga， the prophet of monosodium glutomate - and felt that too much time A broad， glancing look at Japan's shared history and culture， using the biographies of several important Japanese figures as a framework。 Predictably， it doesn't have the time or focus to get really in-depth on either front。 Far too reliant on nineteenth and twentieth-century individuals for my money， too。 I most enjoyed the entries about pioneers of the arts - the nation's first noteworthy novelist， trailblazers of noh and manga， the prophet of monosodium glutomate - and felt that too much time was dedicated to political figures。 An ambitious idea， but it comes up a little empty in practice。 。。。more
Ruby Washio
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3。5
Denise
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Japan has long been a subject of great fascination to me， so I immensely enjoyed this journey through two millenia of Japanese history through the stories of twenty remarkable figures who have each shaped the country's development in some way， from the ancient Shaman Queen Himiko to the current Empress Masako。 It's a somewhat different approach to dive into a country's past than your usual history book， and the concept worked out wonderfully IMO。 Japan has long been a subject of great fascination to me， so I immensely enjoyed this journey through two millenia of Japanese history through the stories of twenty remarkable figures who have each shaped the country's development in some way， from the ancient Shaman Queen Himiko to the current Empress Masako。 It's a somewhat different approach to dive into a country's past than your usual history book， and the concept worked out wonderfully IMO。 。。。more
Otto
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A little mixed opinions on this one。 The first half of the book was quite heavy and hard to follow with lots of names and events that at times didn't seem too connected with each other。 Even though some of the details and events were fascinating， it took me several months to get through this part of the book。 The latter part of the book （from around the mid-19th century onwards） on the other hand， was in my opinion a lot more interesting with an excellent selection of personalities from differen A little mixed opinions on this one。 The first half of the book was quite heavy and hard to follow with lots of names and events that at times didn't seem too connected with each other。 Even though some of the details and events were fascinating， it took me several months to get through this part of the book。 The latter part of the book （from around the mid-19th century onwards） on the other hand， was in my opinion a lot more interesting with an excellent selection of personalities from different fields of expertise through which the evolution of the modern Japanese society was portrayed。 All in all， I think the author was able to present the causal relations and give context to the events very well throughout the book even though I personally struggled a bit with the first half of it。 。。。more
Diana
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The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives [2020] – ★★★★★UPDATE 05/12/2021 - It was interesting to discover a similar， but bilingual book titled "100 Japanese You Should Know"。 Since there are some chapter and descriptions' similarities， I subtract 1 star; the book -" 100 Japanese You Should Know" [1998] by Gen Itasaka。 In this new book， Dr Harding traces the history of Japan through the lives of twenty remarkable people that helped to shape the country， making a powerful impact on either its polit The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives [2020] – ★★★★★UPDATE 05/12/2021 - It was interesting to discover a similar， but bilingual book titled "100 Japanese You Should Know"。 Since there are some chapter and descriptions' similarities， I subtract 1 star; the book -" 100 Japanese You Should Know" [1998] by Gen Itasaka。 In this new book， Dr Harding traces the history of Japan through the lives of twenty remarkable people that helped to shape the country， making a powerful impact on either its politics， business， religion， science， culture or just society at large， and – more often than not – against all odds and in very challenging times。 From heroic personalities from mythology and ancient politics to people who changed business， music or literary scene， the author introduces each extraordinary individual in turn， focusing on their childhood， on Japan of their time and on their contribution to the country， with the result being that Japan finally became what it is now – a culturally rich country full of so many paradoxes， intricacies and hidden treasures that a lifetime will not be sufficient to know and understand them all。 In this book， we get to know royalties， warlords， samurai， Buddhist monks， politicians， businessmen， scientists， poets， singers， revolutionists and Manga creators。 Dr Harding’s book is a history of Japan in a bright new form that is a pure pleasure to read。For example， from the ancient era， Dr Harding talks about the legendary Prince Shotoku （574 – 622）， who is “celebrated as [the] state’s founding father” [2020: 23]。 He was the very first to see “beyond Buddhism’s ritual potential and appreciate its philosophical depths” [2020: 29]， and laid down Nara as the new Imperial capital。 Allegedly， the Prince was also the one responsible for the archipelago’s first Constitution [2020: 30]， a document that stressed harmony and good faith， as well as renewed contact with China。 From the modern era， there is the “God of Manga” Tezuka Osamu （1928 – 1989）， who was the legendary creator of the equally legendary boy-robot “Atom”， and who lived through the 1960s technological and economical boom。 Inspired by Disney， Osamu opened his own production company in time， taking his Manga creations to the big screen。 However， his heart always remained with his vision of making children think critically and be inspired creatively。 “Tezuka himself was…interested in presenting children with the varied challenges of adult life – the fear， misunderstanding and discrimination” ; “too many people [according to Osamu] lived as though they were “programmed” to obey” [Harding， 2020: 359]。This is the list of all twenty celebrated people presented in the book:1。 Himiko [c。 170 – 248] – Shaman Queen– Himiko was a mythical Queen of the realm Yamatai before there was such a country as Japan。 Regarded by the Chinese as the shaman of extraordinary power， Himiko was a fierce leader before the existence of any any war lords and was able to unite her people and lead them to prosperity through metallurgy and rice cultivation。2。 Prince Shotoku [573 – 621] – Founding Father3。 Emperor Kanmu [737- 806] – Boundary Pusher4。 Murasaki Shikibu [c。 973 – unknown] – Court Reporter – This aristocratic diarist and lady-in-waiting created the world’s first novel – The Tale of Genji。5。 Hojo Masako [1157 – 1225] – The Nun Shogun6。 Shinran [1173 – 1262] – Power to the People7。 Zeami [1363 – 1443] – Master of Arts – A prolific Noh actor and playwright， responsible for such famous Noh plays as The Well-Cradle and Wind Through the Pines。 He helped to elevate the traditional Japanese theatre into pure art through his attention to details， philosophy and aesthetics。8。 Oda Nobunaga [1534 – 1582] – Unity or Else9。 Hasekura Tsunenaga [1571 – 1622] – Voyager10。 Ihara Saikaku [1642 – 1693] – Amorous Man11。 Sakamoto Ryoma [1835 – 1864] – Revolutionary12。 Kusumoto Ine [1827 – 1903] – Building the Body13。 Shibusawa Eiichi [1840 – 1931] – Entrepreneur – Shibusawa was the “father of Japanese capitalism”。 “His great aim in life was to elevate the business of doing business， liberating it from the old samurai contempt for merchants while avoiding the reputation for greed and selfishness that commerce acquired in some quarters of the West” [Harding， 2020: 241]。14。 Tsuda Umeko [1864 – 1929] – Culture Shock15。 Ikeda Kikunae [1864 – 1936] – Taste-Maker16。 Yosano Akiko [1878 – 1942] – Poet of Peace and War – “Yosano made her name creating poetry for a generation of young women who aspired to a more than the sorts of marriages memorably described by Hiratsuka Raicho as slavery during the daytime and prostitution at night” [Harding， 2020: 300]。17。 Misora Hibari [1937 – 1989] – Starlet18。 Tezuka Osamu [1928 – 1989] – Dream Weaver19。 Tanaka Kakuei [1918 – 1993] – Shadow Shogun20。 Owada Masako [1963 – present] – Uncertain Symbol – Amidst the late twenty century’s social problems of Japan， including overwork， and rising cases of depression and suicide， emerged “educated， progressive and cosmopolitan” Empress Owada Masako， once a brilliant， intelligent girl who set aside a promising career at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to wed Prince Naruhito of Japan。I particularly enjoyed reading about certain Japanese women and the mark they made in Japanese history:Tsuda Umeko， born in 1864， was brought up as a typical American girl in Washington D。C。 However， she got to America only because of one Japanese government’s regulation that stated in 1871 that a number of Japanese girls and boys of around six years of age would be sent to the US to be educated。 Tsuda was one of those girls。 Upon her return to Japan in 1882， she hardly recognised her country of origin。 Women in Japan had very few rights and girls were forced early to arranged marriages， “living effectively as their husbands’ maids”。 [Harding， 2020: 267]。 While Tsuda Umeko received good education in the US that focused on such subjects as politics， science， literature and languages， the girls’ education in Japan was focused on needlework， cooking and etiquette。 Tsuda felt “useless” upon arriving to Japan and no employer wanted to employ her in a serious position。 However， she was determined to do something about it: she published a book Japanese Girls and Women [1891] with Alice Mabel Bacon， that talked about the problem and provided solutions， including more challenging education for girls and more equal marriages， and opened her own school Joshi Eigaku Juku （Women’s English School） in Japan in 1900， which schooled girls in such subjects as English composition， literature and translation。 “Current affairs were discussed in class…and students were encouraged to reflect on the status of women around the world” [Harding， 2020: 271]。 Tsuda wanted every girl and woman to be independent and confident in their thinking and future。 Her school received even more funding and became popular， even in the increasingly difficult political climate。 Tsuda “pioneer[ed] a form of education that blended Japanese with Western values， shaping women who did not have to ask for respect because they commanded it” [Harding， 2020: 277]。 Tsuda Umeko died in 1929 and her school was eventually renamed in her honour。Kusumoto Ine （1827 – 1903） is “a woman with a strong claim to be Japan’s first female doctor trained in Western medicine” [2020: 217]， writes Dr Harding。 The daughter of famous Prussian physician and scientist Philipp Franz von Siebold， Kusumoto Ine was a “bibliophile from childhood” and chose medicine as her profession from a very young age （thirteen or fourteen）， deciding to specialise in midwifery/obstetrics， as this was considered to be one of only a few medical professions “appropriate” and still open to women。 Ine proved to be a brilliant midwife with deep knowledge of the procedure， related science and anatomy， eventually delivering some of the Emperor’s children。 In 1870， Ine established her own clinic in Nagasaki and later in Tokyo。 Though she later witnessed Western medicine being adopted freely across Japan’s official medical system， she felt more and more excluded from the profession due to the changing perceptions about women， their capabilities and societal roles in the country。The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives packs a wealth of exciting information about Japan， its history and culture。 The author present Japan’s history in the most engaging and story-like manner， and the book really becomes a “must-read” for all those who want to understand Japan in any depth。 。。。more
Nick Spencer
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this grew on me
Val Asker
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I've read quite a number of books set in Japan， some of which were translated from Japanese but I didn't know much about its history。 This book is a history of the country， but told through the lives of 20 people， from Himiko， the first known Japanese person through to the present day empress Owada Masako。 I thought this was a good way to go about writing a history and there were some interesting choices。 I found some more appealing than others; I don't particularly enjoy reading about wars and I've read quite a number of books set in Japan， some of which were translated from Japanese but I didn't know much about its history。 This book is a history of the country， but told through the lives of 20 people， from Himiko， the first known Japanese person through to the present day empress Owada Masako。 I thought this was a good way to go about writing a history and there were some interesting choices。 I found some more appealing than others; I don't particularly enjoy reading about wars and destruction。 However there were 10 chapters that I really enjoyed either because I empathised with the person it was about or because I was interested in what they learned or did to shape the nation。 Murasaki Shikibu was the first of these。 She wrote what is said to be the world's first novel 'The Tale of Genji' during the 10th century and because of its success was invited to court where she wrote about the empress and the birth of her children。 There were some lovely descriptions of the mansions and gardens in Kyoto during a golden age of poetry， gossip and outdoor parties in an era of peace and prosperity for the elite。 Men and women tried to impress each other with flirtatious short poems。 It sounded great fun！ As often happened when reading this book， I found myself wanting to branch off and read The Tale of Genji。Shinran was a Buddhist compared to Martin Luther by the author， in that he made religion much more accessible to all rather than just the rich and powerful。 His chapter was called 'Power to the People'。 This was a much more individualised form of Buddhism where anyone could gain salvation。 So long as you recited the words 'I take refuge in the Buddha Amida' on your deathbed you were assured of a return to the Pure Land in the afterlife。 Again some lovely descriptions with artificial lotus blossoms floating on the lake outside a mansion each topped by a Buddha 'its image mirrored in the water' - all designed to ease the transition between the two worlds。 This chapter made me want to read more about Buddhism。Zeami was a writer and performer of No plays。 This sounds like a very interesting although possibly challenging type of entertainment！ There were very few characters， often masked and the action was accompanied by drums。 Much was demanded of the audience which I took to mean that they had to fill in the gaps themselves！ Zeami started performing as a young boy and when his father's plays caught the attention of the current shogun Zeami became a favourite。 Hasekura Tsunenaga （1571 - 1622？） was a diplomat who travelled extensively from Japan to South America and Europe， during a time of approximately 100 years when Japan was open to different cultures and religions and Christianity was accepted。 He travelled with a Spanish missionary to the court of Philip III in Spain and to Rome。 He was even baptised。 Alas while he was away the situation in Japan changed and he returned to Japan to find all the christians had been evicted or killed。 The circumstances of his death are unclear but it's likely he was killed himself。 I thought it was interesting how the Catholic Church was trying to increase its membership by sending its missionaries to countries like Japan， as it felt threatened by growing Protestantism。 And this was one of several examples in the book of Japan seeming to open up to western ideas only to hastily retreat and return to isolationism。 The chapter about Ihara Saikaku was one of my favourites。 He was a 17th century writer whose most famous work was 'The Life of an Amorous Man'。 He traveled extensively and by all accounts led a very dissolute life！ Society at this time was very structured and rigid and each class was only permitted to live in a certain way - even down to what they were allowed to wear。 Pleasure was therefore a great escape！ His work including haiku became very popular thanks to woodblock printing which meant that it could be easily circulated。 Kusumoto Ine （1827 - 1903） was the daughter of a Prussian father and Japanese mother who it is claimed was Japan's first female doctor。 She was able to train as an obstetrician by working with a friend of her father's。 She was very successful for a number of years， practising in various cities and delivered two of the emperor's children。 However as often seemed to happen in Japan， women's brief period of equality was soon stifled and she ended up only being able to practice as a midwife。 I enjoyed reading about Dejima， the island in Nagasaki harbour where the Dutch traders （the only foreigners allowed to trade in Japan） lived and worked， as I'd come across this in one of David Mitchell's books。 Tsuda Umeko was sent to live in the USA aged seven as part of a Japanese government scheme。 She lived with an American family for 10 years and returned to Japan where she experienced quite a culture shock！ She put her education to good use， working first with the foreign minister as a hostess to foreign guests and teaching in a school for upper class Japanese women。 She went on to found her own school。 She worked to further women's rights but tried to stay within the rules and remaining respectful， realising that change in this conservative society could only be gradual。 She blended Japanese and western values。 Yosano Akiko was a poet who lived through the Chinese/Japanese war and died during world war 2。 I enjoyed this chapter because it explained the increasing hostility between China and Japan in the 1930s which was the backdrop to the last book I read 'Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet'。 Japan occupied Manchuria and tried to justify it by saying it was for the people's good and then blaming the Chinese for fighting back！ This was Japan trying to build an empire - years after Britain， France and Spain had done so。 This chapter also explained the run up to Japan's entry into world war 2。 Very interesting - I learned a lot from this （and enjoyed her poems！）Misora Hibari was a child star in Japan - a hugely popular singer and actress。 As a young girl she mimicked the actions of older women which was felt by some to be distasteful， robbing her of her childhood innocence。 I was fascinated by this period of Japanese history， immediately after their defeat in the Second World War。 I had no idea that the Americans occupied Japan and even wrote their constitution， making Japan even more democratic than the USA！ However predictably some of the more liberal measures， such as equality for women， did not last long。 We did not learn about this at school！ Finally， Tezuka Osamu。 I really enjoyed this chapter about this manga artist。 He created many memorable characters including Atom and Princess Knight and was seen as a rival to Walt Disney。 Again very interesting to read about Japan during the 1960s and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics which I just about remember。 The Japanese were very creative and imaginative in their culture， but remained conservative in their politics。In general I liked the way the book was structured and the way previous chapters and characters were referenced so that there was a sense of moving forward through history。 Although in essence a history book it was an accessible book and was witty at times - for example Tsunenaga gets 'the economy version of a papal welcome'。 There were often nice little anecdotes such as the manga artist whose parents left paper and pencils by his bed in case he felt anxious when he woke up。 I thought that was so touching。 So what have I learnt about Japan from this book？ It is cautious， conservative and at times cruel - but I warmed to a lot of the people described。 I took a Russian history class at Mount Holyoke and our professor said that Russian history zigged and zagged。 I think the same can be said of Japanese history！ There were many times of upheaval but also times of peace and prosperity when their rich culture was so beautifully described。 A land of contrasts。 Definitely reading this book was an enriching experience for me。 。。。more
Rae
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This is an enormous book that talks about twenty Japanese people that somehow comes together in defining Japanese culture from rulers， politician ， artist and inventor。 People that we consider part of the building of Japanese culture。Every chapter focus on a persons' time period and it goes in chronological orders from about 3000 years ago until modern days。 It select specific people in Japanese history and talk about their time period。 From that person we can see their politics， religion， art a This is an enormous book that talks about twenty Japanese people that somehow comes together in defining Japanese culture from rulers， politician ， artist and inventor。 People that we consider part of the building of Japanese culture。Every chapter focus on a persons' time period and it goes in chronological orders from about 3000 years ago until modern days。 It select specific people in Japanese history and talk about their time period。 From that person we can see their politics， religion， art and also information about that particular era， architecture and beliefs。 This is really an interesting book and for those who like to study about the history of Japanese culture in the early age till modern day can check out this book。Thank you Times Reads for sending me a copy in exchange for honese review。 。。。more
Chris Aylott
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My memories of high school Japanese history are pretty fuzzy。 （In fairness， that applies to a lot of my high school classes。） I enjoyed it， but I got lost in the blizzard of historical periods and ruling families and art styles。 Harding's tour of history through biography doesn't dig too deep into those details， but it provides a strong sense of the flow and interconnectedness of Japanese history and culture， of how the figures of the past influenced later periods and the present。 The subjects a My memories of high school Japanese history are pretty fuzzy。 （In fairness， that applies to a lot of my high school classes。） I enjoyed it， but I got lost in the blizzard of historical periods and ruling families and art styles。 Harding's tour of history through biography doesn't dig too deep into those details， but it provides a strong sense of the flow and interconnectedness of Japanese history and culture， of how the figures of the past influenced later periods and the present。 The subjects are well-chosen， and the book is a thoughtful and often entertaining read。 。。。more
Dave Allan
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