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Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan

Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-11-19 06:52:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Shigeru Mizuki
  • ISBN：1770466258
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Summary

A fascinating period in Japanese history recounted by manga’s most distinguished author

Showa 1926–1939: A History of Japan lays the groundwork for Eisner award-winning author Shigeru Mizuki’s historical and autobiographical series about Japanese life in the twentieth century。 Depicted against his trademark photorealistic backdrops， Mizuki effortlessly portrays a nation forced into a period of upheaval and brings history into the realm of the personal。 Indeed， as a child coming of age in the Showa era， the author’s earliest memories coincide with key events of the time。

It all begins with the Great Kanto Earthquake， a natural disaster that forces the country into a financial crisis。 The period leading up to World War II is thus a time of economic hardship and record unemployment。 Forthright descriptions of ensuing militarization reveal Mizuki’s lifelong stance as a thoughtful pacifist， critical of domestically disputed events like the Nanjing Massacre clearly painted here as an atrocity。 This first volume in a four-part series is a captivating historical portrait tracking the industrial and societal developments that would come to shape Japan's foreign policy in the interwar period。

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Reviews

Rick Ray ，

I don't think I have a lot to add that other reviewers haven't said already about Mizuki's Showa series。 It's an incredibly blunt look at the chaos during the Showa period。 He does not sanitize or romanticize any aspect of it， truly forcing the reader to consider what the horrors of that era would be like。 Interspersing the historical events are moments of some levity where we see Mizuki's childhood and early adulthood， but even those tend towards the feeling of frustration that the youth of Jap I don't think I have a lot to add that other reviewers haven't said already about Mizuki's Showa series。 It's an incredibly blunt look at the chaos during the Showa period。 He does not sanitize or romanticize any aspect of it， truly forcing the reader to consider what the horrors of that era would be like。 Interspersing the historical events are moments of some levity where we see Mizuki's childhood and early adulthood， but even those tend towards the feeling of frustration that the youth of Japan had no prospects。 The ending of this volume previews the coming of Hideki Tojo， Japan's war minister during the Second World War。 It ends with the ominous note， "Tojo is a man who never smiles， and because of this， he takes away the smiles of the Japanese people"。 If that isn't a hook to go read the second volume immediately， I don't know what is。 。。。more

C。 Scott ，

Holy smokes！ I learned so much about what was happening in Japan before World War II！ Mizuki did a fantastic job weaving his personal story with the larger picture of pre-war Japan。 I can't wait to check out the next two volumes。 Holy smokes！ I learned so much about what was happening in Japan before World War II！ Mizuki did a fantastic job weaving his personal story with the larger picture of pre-war Japan。 I can't wait to check out the next two volumes。 。。。more

Noemi ，

Molto interessanteRiesce a farti comprendere le vicende del Giappone nel periodo Showa （1926-1939） in modo semplice ma non approssimativoNon è il classico "Il Giappone invade vari territori per contrastare la Cina" e basta che solitamente si trova nei libri di storiaMi è piaciuto moltoPrenderò il prossimo 💪🏻 Molto interessanteRiesce a farti comprendere le vicende del Giappone nel periodo Showa （1926-1939） in modo semplice ma non approssimativoNon è il classico "Il Giappone invade vari territori per contrastare la Cina" e basta che solitamente si trova nei libri di storiaMi è piaciuto moltoPrenderò il prossimo 💪🏻 。。。more

Ray ，

I really love this genre of historical graphic novel。I have a lot better understanding of how Japan got into the situation it did for world war II

Dylan ，

I really enjoyed this page-turning history （don't be daunted by the length--the pages of this comic whip by）。 It's a creation that weaves Japanese history with Mizuki's childhood memories。 Occasionally， the two are quite interwoven。 Most of the time， the childhood adventures seem--as one would expect--largely disconnected from the Japanese imperial brutality unfolding in China and Korea; though there are some eerie parallels， such as boys having dangerous rock-throwing wars， kids singing patriot I really enjoyed this page-turning history （don't be daunted by the length--the pages of this comic whip by）。 It's a creation that weaves Japanese history with Mizuki's childhood memories。 Occasionally， the two are quite interwoven。 Most of the time， the childhood adventures seem--as one would expect--largely disconnected from the Japanese imperial brutality unfolding in China and Korea; though there are some eerie parallels， such as boys having dangerous rock-throwing wars， kids singing patriotic songs， and children fascinated by naval ships。 To his credit， Mizuki does not try to cover up or justify Japanese cruelties in East Asia。 However， he certainly softens their impact。 Genocidal events like the Rape of Nanjing are mentioned， but not really confronted in all of their horror。The overall tenor of the book suggests that the far-right-wing hijacked democracy in Japan and the imperial army went rogue， openly disobeying the Japanese government。 These forces are not shown in a great light; nor are they depicted in their true viciousness。 Still， Mizuki doesn't hide widespread nationalism in Japan at that time （people singing songs， waving flags， cheering troops）: he's not trying to suggest that military escapades were contrary to popular sentiment。 But there is， somehow， a child's detachment from moral culpability。 "I was just a kid" is quite right--up to a point。 Maybe the second volume （1939-45） will more deeply grapple with just how racist and barbaric the Japanese imperial forces were。 I've already ordered a copy。 。。。more

RANDOM。READER ，

really enjoyed this manga can't wait to put my hands on the second book really enjoyed this manga can't wait to put my hands on the second book 。。。more

marcia ，

While I appreciate the amount of research that went into this project， I'm not sure if comics is the right medium for it。 As someone who knows very little about Japanese history， most of what is discussed goes right over my head。 Since there's not a lot of room for elaboration， the narrative gets hard to follow。 While I appreciate the amount of research that went into this project， I'm not sure if comics is the right medium for it。 As someone who knows very little about Japanese history， most of what is discussed goes right over my head。 Since there's not a lot of room for elaboration， the narrative gets hard to follow。 。。。more

Nathan ，

I got this book by accident at the library。 Barefoot Gen vol 2 was supposed to be reserved but they gave me this instead。 It looked interesting so I started it and couldn’t put it down。 The artwork was great and the history was eye opening。 I didn’t know how Japan got involved in WWII and this helped explain a lot about the people and politics of pre-war Japan。 After reading both this and Barefoot Gen it’s pretty crazy how violent the times were when these Japanese children grew up。

Aildiin ，

A great way to discover Japan's history through the medium of Manga A great way to discover Japan's history through the medium of Manga 。。。more

Rudy Hubbles ，

A stunning work on non-fiction that weaves the tragedy of the times with humor and humanity。 The narrative plays out like a series of facts， yet the author proves this method to be completely engaging as he seamlessly weaves personal experiences with cultural and world events。 It's a dense work， but masterful in its execution and a must-read for those interested in the Showa era of Japan。 A stunning work on non-fiction that weaves the tragedy of the times with humor and humanity。 The narrative plays out like a series of facts， yet the author proves this method to be completely engaging as he seamlessly weaves personal experiences with cultural and world events。 It's a dense work， but masterful in its execution and a must-read for those interested in the Showa era of Japan。 。。。more

Luke Turner ，

It might be a little obnoxious to review manga on GoodReads but I think Shigeru Mizuki transcends the plane of writing and drawing。 One of the greats。 This is an amazing read and I would recommend it to anyone。 Don't skip this or any of Mizuki's work to be honest。 It might be a little obnoxious to review manga on GoodReads but I think Shigeru Mizuki transcends the plane of writing and drawing。 One of the greats。 This is an amazing read and I would recommend it to anyone。 Don't skip this or any of Mizuki's work to be honest。 。。。more

Sud666 ，

In general， I am not a fan of comic adaptations concerning history。 But， in this superb manga， I have now found a comic version of the history of Japan that is quite well done。Shigeru Mizuki grew up in Japan right before the outbreak of war。 His "Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan" is excellent。 Part biography and part history， it is not only well written and full of interesting historical information， but it also serves as a look into the life of ordinary Japanese civilians。Starting with the K In general， I am not a fan of comic adaptations concerning history。 But， in this superb manga， I have now found a comic version of the history of Japan that is quite well done。Shigeru Mizuki grew up in Japan right before the outbreak of war。 His "Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan" is excellent。 Part biography and part history， it is not only well written and full of interesting historical information， but it also serves as a look into the life of ordinary Japanese civilians。Starting with the Kanto Earthquake of 1923， it details the start of the "Showa" period of Japanese history。 In Japanese history， dates are often associated with era names， not just the year of the Western calendar。 The Showa （the characters represent "Clear"， "harmony" or "peace"） and covers the reign of Emperor Hirohito （1926-1989） and also is the period covering Japan's slide into militarism and the conflicts that formed into WW II。Mizuki's story is interesting。 As a child and young man， he is something of a lazy， pathetic， loser going from job to job without any chance to improve himself。 He wants to go to art school and likes to draw。 As he grows up， we have a detailed description of the famous political， economic and， eventually， military events that coalesced into the Japanese invasions that will start the Asian theatre of WWII。The style is also interesting。 The vast majority of the historical events are beautifully drawn in a B&W style that is very good。 But， any plot covering the families of normal people or Mizuki's life is done in a Shonen style （more comedic， designed for teenage boys' manga）。Filled with detailed notes， this is actually an excellent book for anyone who would like a non-technical introduction to the events that lead to WWII， you can't go wrong with this gem。 Entertaining and enlightening at the same time， this is highly recommended。 。。。more

Maura McGrath ，

An excellent overview of a turbulent period of history for Japan。 Some have criticized Mizuki for spending too much of this lengthy series on the war years， yet his personal accounts of the effect of war are what make this such a powerful work。 I highly recommend this to anyone， whether they are versed in Japanese history or not。

Emmanuel ，

A fantastic book by Mizuki。 He masters the art of tragicomedy like no other。 This is an excellent flyover this period of Japan's history， as well as a very entertaining comic book。 The art is fabulous， and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series。 A fantastic book by Mizuki。 He masters the art of tragicomedy like no other。 This is an excellent flyover this period of Japan's history， as well as a very entertaining comic book。 The art is fabulous， and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series。 。。。more

Chelsea Martinez ，

This history of Japan in 4 volumes is really my first introduction to Japanese history outside of what I know about its involvement in WWII。 Obviously， it's only a history of one era in the 20th century but for that， it really attempts to be comprehensive。 The entire series combines history （and photos） and personal history， as typical for Mizuki， in this case his childhood with Nononba， so it overlaps a bit if you've read his book about her。 It would be cool to have read these first and know th This history of Japan in 4 volumes is really my first introduction to Japanese history outside of what I know about its involvement in WWII。 Obviously， it's only a history of one era in the 20th century but for that， it really attempts to be comprehensive。 The entire series combines history （and photos） and personal history， as typical for Mizuki， in this case his childhood with Nononba， so it overlaps a bit if you've read his book about her。 It would be cool to have read these first and know that the larger book was out there waiting for me afterwards。 In the past I would have devoured the footnotes and glossary of people more。。。 nowadays I realize that I am no longer living that David Foster Wallace live （especially while reading the book in its "backwards" translation direction）。 I read them all at once at the end which probably isn't the best for fact retention， but it shows the detail of the research done for the book （or I suppose his base level of knowledge of Japanese history without research！） 。。。more

Gianmarco Leggio ，

Lungo manga che racconta la storia del Giappone del periodo Showa intrecciandola con la storia personale dell'autore， segnata profondamente dagli eventi storici。Il primo volume tratta gli anni '20 e '30。 Tale periodo fu caratterizzato prima dalla crisi economica che mise a rischio la giovane democrazia giapponese e poi dalla svolta militarista che porterò alle azioni in Manciuria e alla guerra contro la Cina。 Consigliato per avere una visione meno eurocentrica della storia e della politica inter Lungo manga che racconta la storia del Giappone del periodo Showa intrecciandola con la storia personale dell'autore， segnata profondamente dagli eventi storici。Il primo volume tratta gli anni '20 e '30。 Tale periodo fu caratterizzato prima dalla crisi economica che mise a rischio la giovane democrazia giapponese e poi dalla svolta militarista che porterò alle azioni in Manciuria e alla guerra contro la Cina。 Consigliato per avere una visione meno eurocentrica della storia e della politica internazionale di un grande paese che in molti credono di conoscere。 。。。more

Kizzy ，

3，5 sterrenDeze ga ik toch eens moeten herlezen。。。 Het is heel interessant， maar veel om te onthouden en te begrijpen。。。 Ik weet bijna niets van de geschiedenis van Japan， dus het is een beetje te veel in één keer。 Maar zeker de moeite waard。

Kat ，

I've always had a very negative view of manga based on my limited experience with it and the kinds of manga I see people reading。 Clearly， I was mistaken。 This is an outstanding book; the exceptional art combined with the evocative， moving retelling of history （aided by the mix with personal experiences） creates a unique and informative experience。 I've always had a very negative view of manga based on my limited experience with it and the kinds of manga I see people reading。 Clearly， I was mistaken。 This is an outstanding book; the exceptional art combined with the evocative， moving retelling of history （aided by the mix with personal experiences） creates a unique and informative experience。 。。。more

Giacomo Dusina ，

Primo volume del racconto a fumetti della storia del giappone dal 1926。 Le tavole alternano le vicende autobiografiche dell'autore e gli episodi storici。 In questo senso cambia anche lo stile del disegno。 Interessante Primo volume del racconto a fumetti della storia del giappone dal 1926。 Le tavole alternano le vicende autobiografiche dell'autore e gli episodi storici。 In questo senso cambia anche lo stile del disegno。 Interessante 。。。more

Iamreddave ，

Really interesting history of japan in the prewar period。 Except it wasn't prewar。 WW@ started in China in 1939 it is just we don't get taught that here。 The mixing of the political and the personal in a graphic novel works really well here。 One thing that jumps out is letting loads of your politicians get assasinated will have really bad consequences。 Really interesting history of japan in the prewar period。 Except it wasn't prewar。 WW@ started in China in 1939 it is just we don't get taught that here。 The mixing of the political and the personal in a graphic novel works really well here。 One thing that jumps out is letting loads of your politicians get assasinated will have really bad consequences。 。。。more

Met ，

Me lo aspettavo più romanzato e meno documentaristico。 Sono tantissime informazioni da recepire – infatti ho dovuto dividere la lettura in tre grosse tranche。 Però davvero interessante e dettagliato。

Gabriele ，

Immenso。

Jacob Cutts ，

One of my first major forays into graphic novels， but I really enjoyed it！ Very interesting， engaging way of telling history。 Certainly ideal for those who don't want to sit down and read all of the minute historical details！Plus， Mizuki's style， mixing the historical with the personal， also makes the book particularly engaging and readable。 I blasted through it！ One of my first major forays into graphic novels， but I really enjoyed it！ Very interesting， engaging way of telling history。 Certainly ideal for those who don't want to sit down and read all of the minute historical details！Plus， Mizuki's style， mixing the historical with the personal， also makes the book particularly engaging and readable。 I blasted through it！ 。。。more

Derek ，

A great history book that nicely avoids feeling like a text book or just a collection of facts。 The parallel story lines of Japanese history and of Mizuki's own childhood mix very nicely。 The narration by yokai character Nezumi Otoko also does well to connecting everything so that nothing feels disjointed。 A great history book that nicely avoids feeling like a text book or just a collection of facts。 The parallel story lines of Japanese history and of Mizuki's own childhood mix very nicely。 The narration by yokai character Nezumi Otoko also does well to connecting everything so that nothing feels disjointed。 。。。more

Katie Boyette ，

4。5

Trinity ，

Phenomenal manga recounting the history of Japan。 Mizuki is a genius; his writing is smooth， concise and engaging， and his drawings are captivating。

Daniel Warriner ，

This is brilliant throughout all its roughly 550 pages。 Shigeru Mizuki is a master storyteller。 Very much looking forward to picking up the other three installments in this manga series。

Kitsune ，

Overall a very solid， very readable history of Japan， equal parts memoir and historical record。 Very good balance of grand historical movements with slice-of-life observations。 Takes a much more critical line of Japanese militarism than many Japanese works do， not glossing over the massacres or blatant imperialism of the period。 The 500+ pages just fly by。I do wish the footnotes could have been a integrated a little better into the text （it's a little annoying see "See notes page 526" in the foo Overall a very solid， very readable history of Japan， equal parts memoir and historical record。 Very good balance of grand historical movements with slice-of-life observations。 Takes a much more critical line of Japanese militarism than many Japanese works do， not glossing over the massacres or blatant imperialism of the period。 The 500+ pages just fly by。I do wish the footnotes could have been a integrated a little better into the text （it's a little annoying see "See notes page 526" in the footer of every other page）， but they do provide useful contextualizing information。 （Though， as a pet peeve， Hitler's first name should be "Adolf"， not "Adolph"， c'mon！）Can't say I'm a huge fan of the art style， which switches between ultra-realistic and utterly cartoonish， though it works fine。 。。。more

Adrianna Covert ，

Wonderfully illustrated！ Even as a historian， there are certain gaps in my knowledge。 Learning something new while enjoying incredible artwork is always fascinating！

Jan ，

Learned a lot of new things。 Looking forward to next installment， dealing with WW2 proper。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0