History

A History of Japan

A History of Japan

  • Downloads：3936
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-12 14:55:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：R.H.P. Mason
  • ISBN：080482097X
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Summary

This is one of the most classic books of Japanese history and still the preeminent work on the history of Japan。

 Newly revised and updated， A History of Japan is a fascinating look at the nation of Japan throughout history。 Starting in ancient Japan during its early pre-history period A History of Japan covers every important aspect of history and culture through feudal Japan to the post-cold War period and collapse of the Bubble Economy in the early 1990's。 Recent findings shed additional light on the origins of Japanese civilization and the birth of Japanese culture。 Also included is an in-depth analysis of the Japanese religion， Japanese arts， Japanese culture and the Japanese People from the 6th century B。C。E。 to the present。 This contemporary classic， now updated and revised， continues to be an essential text in Japanese studies。 Classic illustrations and unique pictures are dispersed throughout the book。

A History of Japan， Revised Edition includes: Archaic Japan—including Yamato， the creation of a unified state， the Nana Period， and the Heian period Medieval Japan— including rule by the military houses， the failure of Ashikaga Rule， Buddhism， and the Kamakura and Muroachi Periods periods Ealy Modern Japan—including Japanese feudalism， administration under the Tokugawa， and society and culture in early modern Japan Modern Japan—including The Meiji Era and policies for modernization， from consensus to crisis （1912-1937）， and solutions through force

This contemporary classic continues to be a central book in Japanese studies and is an vital addition to the collection of any student or enthusiast of Japanese history， Japanese culture， or the Japanese Language。

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Reviews

Fikri Hanif ，

This book has facts。 But the writers need to know better way to write。

Paul D ，

I had no idea。 I also now have an idea why I had no idea， but it is still good to know。

Douglas ，

Too dense and too short a book to cover anything in great enough detail。 Obviously excellently researched but not very well structured which makes it a bit hard to follow。 You feel like you learn a few facts about a few different topics but if you want to learn about any period in history or an explanation for something cultural you'd be better off reading something more specialist。 Too dense and too short a book to cover anything in great enough detail。 Obviously excellently researched but not very well structured which makes it a bit hard to follow。 You feel like you learn a few facts about a few different topics but if you want to learn about any period in history or an explanation for something cultural you'd be better off reading something more specialist。 。。。more

William Milks ，

A survey of Japanese history and culture。 I guess if someone knew nothing of Japan and wanted a broad overview， sure。However， this reads like a textbook from an “Intro to Asian Studies” course （*not* a compliment）。

Rex Gian ，

It is a nice read if you are looking for a specific part of Japan long history。 Would not recommend to read it unless for the beforementioned reason as it is quite a lot of information。Furthermore， the way how Japan played a role during and after World War II was written felt quite rushed。

Arnljótur Bergsson ，

A really good overview of the centuries with a short epilogue about Japan after the second world war with interesting thoughts on the evolution of party dynamics in Japan at the dawn of a new century。

Asad ，

I read this entire book yet couldn't tell you a single thing。 Entirely forgettable。 I read this entire book yet couldn't tell you a single thing。 Entirely forgettable。 。。。more

Peter Davies ，

Dry as dust， requires real concentration

JM ，

A pretty good general overview of *all* of Japan's history。 Brushes through a lot real quick， and also gets a bit confusing when it jumps around timeline， but compared to other history books I've read which focus almost exclusively on war it was a refreshing take。Excited to learn more in-depth。 A pretty good general overview of *all* of Japan's history。 Brushes through a lot real quick， and also gets a bit confusing when it jumps around timeline， but compared to other history books I've read which focus almost exclusively on war it was a refreshing take。Excited to learn more in-depth。 。。。more

Caomhghain ，

An excellent summary history which gives one a feel for Japanese culture and society as well as the basic historical events。 Unequivocally recommended if you need a quick overview。

Kristina ，

This book clearly tells us about Japan's long history as a short and concise summary that is essential for everyone who gets interested about this unique culture and people。 This book clearly tells us about Japan's long history as a short and concise summary that is essential for everyone who gets interested about this unique culture and people。 。。。more

Books on Asia ，

Oh my gosh， so boring！ But I did enjoy the historical perspectives of poetry， literature and the arts and their effects on Japanese society。 The book is not arranged entirely chronologically so it skips around a little。 The chapters are based on concepts so I believe the best way to read this book is one chapter at a time rather than trying to read the whole book at once。 It lends itself to reading a chapter， stopping and processing that chapter， then moving on。 Otherwise it's too difficult to t Oh my gosh， so boring！ But I did enjoy the historical perspectives of poetry， literature and the arts and their effects on Japanese society。 The book is not arranged entirely chronologically so it skips around a little。 The chapters are based on concepts so I believe the best way to read this book is one chapter at a time rather than trying to read the whole book at once。 It lends itself to reading a chapter， stopping and processing that chapter， then moving on。 Otherwise it's too difficult to tie it all together。 I recommend this book for people who are already quite familiar with Japanese history and who are looking for additional perspectives。 。。。more

Natsuko Mori ，

The subject matter of this book is interesting， and it seems as comprehensive as a book of its length on such a wide and detailed subject could possibly be。 It's also very dry， as expected， which I won't exactly hold against it because it did its job well， but it just wasn't a very entertaining read because of that。 I started very excited and finished very bored。 If it was written in a more engaging way， I would definitely be more interested。 All in all， no more or less than you'd expect The subject matter of this book is interesting， and it seems as comprehensive as a book of its length on such a wide and detailed subject could possibly be。 It's also very dry， as expected， which I won't exactly hold against it because it did its job well， but it just wasn't a very entertaining read because of that。 I started very excited and finished very bored。 If it was written in a more engaging way， I would definitely be more interested。 All in all， no more or less than you'd expect 。。。more

Ricardo ，

An excellent book to get introduced to Japanese history and culture。 The authors cover practically the whole history the country in a very concise way。

Rock ，

This is actually a well-done survey history， which means that it's dry and dense but careful to include cultural， social and international context。 I had to dock it a star， though， because of a strange omission of description of the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate while simultaneously emphasizing the importance and poetic justice or symmetry of that event。 Maybe it did a better job than I give it credit for， since it left me looking for a more fleshed-out history of modern Japan， but I think it w This is actually a well-done survey history， which means that it's dry and dense but careful to include cultural， social and international context。 I had to dock it a star， though， because of a strange omission of description of the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate while simultaneously emphasizing the importance and poetic justice or symmetry of that event。 Maybe it did a better job than I give it credit for， since it left me looking for a more fleshed-out history of modern Japan， but I think it will be tough for a lot of readers to slog through。 Also， having originally been written in 1970， it doesn't provide the cross-cultural context that is expected today when writing about countries that have been objectified by the West。 。。。more

Nicholas Vela ，

A rather concise survey of the History of Japan。 By and large， the chapters are largely a survey in and of themselves， leaving something to be desired at times。Regardless， if you want a concise and easy to read book on the History of Japan， this book suffices。

Shawn Persinger ，

3 stars as a textbook。

Micah ，

This is a nice concise history book that wasn't gruesome to read。 It spends more time with earlier history than I expected and lays out some context I wasn't familiar with before。 This is a nice concise history book that wasn't gruesome to read。 It spends more time with earlier history than I expected and lays out some context I wasn't familiar with before。 。。。more

Brenton ，

Mason & Caiger's History of Japan is what I wanted: a nice， thick， detailed history of Japan。 I was hooked in the mythic and prehistory periods， though it was not always nearly so gripping。 A real strength was considering Japan not just through military history or political movement， but also in the realms of art and literature and faith。 Of the latter， of religion， I would like to see a good deal more， and I think that it shows the need for a critical update。 The '90s 2nd edition does not do a Mason & Caiger's History of Japan is what I wanted: a nice， thick， detailed history of Japan。 I was hooked in the mythic and prehistory periods， though it was not always nearly so gripping。 A real strength was considering Japan not just through military history or political movement， but also in the realms of art and literature and faith。 Of the latter， of religion， I would like to see a good deal more， and I think that it shows the need for a critical update。 The '90s 2nd edition does not do a great job of including recent scholarship in terms of either anthropological understanding of early history and religion， or of the cultural movements after WWII。 I mean， the collapse of the economy is one of the stories of the 1990s， and yet it is merely noted， with undue optimism。 Overall， readable and thorough。 I read it over 4 months， so I can't speak to continuity。 。。。more

Christina Reid ，

I borrowed this audiobook from my library to listen to whilst doing things around the house。 It is a comprehensive and clear overview of thousands of years of history， but does run the risk of coming across as quite dry at times， particularly when some chapters start with a long list of names reminiscent of some books in the Bible where genealogy is listed。A solid introduction， but quite dry。

Borislav Itskov ，

It is indeed a history book but you need to know a lot about politics to understand it completely。Also， a lot of passages were dragged out with details no human I believe could remember。 For a book that should present overall overview for the History of Japan there were passages with insufficient information and ones with abundance of not so important detail。At the end of the day， I got my history overview， but I would not read this book again。

Kanmani2 ，

nice one

Árni Freyr ，

The account mostly manages to steer clear the endless reciting of names， dates， and complex political intrigues that plague many history books。 The insights given into cultural works （literature， theatre， fine arts） are excellent。

Trevor Smith ，

Dense， and a lot of knowledge is assumed。 Overall， I guess it could be okay， but I couldn’t finish it。

Skye ，

For the same length and the same topics I would recommend Understanding Japan: A Cultural History instead， which was much more engaging。 The one exception is if you are particularly interested in the political details of 1868-1941 which this book by Mason goes in depth about。 It ends with the end of the Occupation in 1952， whereas Ravina's book continues through to the present day。 For the same length and the same topics I would recommend Understanding Japan: A Cultural History instead， which was much more engaging。 The one exception is if you are particularly interested in the political details of 1868-1941 which this book by Mason goes in depth about。 It ends with the end of the Occupation in 1952， whereas Ravina's book continues through to the present day。 。。。more

Joschka Nakata ，

Too brief on political and military history， while the snobbish commentary on art and literature takes up too much paper for my taste。 The post-war era is treated very scantily， but I suppose it's natural as this book was first published in the seventies。 Nevertheless， overall it still provides a well-written and interesting outline of Japanese history。 Too brief on political and military history， while the snobbish commentary on art and literature takes up too much paper for my taste。 The post-war era is treated very scantily， but I suppose it's natural as this book was first published in the seventies。 Nevertheless， overall it still provides a well-written and interesting outline of Japanese history。 。。。more

eli ，

Very well written book on the history of Japan。 I am no expert on this subject so I cannot speak to any inaccuracies that might have been made， but I can say that there is plenty of good to say about the book。First， the organization of topics seemed to work well。 As the narrative went on I never felt lost or questioning why whatever was being discussed was important。 Also， the selection of topics was good。 Not only were the political and military histories of Japan explained， but also the arts， Very well written book on the history of Japan。 I am no expert on this subject so I cannot speak to any inaccuracies that might have been made， but I can say that there is plenty of good to say about the book。First， the organization of topics seemed to work well。 As the narrative went on I never felt lost or questioning why whatever was being discussed was important。 Also， the selection of topics was good。 Not only were the political and military histories of Japan explained， but also the arts， architecture， culture， and literature。Secondly， since I listened to the audio book， I think the narrator did a good job。 Due to the nature of the subject it is difficult to bring any sort of 'life' to the prose， but he did well enough to keep me listening。The only criticism I would give is some topics， especially in the second half of the book， seem to be covered more quickly and in less detail than those in the first half。 Personally I have a greater interest in modern history than pre-modern， so this was a bit disappointing to me。 From an academic perspective， it seems odd that the more recent events would be covered in less detail than older events， but perhaps that choice was made because there have been more written about the recent events and the author was trying to fill a gap in the discourse。Overall， I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for an overview of Japanese history！ 。。。more

Dean Simons ，

Really struggled to give this 3* and settled for 2*。 Most of the book is fine， if a bit inconsistent in style which would have easily given a 3* rating but chapter 16 felt like a list and chapter 17 was an appalling whitewash of world war 2/the Pacific war and aftermath。 The book seems to imply the war occurred by a series of happy accidents， that the treatment of prisoners and civilians by occupying Japanese forces were benign （it used the word massacre once but rushed through that one， but doe Really struggled to give this 3* and settled for 2*。 Most of the book is fine， if a bit inconsistent in style which would have easily given a 3* rating but chapter 16 felt like a list and chapter 17 was an appalling whitewash of world war 2/the Pacific war and aftermath。 The book seems to imply the war occurred by a series of happy accidents， that the treatment of prisoners and civilians by occupying Japanese forces were benign （it used the word massacre once but rushed through that one， but doesn’t mention a series of atrocities and acts of brutality that colour relations with China and Korea to this day）。 It even has the phrase that such attitudes are wholly unwarranted。 The war is only covered in four pages but the lead up isn’t properly covered and explained and i could go on about how skewed and disturbing the last chapters of the book felt when you know a bit more of the history of other countries in the region， especially China。 Rather sickening。 。。。more

Carlos ，

This was an interesting book， especially regarding the 20th century where the authors shine in giving context and depth to what is more commonly known of Japanese history。 The authors also do a great job of laying out the centralization of Japan from ancient times up to the medieval period， paying particular attention to the role played by Chinese influence。 However， in the medieval and early modern period the authors focus more on literature and the arts， in definitely interesting chapters， but This was an interesting book， especially regarding the 20th century where the authors shine in giving context and depth to what is more commonly known of Japanese history。 The authors also do a great job of laying out the centralization of Japan from ancient times up to the medieval period， paying particular attention to the role played by Chinese influence。 However， in the medieval and early modern period the authors focus more on literature and the arts， in definitely interesting chapters， but with the outcome of leaving this period fuzzy with respect to governing trends。 Nonetheless， the book as whole is a great introduction to anyone curious to learn more without having to put up with inordinate amount of detail。 。。。more

Naveen Urmese ，

The only disappointing thing about the book was that it fails to explain satisfactorily what led Japan to take the role it played in World Wars。

Reference

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

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=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,A History of Japan&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0