As the first book in English on the origins of Japanese historiography, using both archaeological and textual data, this book examines the connection between ancient Japan and the Korean kingdom of Paekche and how tutors from the kingdom of Paekche helped to lay the foundation for a literate culture in Japan. Illustrating how tutors from the kingdom of Paekche taught Chinese writing to the Japanese court through the prism of this highly civilized culture, the book goes on to argue that Paekche tutors guided the early Japanese court through writing, recording family history, and ultimately an early history of the ruling family. As the Japanese began to create their own history, they relied on Paekche histories as a model. Triangulating textual data from Kojiki, Nihon shoki, and Sendai kuji hongi, the author here demonstrates that various aspects of early king genealogies and later events were manipulated. Offering new theories about the Japanese ruling family, it is posited that Emperor Jitō had her committee put Jingū in power, and Suiko on the throne in place of original male rulers to enhance images of strong, female rulers, as she envisioned herself. The Birth of Japanese Historiography will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Japanese history, historiography, and linguistics.

To this day, Japan's modern ascendancy challenges many assumptions about world history, particularly theories regarding the rise of the west and why the modern world looks the way it does. In this engaging new history, Brett L. Walker tackles key themes regarding Japan's relationships with its minorities, state and economic development, and the uses of science and medicine. The book begins by tracing the country's early history through archaeological remains, before proceeding to explore life in the imperial court, the rise of the samurai, civil conflict, encounters with Europe, and the advent of modernity and empire. Integrating the pageantry of a unique nation's history with today's environmental concerns, Walker's vibrant and accessible new narrative then follows Japan's ascension from the ashes of World War II into the thriving nation of today. It is a history for our times, posing important questions regarding how we should situate a nation's history in an age of environmental and climatological uncertainties.

The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature provides, for the first time, a history of Japanese literature with comprehensive coverage of the premodern and modern eras in a single volume. The book is arranged topically in a series of short, accessible chapters for easy access and reference, giving insight into both canonical texts and many lesser known, popular genres, from centuries-old folk literature to the detective fiction of modern times. The various period introductions provide an overview of recurrent issues that span many decades, if not centuries. The book also places Japanese literature in a wider East Asian tradition of Sinitic writing and provides comprehensive coverage of women's literature as well as new popular literary forms, including manga (comic books). An extensive bibliography of works in English enables readers to continue to explore this rich tradition through translations and secondary reading.

Louis G. Perez revisits Japan's turbulent past and recent events in the past decade and 21st Century in this revised and fully expanded second edition of The History of Japan, a must-have for all high school and public libraries. This essential resource provides readers with a comprehensive look at Japan's long and rich history, examining its politics, culture, philosophy, and religious beliefs throughout the ages. Also included are up-to-date discussions of political situations, environmental issues, and even a glimpse into the cultural lives of the Japanese today. Students will learn who the Japanese are today, and how the past has shaped their contemporary society. An updated timeline, appendices, and glossary, along with an illustrative bibliographical essay that includes both print and electronic sources, round out this valuable reference tool. Roughly the same size as the state of California, the island nation of Japan is one of the world's most densely populated nations-not to mention an economic powerhouse and a mecca of advanced technology. But the Land of the Rising Sun did not always lead the world with its success in the automobile industry, innovative electronics, and powerful stock market. Louis G. Perez revisits Japan's turbulent past and recent events in the past decade and 21st Century in this revised and fully expanded second edition of The History of Japan, a must-have for all high school and public libraries. This essential resource provides readers with a comprehensive look at Japan's long and rich history, examining its politics, culture, philosophy, and religious beliefs throughout the ages. Also included are up-to-date discussions of political situations, environmental issues, and even a glimpse into the cultural lives of the Japanese today. Students will learn who the Japanese are today, and how the past has shaped their contemporary society. An updated timeline, appendices, and glossary, along with an illustrative bibliographical essay that includes both print and electronic sources, round out this valuable reference tool.

This 2003 book offers a distinctive overview of the internal and external pressures responsible for the emergence of modern Japan.

Japan in World History ranges from Japan's prehistoric interactions with Korea and China, to the Western challenge of the late 1500s, the partial isolation under the Tokugawa family (1600-1868), and the tumultuous interactions of more recent times, when Japan modernized ferociously, turned imperialist, lost a world war, then became the world's second largest economy--and its greatest foreign aid donor. Writing in a lively fashion, Huffman makes rich use of primary sources, illustrating events with comments by the people who lived through them: tellers of ancient myths, court women who dominated the early literary world, cynical priests who damned medieval materialism, travelers who marveled at "indecent" Western ballroom dancers in the mid-1800s, and the emperor who justified Pearl Harbor. Without ignoring standard political and military events, the book illuminates economic, social, and cultural factors; it also examines issues of gender as well as the roles of commoners, samurai, business leaders, novelists, and priests.