Japan in World HistoryJapan 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. |
Contents
| 1 | |
Rule by Law and Taste 6451160 | 19 |
The Long Rise 11601550 | 37 |
CHAPTER 4 PeaceAnd Its Benefits 15501850 | 55 |
CHAPTER 5 The Nation Transformed 18501905 | 72 |
CHAPTER 6 Engaging the World for Good and for Ill 19051945 | 91 |
CHAPTER 7 A New Kind of Power after 1945 | 109 |
Chronology | 129 |
Notes | 131 |
| 139 | |
Websites | 143 |
Acknowledgments | 145 |
| 147 | |
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administrative American Ashikaga Asia Asian Asuka bakufu became began Buddha Buddhist called capital central century China Chinese commoners continued country’s countryside court created culture daimyo decade demanding dominated Donald Keene early economic emergence emperor era’s farmers forces foreign Fujiwara gave Genji Genpei War Hawai’i Press Heian Heian Period HoŻjo imperial islands Japanese History JoŻmon Kamakura Kinai Kojiki Korea Kyoto Kyushu land late lives Meiji military million Minamoto Modern Japan Muromachi Nagasaki Nara Nihon shoki numbers officials people’s percent Pillow Book policies political popular population priests prime minister produced protests regime regional religion rice ritsuryo rulers samurai SCAP secure Shinto ShoŻtoku shogun social society Soga Stanford story structure Taisho Tale of Genji taxes temples throne tion Tokugawa Tokyo took trade treaty troops turned University of Hawai’i University Press villages warrior Western women workers world history Yamato Yayoi York Yoshinogari