State of War: The Violent Order of Fourteenth-century JapanState of War represents a fundamental revision of Japanese history. By illuminating Japan through the lens of war, Thomas Conlan provides insight into how state and society functioned, as opposed to how they were portrayed in ideal. Conlan recreates the experience of war from the perspective of one warrior and then reconstructs how war was fought through statistical analysis of surviving casualty records. State of War also shows that tThe battles of the 14th century mark a watershed in Japanese history. The fiscal exigencies of waging war led to a devolution of political power to the provinces. Furthermore, the outbreak of war caused social status to become performative, based upon the ability to fight autonomously, rather than being prescriptive, or determined by edicts of investiture. TBridging the intellectual gulf between the 14th and 20th centuries, Conlan also explores how the seemingly contradictory categories of "religion" and "war" were integrally related. The 14th-century belief that the outcome of battle was determined by the gods meant that religious institutions warred both ritually and physically, and that religious attitudes frequently underpinned warrior behavior. Based on diverse sources, including documents, picture scrolls, medical and religious texts, and chronicles, State of War rehabilitates warfare as a focal point of historical inquiry and provides a fascinating new overview of premodern Japanese history. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Life and Death of Nomoto Tomoyuki | 12 |
A Statistical Narrative of War | 48 |
Copyright | |
9 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Akamatsu Aki Province armor army arrow Ashikaga Tadayoshi Ashikaga Takauji authority autonomy Baishōron battle became Buddhist capital castle CHSS chūsetsu comp DNSR edict emaki enemy Entairyaku example fighting forces fought fourteenth century genin Genpei jōsuiki Go-Daigo gokenin granted gunchūjō homelands honryō rights horses Hosokawa hyakushō Hyōgo Ibid ikusa Imagawa Imagawa Ryōshun imperial Ishikawa Izumi Japan jitō Jizō Kamakura bakufu Kantō Kantō gechijō kassen no koto kenkyū Kenmu kenshi kenshi shiryōhen chūsei Kitabatake Kiyouji koto Kyoto Kyushu lands lordship maki migyōsho military miuchi monjo document Moriyoshi myōshu Nanbokuchō NBIC NBIK Nevertheless Nihon Nitta Nitta Yoshisada nobushi Nomoto ōdachi petitions for reward political Possession prayers priests provinces references remained Rokuhara tandai shiki shiryō shishi shō shōen shogun shojō Shoten shrine shugo social Sōma Southern Court Stanford swords Tadafuyu Taiheiki temple Tōkyō Tomoyuki tozama University Press violence warfare warriors weapons wounds Yoshikawa Kōbunkan Yūki Zoku Gunsho Ruijū
References to this book
The Ethics of War in Asian Civilizations: A Comparative Perspective Torkel Brekke No preview available - 2006 |