One of the world's leading social theorists provides a monumental synthesis of Japanese history, religion, culture, and social organization. Equipped with a thorough command of the subject, S. N. Eisenstadt focuses on the non-ideological character of Japanese civilization as well as its infinite capacity to recreate community through an ongoing past.
This book is a comprehensive synthesis of Japanese civilization in the 21st century. It covers all major elements of this civilization with a strong emphasis on how it can develop further in the future. All nations strive for prominence, but few reach it. Over the last 61 years (1965-2016), Japan has achieved this uncommon status. But, where is Japan heading in the 21st century? This question has been asked since the 1990s; Japan has been in a stagnant-deflation stage and has been looking for all sorts of solutions to return to the prosperous times reflecting Pax Niponnica in the 1970s and 1980s. The context of this situation and some recommendations for the future of Japanese culture are provided in this book. Nowadays, Japan is the third largest economy of the world, second only to China in the 2010s. Its economy performs at near zero growth, due primarily to its aging society, which is actually positive since the Japanese have the longest lifespan in the world today and slow growth does not unsustainably deplete resources and nature. Japans new purpose should be in the development of a sustainably wise civilization and its world-wide dissemination. Does Japanese civilization have a chance to trigger another reform and be successful again in the 21st century? This question has been pondered by several co-authors of the book. This monograph is written for those who are interested in the contemporary issues of the worlds globalization and the role of leading countries in this process. With this in mind, students, faculty, social and political activists from around the world should be interested in this book.
Preface. Part I: BEGINNINGS AND FOUNDATIONS. 1. Early Japan. 2. The Impact of Continental Civilization. Part II: ARISTOCRATS, MONKS, AND SAMURAI. 3. The Heian Period. 4. The Kamakura Period. 5. The Ashikaga Shogunate: Integration and Disintegration. Part III: LATE TRADITIONAL JAPAN. 6. The Formation of a New Order. 7. The Tokugawa Shogunate: The Middle Years. Part IV: JAPAN IN THE MODERN WORLD. 8. Endings and Beginnings: From Tokugawa to Meiji. 9. The Emergence of Modern Japan: 1874-1894. 10. Imperial Japan 18951931. 11. Militarism and War. 12. The New Japan. Afterword. Suggestions for Further Reading. Index.
Discusses the representation/role of the supernatural or the "fantastic" in the construction of Japanese modernism in late 19th and early 20th century Japan.
This short survey of the rich and long history of Japan provides an overall framework from its origins to today. It presents traditions in every field of the arts and literature, political changes, economic advancements, and developments in society, commerce, and culture.Five chapters cover distinct eras: Japan's origins to the twelfth century; medieval Japan, Tokugawa Rule, modern Japan: 1853-1945, and from war's end to the new millenium.For anyone interested in the civilization of Asia and Japan.
This iconoclastic work on the prehistory of Japan and of South East Asia challenges entrenched views on the origins of Japanese society and identity. The social changes that took place in Japan in the time-period when the Jomon culture was replaced by the Yayoi culture were of exceptional magnitude, going far beyond those of the so-called Neolithic Revolution in other parts of the world. They included not only a new way of life based on wet-rice agriculture but also the introduction of metalworking in both bronze and iron, and furthermore a new architecture functionally and ritually linked to rice cultivation, a new religion, and a hierarchical society characterized by a belief in the divinity of the ruler. Because of its immense and enduring impact the Yayoi period has generally been seen as the very foundation of Japanese civilization and identity. In contrast to the common assumption that all the Yayoi innovations came from China and Korea, this work combines exciting new scientific evidence from such different fields as rice genetics, DNA and historical linguistics to show that the major elements of Yayoi civilization actually came, not from the north, but from the south.
Japan, the country of the rising sun, is today known as one of the most prosperous and technologically advanced nations despite not having many natural resources. This guide will lead you into that dive, showing how those characteristics synonymous with the Japanese civilization gradually appeared, formed, and transformed through time.
A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 'Mightily impressive ... a marvellous read' Sunday Times From the acclaimed author of Japan Story, this is the history of Japan, distilled into the stories of twenty remarkable individuals. The vivid and entertaining portraits in Chris Harding's enormously enjoyable new book take the reader from the earliest written accounts of Japan right through to the life of the current empress, Masako. We encounter shamans and warlords, poets and revolutionaries, scientists, artists and adventurers - each offering insights of their own into this extraordinary place. For anyone new to Japan, this book is the ideal introduction. For anyone already deeply involved with it, this is a book filled with surprises and pleasures.
