A History of Japan: Revised Edition Paperback – November 15, 1997

This book does a good job of fleshing out the full history of Japan, and does so in a precise manner. Each era is broken down and studied in depth and done so in a minimalistic fashion. There are no wasted words, at the same time there isn’t a dull chapter. The pictures found throughout are also appreciated as they help one visualize significant cultural aspects of Japan, its’ people, and the Japanese way of life. I would highly recommend this to anyone studying Japanese history.

Note: The context of my reading of this book was in that of a class room setting, so some information may have been made more clear after lecture and not because of the book itself.In "A History of Japan: Revised Edition" the whole of a. Japan's history is covered up to the 1950s. From the original historical references of ancient Chinese scribes to the imperial documents of the Meiji period and beyond, this book manages to cover quite a lot of ground in a little bit of time, and it manages to do so with a nearly concise telling. I say nearly concise because the book tends to get bogged down in a generous procession of name-dropping and the occasional fluffed bit information. The authors are not attempting to pad their book by any means, so rest assured the price you pay is certainly worth the information you receive, just be prepared for reread a few sections in an attempt to filter out superfluous information and cut through the occasional fluff. Documents and references are provided for each chapter via footnotes, so you skeptics can fact check the fine work of these historians. Overall it was a great educational experience, despite the sparse moments of information overload. I highly recommend reading it, if you're at all interested in Japanese history.Likes:-Reliable information-Concise and well laid out chaptersDislikes:-A spot of fluff here or there-A lot of naming dropping, past the point of necessity sometimes and to the point of confusion.

Great book, good print and quality paperback. Concise and engaging history as well.

Let me first start out by saying that I greatly enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone that is interested in a thorough understanding of Japanese history.The book deals with its subject in a chronological order, with an emphasis on important people and events. These highlights are in turn fleshed out by a comprehensive analysis of what historians consider to be the underlying causes for change. In addition, a running commentary is made on the intelectual and cultural developments of each periode, particularly within Buddhism, which facilitated change. All of this is presented in a compressed yet accessible style, leaving the reader not only with a clear understanding of what happened, but also why it happened. Anecdotes and excerpts from novels and plays also give the text a colourful and enjoyable feel.So why just three stars?While the book is incredibly detailed when it comes to Japan’s internal history, the history of its colonial empire and actions during the Pacific war are purposfully vague. Korea, at the time of the invasion, is refered to as a ‘backwards country’, and the worst thing the Japanese did during World War Two was appearantly forcing older Indonesians to use Japanese Standard time rather than local time. Indeed, the author flat out refers to the execution of Japanese war criminals as a ‘dubious arraignment’. These things runs contrary to all other records of the era.Japan’s history is more than the Pacific War. To focus unduly on its actions during that war would give a slanted view of its history, but so does ignoring them outright. For all its merit, this book whitewashes a difficult time in human history, and that makes it a bad history book, no matter how well written it otherwise is.

Very interesting

As advertised, this book is basically a college history text and would serve the serious scholar very well. However, for the casual reader, even one relatively well-educated, a briefer history may be a better choice. However, like any textbook, it is possible to pick and choose areas of most interest. Although I have been to Japan twice on business-pleasure trips, the book has given me a much better understanding of Japanese culture and, particularly, the decision-making processes prior to WWII.

The writing was easy to follow without wordy academic passages. It was hard to remember the meaning of Japanese terms requiring rereading certain pages.

What I most liked about this book is that is does not cover only military/political history, but also arts, religion, poetry, architecture, theater, and many other aspects of Japanese society that are essential to understand this country.It is a great book for those who want to enter in this world. Now I feel I have the basics about the country for a more detailed study.