The Culture of Civil War in Kyoto (A Philip E. Lilienthal Book) [Paperback]

Mary Elizabeth Berry (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520208773 | ISBN-13: 978-0520208773 | Publication Date: March 20, 1997

How do ordinary people respond to prolonged terror? The convulsion of Japan's "Warring States" period between 1467 and 1568 destroyed the medieval order and exposed the framework of an early modern polity. Mary Elizabeth Berry investigates the experience of upheaval in Kyoto during this time.
Using diaries and urban records (extensively quoted in the text), Berry explores the violence of war, misrule, private justice, outlawry, and popular uprising. She also examines the structures of order, old and new, that abated chaos and abetted social transformation.
The wartime culture of Kyoto comes to life in a panoramic study that covers the rebellion of the Lotus sectarians, the organization of work and power in commoner neighborhoods, the replotting of urban geography, and the redefinition of authority and prestige in the arena of play.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Berry examines the very complex and frequently unintelligible relationships between politics and culture in sixteenth century Kyoto. It is surprising that anybody could seriously undertake this immense task. . . . A genuinely impressive accomplishment."--Harry Harootunian, University of Chicago

From the Back Cover

"Berry examines the very complex and frequently unintelligible relationships between politics and culture in sixteenth century Kyoto. It is surprising that anybody could seriously undertake this immense task. . . . A genuinely impressive accomplishment." (Harry Harootunian, University of Chicago)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 407 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (March 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520208773
• ISBN-13: 978-0520208773
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #776,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and fascinating view of late-medieval Kyoto, March 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Culture of Civil War in Kyoto (A Philip E. Lilienthal Book) (Paperback)

This book is a bit of a paradox. Working with incomplete primary sources, Mary Elizabeth Berry has put together a remarkably textured and complete picture of Kyoto in the late Medieval period of Japan. The book examines the fate of 'classical' Kyoto, the political and economic changes of the time, and shows a view not commonly seen in historical Japan: that of the urban commoners who had to live underneath and among the Samurai. Well worth reading for anyone who wants a much better understanding of the period, and of Japanese history in general. The only things that keep the book from being perfect are Ms. Berry's tendency to repeat herself in order to emphasize a point, and a lack of good maps. It makes the book somewhat longer than it probably needs to be, and also somewhat dry. Best consumed in small chunks with time for reflection in between.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, March 5, 2006

By 

Philip Leetch - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Culture of Civil War in Kyoto (A Philip E. Lilienthal Book) (Paperback)

The writer takes an interesting approach to history, looking for oddities in the historical record and then thinking them through. The result is she brings alive life in Kyoto during the diificult years of the 16th century.