Customer Reviews

A History of Japan to 1334

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While all four reviewers give Sansom's 3-vol. history high marks for readability and accuracy, several note that it is somewhat dated, and that the alternative Cambridge History of Japan is rather pricey for most students or casual readers -- $750 for all 6 volumes through Amazon, at the moment. This raises several issues which merit consideration.

George Sansom is probably the last of the great solo historians of Japan, following James Murdoch (1903, 1910, 1926) and Frank Brinkley (1915). Today the mass of information is too great for any one individual to digest and integrate, and any book covering the entire history of Japan will inevitably be a collaboration. Hence the 6-volume Cambridge History in which, for example, Volume 3 ("Medieval Japan," i.e., the Kamakura and Muromachi periods) consists of an introduction followed by 13 articles by distinguished scholars. This makes the set somewhat bumpy to read when compared to a single, integrated narrative
history; and it raises the question of whether one might be better off with a timeline and, say, the 2-volume Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia (Kodansha 1993), condensed from the 10-vol. original (1985) Encyclopedia of Japan, now offered on Amazon.com for an amazing $95!!! Or something even less pricey but still adequate. In any case, the day of the one-man band seems to be over: Gibbon was a very busy fellow indeed, and we are not likely to see a repeat performance any time soon.

A few more items of interest. Sansom is variously identified on Amazon.com and elsewhere as George Sansom, G. Sansom, George Bailey Sansom, G. B. Sansom, George B. Sansom, and Sir George Sansom (yes, he was knighted in 1935 and again in 1947). He himself uses three of the above. The 3-vol. set is signed "George Sansom," but the earlier Japan: A Short Cultural History (1931; Revised Edition, 1943) has G.B. Sansom.

Also, his third volume of the series stops at 1867. Sansom's stated reason for not continuing his history beyond this year is that he had lived too close to events of the Meiji Restoration (1868) for him to develop a perspective that only distance could supply. For readers interested in later events, The Making of Modern Japan(2000; 2002), by Marius B. Jansen, another outstanding scholar of Japanese history, would be a good choice. Since this history begins at 1600, there are
overlapping accounts of the Edo period, but from two quite different perspectives.

In short, this set is a good buy and is likely to remain a standard text for decades to come.

First published in the late 1950s and early 1960s, George Sansom's three-volume history of Japan is still a valuable English-language introduction, though it does show its age in a few ways. This first volume surveys the history of Japan from its earliest prehistory to the Kemmu Restoration of 1334. Sansom focuses largely on political and military history, but also spends considerable time on high culture, especially as related to Buddhism. Sansom includes a lot of detail, which makes his history especially useful as a reference, though sometimes tough to read straight through.

Sansom, typically for historians of his generation (he was born in 1883), focuses almost exclusively on the elite and upper classes. Though his discussions of cultural matters expand his account beyond the proverbial 'princes and battles', they are still in line with the elite focus; it often seems as though Sansom doesn't actually recognize any culture at all among the lower classes. For instance, he dismisses Japan's indigenous "pagan cult" as a collection of "rudimentary beliefs": "simple", "illogical", "weak and primitive", without theological, cultural or intellectual merit and of interest chiefly in its relations with the civilized Buddhism imported from the continent (23, 228 - 233). According to Sansom, it was not until the ninth century that Japanese culture even began to take shape, based on the example of China (129).

China plays a major role in Sansom's interpretation of Japanese history: the general story he tells is one of importation of political and cultural ideas from China, and their gradual adaptation to Japanese circumstances (132). This interpretation is not necessarily wrong, but Sansom weakens his argument by swearing off any interpretive treatment in his preface and promising to restrict his work to "the mere collection and arrangement of facts." The result is that even though he presents an interpretation of Japanese history, he doesn't argue for it effectively, making some of his conclusions seem more like sweeping generalizations with insufficient support than they might otherwise have been. This unfortunately detracts from the generally high quality of his history.

Another annoying habit of Sansom's is to explain features of Japanese history by analogy to Europe. Christianity and European paganism stand in for Buddhism and indigenous Japanese religious practices; the Fujiwara regency is explained through reference to the Merovingian Mayors of the Palace in seventh and eighth century Frankish kingdoms; literary accomplishments of Japan and Europe are put alongside each other. Sansom assumes extensive familiarity with European history. I, for example, was put in the ironic position of trying to understand the roles of the Merovingian Mayors of the Palace by using my prior knowledge of the Fujiwara regency, where Sansom had intended precisely the opposite.

Even though I've been somewhat critical in this review, I don't want to give the wrong impression. Despite its age, Sansom's history remains a good comprehensive (and affordable) English-language introduction to Japanese history. Indeed, the fact that it remains such a popular and respected study so long after its creation speaks volumes about its overall quality and worth. The high level of detail makes it especially valuable as a reference or supplement to other works that assume familiarity with the basic facts.

The dilema for me, as an undergraduate History student, has been finding books that are factual and historically accurate and yet readable enough to hold my interest and not so incredibly dry or overburdened with place names and characters. Often the books that are most readable are based primarily upon anecdote, rather than real historical evidence, even if the author has clearly done his/her homework.

Sansom manages to stay comfortably within these two extremes. His writing style is quite enjoyableyet his representation of the facts rarely wavers. Another essential element, in my opinion, is that the ootnotes be within the text itself, and not collected at the end of each chapter or at the back of the book. Sansom does an excellent job of this as well, citing sources on the spot.

Overall a wonderful work, especially in a field so poorly represented in scholarly works--in English, at least.

Pretty much every English speaker who studies Japan acquires a copy of Sansom. Consequently, if you are interested in Japan, you probably already have a set. I am giving this collection four stars instead of five simply because its scholarship is now a bit dated and it is not the Cambridge History of Japan. But, who can afford the Cambridge History? I wish I could. In terms of being affordable, this is most likely still the best introduction to Japanese history around in English.

George Bailey Sansom's "A History of Japan to 1334" provides a very interesting look into Japanese mythology as well as the early political, military and economic occurences that began to shape Japan into the superpower it would one day become. It outlines the first major movements towards the centralization of government and the rising to power of the Shogunate.

The book is intended to be a textbook (used at Stanford University), but it does not need to be read as such. Sansom has written the history of Japan almost like a story. He tells tales which are very interesting, and most of them could be turned into a very good novel. Sansom also has the ability to look deep into Japan's past to uncover what is truly important. He wont discuss every rebellion or every reform. Only what really matters.

This book is excellent for those studying the time period and also for those witha casual interest. This work is, however, very name and date heavy, but this is unavoidable when compiling thousands of years of history to keep everything straight in the readers mind.

I really cant recommend this book highly enough. The late George Sansom devoted his entire life to studying Japan, and it shows in this work. Also of interest are his follow-ups, which chronicle from 1334-1615 and 1615-1867. While it is not essential to read this section first, it is helpful for the general understanding of the later works.

In my opinion, George Sansom's three-volume "A History of Japan" series is an essential component of the library of anyone interested in Japanese culture. I personally have had a long-time interest in Japanese video games, anime, music, literature, and art. Even so, I found that I didn't actually know much about Japan's historical background beyond the limited information I had encountered in World History textbooks. Thus, I began with George Sansom's "A History of Japan to 1334", in order to learn more.

Some readers may have contemplated reading only one of the volumes ("to 1334", "1334-1615", or "1615-1867") instead of the entire set, depending on what time period they are most interested in. However, in order to gain a greater perspective, I recommend starting with the first volume and working your way through. I am usually not one to enjoy non-fiction, historical texts, but I read the whole three-volume series with enjoyment for mostly due to George Sansom's style of writing, which flows smoothly and clearly. Instead of being bogged down with minor incidents and diversions, Sansom carefully selected the major occurrences in Japan's history (as well as the points that would be of the greatest interest), then he zooms in closer to examine the essential events, facts, social movements, and personages that most greatly shaped Japan as a whole. Though they are physically separate, the three-volumes are unified in style and in their pursuit of telling the story of Japan, from its origins through the rule of the last shogun. Even if the prospective buyer doesn't intend to read this book or the other two volumes in their entirety, they make an incredible reference series. If you desire to know about a particular aspect of Japanese culture (such as Shinto) or a particular sequence of events (such as the Mongol invasions), you'll have plenty of information at your disposal.

"A History of Japan to 1334" starts with the natural subjects for consideration; the land (climate and terrain) and the people (origins, customs, religion, and government). Then, the earliest known historical events of Japan are discussed, such as the early rulers of the country, the influence of China on Japan, and Buddhism's integration in Japanese culture. The book is structured in a primarily chronological order, sometimes devoting a chapter to a particular figure or social movement which deserves attention, such as the growth of feudalism. Though I had previously read about many of the aforementioned topics elsewhere, I found that I had learned and retained much more about them by reading Sansom's book because of the closeness with which these topics are observed. The military and political aspects seem to be the most frequently detailed subjects within each of Sansom's volumes, but this is to be expected, as it is these two fields which most greatly determine how a country is moving forward or backward in relation to other countries and within itself. Aspects of culture are by no means neglected; for instance, the influence of Chinese culture on Japan is greatly detailed, as are the beliefs of the Heian (794-1185) society.

Though the book was first published in 1958, it seems surprisingly fresh and accurate, which is a testament to George Sansom's great ability as a historian. This book, as well as the other two volumes in the series, may have some flaws (such as a few scant references/comparisons to European history which the reader may or may not be familiar with), but any negatives that the one might encounter in Sansom's works will most likely be outweighed by the positives. The reader will most likely come away from this literary experience with a thorough knowledge of the topics at hand through this concise, easily accessible history of Japan.

This book and the two volumes which follow it are absolute minimums for an understanding of any depth regarding Japanese History. None in English are better.

Sansom's three volume history of Japan begins in fine form with this book, covering the early beginnings of Japan down to 1334. The book first covers the geography, both physical and political, of the Japanese Islands and then proceeds through the mythological beginnings of the empire down to just after the Mongol invasions and prior to the attempts of emperor Go-Daigo to wrest power back from the Hojo regents.

The elegance of Sansom's writing style makes this an exciting read. He states in the preface that he at first wished to produce an interpretative history but decided in the end to focus on political and social aspects. He certainly does this but not in the dry way of a textbook. Sansom's writings are spiced with snatches of poetry, lengthy quotations and paraphrases from contemporary writings and stirring retellings of the lives and encounters of well known Japanese figures. Thus, his tales of Yoritomo and how the Minamoto defeated the Taira in the Gempei war read in a most dramatic way. He succeeds in holding the balance between titillating detail and overarching scope in a way that few writers of history can equal.

The first book discusses the Yamato state and the move of the Emperor's court from Nara to Kyoto. The development of Buddhism is discussed at considerable length along with the influence of Chinese thought on the customs and laws of the land. The process by which cloistered emperors ruled, while reigning emperors carried out ceremonial duties is examined and the gradual drift of the government into a state of permanent regency under the Fujiwaras is detailed. Courtly life is examined closely (this was the era of the Tale of Genji). The overthrow of the Fujiwara regents by Yoritomo is told in great detail and the book closes with a description of the rise and decline of the Hojo regents (confusingly regents not of the emperor but of the Shogun). The decline coincides with the attempted Mongol invasions, which Sansom blames for stressing the finances of the government to the point where it collapsed in the Succession disputes over the emperor's throne.

I enjoyed reading this history immensely and it carried me along with its narrative. At the same time, it is chock full of facts. Decent maps, appropriately placed, family trees and timelines, as well as black and white illustrations engage the reader's imagination and supply needed supplementary information. A set of appendices and an extensive annotated bibliography make this a valuable book for the aspiring scholar. It is likely somewhat dated, published in 1958, but most of the facts mentioned seem on a solid historical basis and are unlikely to change. Some might take issue with Sansom's analysis and tendency to use analogies to western history, however, he is careful to warn the reader away from any but the most general of comparisons. I would recommend this book highly to the interested reader in Japanese history, either as a first read or as an in depth survey.

Although the subject matter can be a bit dry, Sansom does an excellent job of introducing readers to the early history of Japan. One of the more enjoyable aspects of the book is the narrative continuity that results from being written by one author, rather than being a collection of various essays penned by a group of historians. I can't speak for those who have researched extensively into Japanese history, but for someone like myself who is only interested in Japan as a hobby, this book, along with the other two volumes, offers a huge amount of information in an entertaining and well-written form. At times, the books read like a novel rather than a collection of facts. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Japanese history.

Excellent and eloquently written text that includes an over view of Japans' political history from Ancient times until the Nambokucho Jidai Two Courts period. This book is typical of the quality you can come to expect from the Stanford University press.