History of Japan [Paperback]

R. H. P. Mason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1989

A fascinating look at Japan from its early pre-history through the post-cold War period to the collapse of the Bubble Economy in the early 1990's. Recent findings shed additional light on the origins of Japanese civilization and the birth of Japanese culture. Also included here is an in-depth analysis of the religion, arts and culture of the Japanese people form the 6th century B.C.E. to the present. This contemporary classic, now updated and revised, continues to be an essential text in Japanese studies.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Mason graduated from Cambridge University. He received his Ph.D. from the Australian National University where he subsequently lectured on Japanese history as a member of the Faculty of Asian Studies for over thirty years. Dr. Mason is also the author of Japan's First General Election (Cambridge University Press, 1969). Now retired, he continues to live and work in Canberra.

John Caiger was born in Japan, graduated from Sydney University,and studied history at the University of London. He earned his Ph.D. from the Australian National University before joining its Faculty of Asian Studies where he has lectured since 1966.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (December 15, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804814961
• ISBN-13: 978-0804814966
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,391,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, not great, May 27, 2004

By 

Andy Beck (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Japan: Revised Edition (Paperback)

When I first became interested in the history of Japan, this is the first book that I read. At the time, I gave this book five stars. As I have read more about Japan though this book falls a little bit for the things it leaves out and the fact that it focuses too much attention to relatively obscure cultural phenomena without expending equal energy to political and military development. I would recommend this book for a good start to learning about Japan and a quicker read than Sansom's histories or the Oxford histories.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An overview of Japanese history, June 20, 2002

By 

Justin Harris (Kansai, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Japan: Revised Edition (Paperback)

This book is a great introduction to the history of Japan, as the liner on the back of the books says. It suffers a little from the obvious problem of trying to squeeze two thousand years of civilisation into 370 pages, and as such is basically a fleshed out timeline. There is little elaboration on events and presents the reader with an endless string of historical characters, places and dates. However, there is a good focus on the development of the arts in each period. It would seem the authors have a great liking for Japanese verse, so the seemingly often appearance of poetry excerpts can get a little annoying if one is reading it purely for historical information. The book also glosses over recent Japanese history, from about the beginning of the occupation by American forces. As a turbulent time, there would be a lot to write about but if you're interested in that, try John Dower's "Embracing defeat" or a number of other books on Japan's modern history. If you are planning on making a visit to Japan this may be a good book to read so that you know when "that castle" or "this temple" was built, by whom and why.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive history of Japan, February 17, 2001

By 

Alec Perring (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Japan: Revised Edition (Paperback)

This book makes an excellent introduction to Japanese history, as it covers the whole spectrum of history and does not focus in on one part too much. About two thirds of the chapters cover political and general history, and the other third look at cultural and religious developments. My only problems are that it doesn't seem to go in-depth in Buddhism enough and it seems to move past the civil war in the 16th century too quickly. It is especially good at developing the ideas of Shiki land rights and how Buddhism developed in Japan. A good general history or introduction to Japanese history.