Japan's Renaissance: The Politics of the Muromachi Bakufu (Harvard East Asian Monographs) [Hardcover]

Kenneth Alan Grossberg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harvard East Asian Monographs | Publication Date: December 30, 1981

First published in 1981, Japan's Renaissance is a detailed and exhaustively researched account of the regime of Japan's second shogunate, and also an agile comparative analysis of the political economy of the period with other Renaissance systems. The book argues that the development of shogunal power in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Japan was similar to the evolution of monarchic power in France and England during the same period. Contrary to the received wisdom that the government of the Ashikaga shoguns was the low point of premodern Japan, this book demonstrates that it was the incubator for many developments and the administrative technology which reached their maturity in the Tokugawa period. Applying the ideas of political economy to medieval Japanese history makes this book an essential companion for all Japan and East Asia specialists, students of comparative feudalism and monarchical development, as well as educated generalists who are interested in premodern Japan. The book is illustrated with antique maps and Japanese paintings of the period which add to the reader's understanding of this dramatic age in Japan's history.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

KENNETH ALAN GROSSBERG did the research for this work while at Princeton and Tokyo Universities, and completed it while a Harvard Junior Fellow. He has since been involved in international banking, management consulting, and is currently a professor at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of Waseda University in Tokyo. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Asia Center (December 30, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674472519
• ISBN-13: 978-0674472518
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,674,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Japan's Renaissance, July 14, 2010

By 

M. Richgels "Malic" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Japan's Renaissance: The Politics of the Muromachi Bakufu (Cornell East Asia, No. 108) (Cornell East Asia Series) (Paperback)

"Japan's Renaissance" is a really good counter point to much of the other scholarship that was done on the Muromachi period in the 1980's (particularly that done by Imatani Akira and other scholars found in the Cambridge History of Japan Vol. 4) and helps to flesh out knowledge that can be gained from studying the works of Sir John Sansom (the classical mainstay of Japanese historic scholarship). Grossberg takes a lot of time to focus on the economics of the Muromachi period, and his focus is centered more around trade and manufacture rather than the shoen (manor) which is prominent in much of the other scholarship of this period. It helps one to see that Japan's "feudalism" was much different than European feudalism. However, I did not ultimately agree with Grossberg's thesis that the Muromachi Shoguns were all powerful kings ruling from Kyoto. Much of the other work on the period demonstrates that the country was out of the control of the Muromachi rulers and that of the three shogunates (Kamakura, Muromachi and Edo) the Muromachi Shogunate was the weakest of the three.