The Chrysanthemum and the Sword

Patterns of Japanese Culture

Ruth Benedict

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9780547525143
• Subtopic: Japanese History

"One of the best books ever about Japanese society . . . [A] thoughtful, nuanced study of the Japanese character."— U.S. News & World Report
 
"A classic book because of its intellectual and stylistic lucidity . . . Benedict was a writer of great humanity and generosity of spirit."—from the foreword by Ian Buruma
 
Essential reading for anyone interested in Japanese culture, this unsurpassed masterwork opens an intriguing window on Japan. The World War II–era study by the cultural anthropologist Ruth Benedict paints an illuminating contrast between the people of Japan and those of the United States.  The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is a revealing look at how and why our societies differ, making it the perfect introduction to Japanese history and customs.
 
"A classic of Japanese cultural studies . . . With considerable sensitivity, she managed both to stress the differences in Japanese society of which American policy makers needed to be aware and to debunk the stereotype of the Japanese as hopelessly rigid and incapable of change."— The New York Times
 
"An absorbing account of Japanese culture . . . almost novel-like readability."— The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology

Index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Adoption, 72, 123, 135

ai, 103–104

Anthropology, methods of cultural study in, 6–19

arigato, 105

Armed Services, 78, 90–92, 95, 311, 312

Asakawa, Kanichi, 117–118 n.

Austerities, 90, 179–182, 239, 244

Autoeroticism, 138, 270, 284

B

Bathing, 178, 258

Belgium, 85

Benkei, 138–139

Birth rate, 256

Boasting in childhood, 270–271

Boredom, 165, 168–171

Borton, Hugh, 66 n.

Botchan, a novel, 107–109, 113

Buddhism, 58, 77, 87, 89–90, 177, 191, 209, 235–247, 271–272

buraku, 83

bushido, 175, 317

C

Caste, 57–58, 61–67, 70–75, 77, 149

Childbirth, 256

China, contrasts and comparisons with Japan, 49–50, 117–118, 122, 133, 137, 147, 183, 185, 191, 197, 208, 214, 226

China, Japanese borrowings from, 49, 57–59, 245

China Incident, 53, 96, 193

Choshu affair, 174–175

chu, 116–117, 125–132, 192, 195–196, 198–201, 205–207, 209–210, 212–213

Circumspection, 219, 290, 293, 315

Cold-rice relatives, 123

Competition, 153–155, 276

Constitution, Meiji, 80

Contradictions in Japanese character, 1–2, 195–197, 290–291

D

daimyo, 29, 59, 63–64, 67, 70, 74, 76–77, 137–140, 162, 200, 206

Dead, family shrines for the, 51, 271

‘Dead, one who lives as already,’ 249–250

Dispossession of child at birth, of next baby, 265–266

‘Dog’s...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword to the Mariner Books Edition
• Assignment: Japan
• The Japanese in the War
• Taking One’s Proper Station
• The Meiji Reform
• Debtor to the Ages and the World
• Repaying One-Ten-Thousandth
• The Repayment ‘Hardest to Bear’
• Clearing One’s Name
• The Circle of Human Feelings
• The Dilemma of Virtue
• Self-Discipline
• The Child Learns
• The Japanese Since VJ-Day
• Glossary
• Index
• About the Author
• Connect with HMH
• Footnotes