Japan

A Short History

Mikiso Hane

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781780743332
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Japanese History
• Index: History

What is a shogun? Who were the samurai and what is the warrior code? What lies behind the Japanese work ethic? From the ancient tea ceremony to the boom and subsequent downturn of its economic prosperity, this uniquely concise introduction to Japan and its history surveys nearly 10, 000 years of society, culture, economics and politics. Balancing economic and political information with new insights into the twin spheres of art and religion, Mikiso Hane offers authoritative coverage of all aspects of Japanese life. With a particular focus on the key events of the last 200 years, the author also pays special attention to the changing conditions of those whose history has been so frequently neglected - the women, the peasants, and the lowest order of untouchables. Well-rounded and enlightening, this informative account of Japan and its people will be greatly appreciated by historians, students and all those with an interest in this diverse and enigmatic country.

Index

agriculture 13, 27, 82–3, 190–1

Ainu 6, 200

Aizawa Seishisai 51, 63

Aizu clan 65, 67, 70

Akihito, Emperor 196, 212

Akutagawa Ryunosuke 131

Amakusa Shirō 35

Amur River Society 140

anarchism 113, 122, 126–7

Andō Shōeki 52

Andō Tadao 210

Arahata Kanson 101

Araki Sadao 144, 147, 148, 149, 150, 152

architecture 19, 32, 210

Arishima Takeo 130–1

army see military

art 19, 32, 33–4, 55, 90–1, 210–11

Ashikaga shogunate 1, 23, 24–5

arts and literature 33–4

economy 27–8

peasants 25–6

political developments 21

Ashikaga Takauji 23, 24

Ashio Copper Mine 124, 125

assassinations 120–1, 139, 144–5, 148

Australia 196

automobile industry 189, 190, 194

Bakufu 20–1, 39, 49

criticism 23, 26, 50–1

demise 63, 64–7

foreign relations 45–6, 60–1

intellectual developments 46, 86

banks 81, 82, 138

Blood Brotherhood League 141, 144

brothels 44–5, 102–3, 114, 182

Buddhism 4, 5, 206

Kamakura-Muromachi years 29–32

samurai ascendancy 22, 26, 27, 32

Tokugawa shogunate 87

Yamato and Heian eras 14, 16–17, 19

burakumin 42, 43, 124–5, 199–200

see also outcastes

bureaucracy 186

Burma 169, 176

bushidō 5

California 117

calligraphy 19

ceramic art 3...