A classic and the best introductory book for medieval Japan.

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Product Description

Explains the structure of the feudal society, describes the rise of economic life and tells of the impact of Commodore Perry's arrival in 1853. Bibliographical notes.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #93863 in Books
• Published on: 1961-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

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Customer Reviews

Very Nicely Done
George Bailey Sansom's "History of Japan, 1334-1615" is an excellent compilation of the Japanese military, politicial and social history from the 14th to 17th centuries. The book starts with the tale of the reform-minded Emperor Go-Daigo and his efforts to overthrow the current Shogunate. It then proceeds to the story of Ashikaga Takauji, a well known general, who rebelled against Go-Daigo and the Imperial Throne and was made Shogun. The books ends with at the pivotal year, 1615, with the battle of Sekigahara. The Western forces of the Toyotomi family went to battle with the Eastern forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu. This battle marked the most significant increase in Tokugawa power to date, and would eventually lead to the creation of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which would last until the late 1800s.

Generally speaking, Sansom tells the story of Japan. He tells the reader how a tiny, landowner-dominated land that squabbled amongst itself over tiny plots of lands and saw the constant fighting between families, started to become the Super Power it was in the World War I time. This book is the second in the series, the first being entitled "History of Japan to 1334" and the third being "History of Japan, 1615-1867".

It is not necessary to read the first in order to understand the second, however it is useful. Sansom assumes that the reader has read his previous work, because he starts in the middle of Go-Daigo's tale, not really taking the time to explain the importance of such things as the "Bakufu" and the "Hojo Family". However, the difficulty there only lasts for twenty pages, or so, and then its smooth sailing.

While this book is often used as a college textbook, it is important to point out that this book is as much a story as it is a historical guide. Sansom keeps the reader enthralled and eager to see what happens next. Indeed, this historical book ranks up there with any novel. A definite must read for anyone interested in history, especially Japanese history.

A fine tapestry, much ravaged by age
Sir George Bailey Sansom (1883-1965) was a British diplomatist, knighted for his services to the crown, who was also a fine scholar of Japan. When the three volumes of his _History of Japan_ were written they were much the best in the field, well written, full of sharp insights, and reflecting current scholarship. They remain well written but a great deal has been learned since the 1950s that is not reflected in them.

With that said, although I have 75 volumes of Japanese history in my library, I still occasionally consult this book, which remains the most comprehensive narrative history for the period up to 1600. The trick is to be able to know when what he says has been superseded. But for most people, it is likely to be the only Japanese history they will read, and they are going to be misled in some respects.

One alternative is a biography that is also a history: Mary Elizabeth Berry, _Hideyoshi_ (Cambridge: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University, 1982), ISBN 0674390261. Its subject, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (c.1536-1598), was the most amazing man in Japanese history, and among the most amazing in anyone's history. It was Hideyoshi who unified Japan toward the end of the long period of turmoil that Sansom's book covers, and Berry tells the story of the background as well as of Hideyoshi's unification. She wrote two decades after Sansom and so benefits from a great deal of original scholarship in the interim (to which she contributed). Her book is also nicely affordable.

Another fine alternative, at least in part, is Marius B. Jansen, ed., _Warrior Rule in Japan_ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), ISBN: 0521484049. This is a collection of five articles from volumes 3 and 4 of the magnificent (and magnificently costly) _Cambridge History of Japan_, here presented in convenient (and affordable) form. It traces the three shogunates or bakufu (the Kamikura bakufu, the Muromachi or Ashikaga bakufu, and the final Tokugawa bakufu) up through 1800. Its weakness is the era of the unification, but that is the strength of Berry's book, so the two are complementary. The book has a good deal of Japanese terminology in it, but its index is set up also to serve as a glossary, so there is no need to get confused.

One minor thing to beware of in reading Sansom is that in recording the dates of events he gives Japanese lunar months their English names -- the sixth month is June, etc. Since the lunar months do not line up with the months of our calendar (and sometimes there are 13 rather than 12 in a year) this can be misleading.

II. Civil War: Kamakura Burns, . . .then Osaka Castle
It is probably well to point out that this is the 2nd of Sansom's 3-volume narrative history of Japan -- preceded by "A History of Japan to 1334" and followed by "A History of Japan, 1615-1867." The online listing does not always show them in the proper order; also, some readers may not realize that
the earlier, and quite well-known "Japan: A Short Cultural History" (1931; Revised Edition, 1943; author identified as "G.B. Sansom") is not part of this classic trio.

Although the period in Japan from 1334 to 1615 is noted for its endless civil wars, Sansom devotes considerable time and enthusiasm describing cultural developments and the country's initial contacts with the West -- a theme which he develops at length in "The Western World and Japan: A Study in the Interaction of European and Asiatic Cultures" (1965; 504, xi pp.), a work which cannot be too highly recommended! (Again, the author is indicated as "G.B. Sansom").

In short, this is the standard narrative history of Japan for our time. Today's scholars are more interested in details than in the overall picture.