Japan

Here is an ideal one-volume introduction to the history and culture of Japan, stretching from its earliest known civilization (about 3000 B.C.) to the present. Delightfully written in a continuous narrative form, it traces the many aspects of Japanese art, religion, the imperial court, militarism, race, geography, and agriculture, and carefully analyzes the rich social, political, and economic life of Asia's wealthiest nation. Dr. Morton gives equal treatment to all periods, since each has its importance in the evolving history of the Japanese experience. Most valuable of all, he illuminates the essential, underlying mental set of the people and the society which has propelled the Japanese through their history into the forefront of the twentieth century. More than a chronicle of names and dates, this book casts fascinating sidelights on significant personalities, works of literature, and historic events. A brief chronology offers a quick and easy means of reference. Richly anecdotal and vividly illustrated with a map and thirty-seven photographs, this book presents a panoramic view of Japan, old and new.

Introduction.The Origins and Early History of the Japanese.The Introduction of Chinese Thought and Culture: Asuka Period: 552-710.The Stimulating Effect of Chinese Culture: Nara Period: 710-794.The Japanese Pattern: Early Heinan Period: 794-857: Late Hejan or Fumiwara Period: 858-1158.The Rise of the Warrior Class and the Gempei War: End of the Heian Period: 1158-1185.Government by the Military Shogun: Kamakura Period: 1185-1136.The Ashikaga Shogunate: Nambokucho: 1336-1392: Muromachi: 1392-1573.The Golden Age of Japanese Art: 1378-1490.The Unification of Japan: Sengoku-Jidai, The Period of the Country at War: 1534-1615.Japan in Isolation: The Tokugawa Shogunate: Part I, 1615-1715.The Winds of Change: The Takugawa Shogunate: Part II, 1716-1867.The Jeiji Restoration and the Modernization of Japan: 1868-1912.Expansion, Liberalism, and Militarism: 1914-1931.Manchukuo, The China War, and World War II: 1931-1945.Postwar Japan.Japan Today - Economy and Political Life.Contemporary Japanese Society.