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Japan: A Short Cultural History
Its penetrating analysis of institutions, sensitive interpretations of cultural developments, and stylistic charm contrasted with the plodding pedestrian surveys and over-written anecdotal accounts that had hitherto served in the Occident as introductions to Japanese history.
564 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
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About the author
George Bailey Sansom
16 books20 followersSir George Bailey Sansom GBE KCMG was a British diplomat and historian of pre-modern Japan, particularly noted for his historical surveys and his attention to Japanese society and culture.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 10, 2021
A few disparate highlights.
This book originally appeared In 1931 and was last revised in 1952. The sections on the arts reek of connoisseurship but are generally informative. I get wary when the author writes of the Buddhist “ecclesiastical” community, which seems misleading. The explication of how Shinto and Buddhism became fused though is fascinating, as is the story of the painstaking adaptation of Chinese script. I also value the descriptions of the formation of the Japanese Buddhist schools and their founders: Hōnen, Nischiren et al.
Very interesting are the many stories of the various Buddhist sects’s burning each other‘s temples to the ground. The Tendai monks on Mount Hiei, and the Pure Land monks led by Rennyo, were “so jealous of their privileges that they resorted to [armed] force among themselves and against the [imperial] court on the most trivial grounds.” These attacks occurred roughly over the period of the 12th to the 16th centuries, during which time the monasteries were armed to the teeth. No wonder Nobunaga, the great daimyo, destroyed 3000 buildings belonging to the Hieizan monasteries in 1571, then built a garrison in the foothills so the troublesome monks would never bother anyone again.
“In 1268 Khubilai [Khan] sent an envoy to Japan, carrying a letter from “the Emperor of Great Mongolia” to the “King of Japan.” The letter . . . suggested that Japan should open friendly intercourse with China, and ended by pointing out that, where relations were not harmonious, war was bound to ensue. This threat was followed by other menacing dispatches in five succeeding years. Kyoto [Japan’s Imperial house] was frightened, but Kamakura [Shogun’s compound], though aware of the peril, refused to answer Khubilai’s envoys, and sent them back to their master. Finally, in November, 1274, after more than a year’s preparation, a Mongol army sailed from Korea, in Korean ships manned by Korean sailors. Japanese authorities differ as to the size of this fleet and the number of men it carried, but a probable figure is 450 ships and 15,000 Mongol troops, besides 15,000 Korean seamen and auxiliaries. They captured without difficulty the islands of Tsushima and Iki, which the small Japanese garrisons defended with great bravery to the last man. The inhabitants were treated with revolting cruelty. The ships then sailed over to Kyūshū, and troops were landed at points on the shores of Hakozaki Bay. The Japanese at first made the mistake of despising their enemy. They thought very little of the Koreans, usually an easy prey to their keen blades; but the Mongols were fierce and skilled in warfare, their leaders had long experience of handling large bodies of men, and they were equipped not only with powerful bows that shot a deadly bolt at 240 yards, but with machines flinging heavy missiles. The Japanese, on the other hand, we’re at a disadvantage, for they were used to fighting in loose formation, or no formation at all. They were, moreover, taking aback by the Chinese firearms, which seem to have consisted of some device for discharging a combustible projectile. Yet in sheer courage they were a match for any troops in the world, and when they got to close quarters it wanted the deftest adversary to withstand their terrible swords. . . . Before dark the invaders decided to get back to their ships. They may have intended to attack again next day, but a tempest was brewing, and they had suffered severe losses, so that they felt safer on board. That night a great storm burst, and by dawn the whole fleet had been driven or was running for safety out to sea. In this flight they lost many of their ships, and when they got back to Korea they found that the expedition had cost them over 13,500 and men . . . . Japanese historians often assert that the Mongol invasions, by causing a feeling of national peril, created a sense of national unity.” (p. 319)
“The Japanese language, without foreign admixture, is a graceful but not a noble instrument; for, its sounds being few in number and wanting in variety, it can scarcely compass strong or delicate rhythms or subtle harmonies.” (p. 140)
“The mere copying of manuscripts [c. 730] brought over from the continent was a tremendous task, and one of national importance. It was the function of a department of state, in which there was a special bureau, charged with copying, mounting and binding. . . . This bureau had a numerous staff of clerks, binders, paper makers, pen makers, and ink makers. It supervised the work of copyists, who were supplied with materials and hired for the day for a ration of food and drink and clean garments to be worn at their task.” (p. 141)
It’s interesting to learn how the Chinese institutions adopted by the Japanese were often useless because there was no Chinese-like system of merit in Japan but only one of hereditary nobility. The structure of this hierarchy is head-spinningly complex in its early development, c. 800, and Sansom’s explication is dense but helpful.
“It is hardly an unfair summary of events to say that during the first half of the Heian period [794 - 1185] the monarchy became a dyarchy; bureaucratic control gave way to hereditary privilege; land ownership evolved from individual small-holding to feudal tenure; the revenue system utterly collapsed; and the administration of justice depended no longer upon codes but upon summary rules and precedents. Halfway through the eleventh century the imperial government had lost most of its power and most of its prestige; the whole country was ravaged by family feuds and civil war; and such law as prevailed was the house law of the clans. It is not a pretty picture; but it is redeemed by the rise of a vigorous, self-reliant class of the rural magnates, and by the growth of an independent national culture, free to some extent — though not entirely, for that would be impossible — from the almost overwhelming influence of Chinese models.” (p. 223)
“The manor system had, in fact, produced not only an economic and political change, but also a change in social organization. Loyalty to the clan, and such national feeling as was represented by loyalty to the imperial house, was displaced, or at least modified, by strong ties binding men to the land. They owed their chief duty not to the state, or even to the leader of the clan as such, but to their superior in the scale of commendation and benefice, or to a military protector upon whose strength their tenure depended. In other words, the Taikwa reform had only arrested, but had not been able to prevent the natural development of a feudal system.” (p. 269)
“The growth of a free church Pure Land Buddhism which was dependent upon neither priests nor ceremonies or buildings was certain to arouse the enmity of the older [Buddhist] sects, who at this time were so jealous of their privileges that they resorted to [armed] force among themselves and against the [imperial] court on the most trivial grounds. They petitioned for the prohibition of the nembutsu, [the simple invocation of Amida Buddha’s name] and though Hōnen stemmed their attacks for a while . . . he was at last unable to stand up against the slander of his enemies . . . . This was the first instance of bitter religious animosity and persecution in Japan, and it must be noticed that it came not so much from doctrinal bigots as from corrupt and licentious monks. It is true that among Hōnen’s opponents were a number of learned clerics who believed that his teaching the nembutsu was subversive of morality, but on the whole it is fair to say that the attack upon him was a fight for privilege rather than a battle for truth.” (p. 331)
This book originally appeared In 1931 and was last revised in 1952. The sections on the arts reek of connoisseurship but are generally informative. I get wary when the author writes of the Buddhist “ecclesiastical” community, which seems misleading. The explication of how Shinto and Buddhism became fused though is fascinating, as is the story of the painstaking adaptation of Chinese script. I also value the descriptions of the formation of the Japanese Buddhist schools and their founders: Hōnen, Nischiren et al.
Very interesting are the many stories of the various Buddhist sects’s burning each other‘s temples to the ground. The Tendai monks on Mount Hiei, and the Pure Land monks led by Rennyo, were “so jealous of their privileges that they resorted to [armed] force among themselves and against the [imperial] court on the most trivial grounds.” These attacks occurred roughly over the period of the 12th to the 16th centuries, during which time the monasteries were armed to the teeth. No wonder Nobunaga, the great daimyo, destroyed 3000 buildings belonging to the Hieizan monasteries in 1571, then built a garrison in the foothills so the troublesome monks would never bother anyone again.
“In 1268 Khubilai [Khan] sent an envoy to Japan, carrying a letter from “the Emperor of Great Mongolia” to the “King of Japan.” The letter . . . suggested that Japan should open friendly intercourse with China, and ended by pointing out that, where relations were not harmonious, war was bound to ensue. This threat was followed by other menacing dispatches in five succeeding years. Kyoto [Japan’s Imperial house] was frightened, but Kamakura [Shogun’s compound], though aware of the peril, refused to answer Khubilai’s envoys, and sent them back to their master. Finally, in November, 1274, after more than a year’s preparation, a Mongol army sailed from Korea, in Korean ships manned by Korean sailors. Japanese authorities differ as to the size of this fleet and the number of men it carried, but a probable figure is 450 ships and 15,000 Mongol troops, besides 15,000 Korean seamen and auxiliaries. They captured without difficulty the islands of Tsushima and Iki, which the small Japanese garrisons defended with great bravery to the last man. The inhabitants were treated with revolting cruelty. The ships then sailed over to Kyūshū, and troops were landed at points on the shores of Hakozaki Bay. The Japanese at first made the mistake of despising their enemy. They thought very little of the Koreans, usually an easy prey to their keen blades; but the Mongols were fierce and skilled in warfare, their leaders had long experience of handling large bodies of men, and they were equipped not only with powerful bows that shot a deadly bolt at 240 yards, but with machines flinging heavy missiles. The Japanese, on the other hand, we’re at a disadvantage, for they were used to fighting in loose formation, or no formation at all. They were, moreover, taking aback by the Chinese firearms, which seem to have consisted of some device for discharging a combustible projectile. Yet in sheer courage they were a match for any troops in the world, and when they got to close quarters it wanted the deftest adversary to withstand their terrible swords. . . . Before dark the invaders decided to get back to their ships. They may have intended to attack again next day, but a tempest was brewing, and they had suffered severe losses, so that they felt safer on board. That night a great storm burst, and by dawn the whole fleet had been driven or was running for safety out to sea. In this flight they lost many of their ships, and when they got back to Korea they found that the expedition had cost them over 13,500 and men . . . . Japanese historians often assert that the Mongol invasions, by causing a feeling of national peril, created a sense of national unity.” (p. 319)
“The Japanese language, without foreign admixture, is a graceful but not a noble instrument; for, its sounds being few in number and wanting in variety, it can scarcely compass strong or delicate rhythms or subtle harmonies.” (p. 140)
“The mere copying of manuscripts [c. 730] brought over from the continent was a tremendous task, and one of national importance. It was the function of a department of state, in which there was a special bureau, charged with copying, mounting and binding. . . . This bureau had a numerous staff of clerks, binders, paper makers, pen makers, and ink makers. It supervised the work of copyists, who were supplied with materials and hired for the day for a ration of food and drink and clean garments to be worn at their task.” (p. 141)
It’s interesting to learn how the Chinese institutions adopted by the Japanese were often useless because there was no Chinese-like system of merit in Japan but only one of hereditary nobility. The structure of this hierarchy is head-spinningly complex in its early development, c. 800, and Sansom’s explication is dense but helpful.
“It is hardly an unfair summary of events to say that during the first half of the Heian period [794 - 1185] the monarchy became a dyarchy; bureaucratic control gave way to hereditary privilege; land ownership evolved from individual small-holding to feudal tenure; the revenue system utterly collapsed; and the administration of justice depended no longer upon codes but upon summary rules and precedents. Halfway through the eleventh century the imperial government had lost most of its power and most of its prestige; the whole country was ravaged by family feuds and civil war; and such law as prevailed was the house law of the clans. It is not a pretty picture; but it is redeemed by the rise of a vigorous, self-reliant class of the rural magnates, and by the growth of an independent national culture, free to some extent — though not entirely, for that would be impossible — from the almost overwhelming influence of Chinese models.” (p. 223)
“The manor system had, in fact, produced not only an economic and political change, but also a change in social organization. Loyalty to the clan, and such national feeling as was represented by loyalty to the imperial house, was displaced, or at least modified, by strong ties binding men to the land. They owed their chief duty not to the state, or even to the leader of the clan as such, but to their superior in the scale of commendation and benefice, or to a military protector upon whose strength their tenure depended. In other words, the Taikwa reform had only arrested, but had not been able to prevent the natural development of a feudal system.” (p. 269)
“The growth of a free church Pure Land Buddhism which was dependent upon neither priests nor ceremonies or buildings was certain to arouse the enmity of the older [Buddhist] sects, who at this time were so jealous of their privileges that they resorted to [armed] force among themselves and against the [imperial] court on the most trivial grounds. They petitioned for the prohibition of the nembutsu, [the simple invocation of Amida Buddha’s name] and though Hōnen stemmed their attacks for a while . . . he was at last unable to stand up against the slander of his enemies . . . . This was the first instance of bitter religious animosity and persecution in Japan, and it must be noticed that it came not so much from doctrinal bigots as from corrupt and licentious monks. It is true that among Hōnen’s opponents were a number of learned clerics who believed that his teaching the nembutsu was subversive of morality, but on the whole it is fair to say that the attack upon him was a fight for privilege rather than a battle for truth.” (p. 331)
May 13, 2019
When I first came across this awe-inspiring, seven-part book, “Japan: A Short Cultural History” by Sir George Bailey Sansom (G.B. Sansom) in some large bookstores, I thought it looked seemingly formidable from its 23 chapters. However, surprisingly I found reading it was challenging and informative since Sir George has penned his authoritative knowledge for the sake of his readers’ better understanding on Japan’s cultural history. Its 19 black-and-white plates as well as 56 illustrations are very helpful in clarifying their related narrative. I think any Japanophile should not miss it since her culture has long been studied, admired and taken as the heart of the matter. One of the reasons is that it’s hard to imagine a country, whether it’s developing or developed, without her political, religious, literary and art-related culture in which we can read for information or ideas from many topics for its inception, adoption, transformation and miraculous Japanization.
In the meantime, the seven parts as follows would post an overview for you. Part 1 Early History, Part 2 Nara, Part 3 The Heian Period, Part 4 Kamakura, Part 5 Muromachi, Part 6 Sengoku, and Part 7 Yedo.
As far as the 21st century is concerned, we can still see many countries have long opted for their ways of government in which tough struggles usually ensue. Profoundly amazed on Japan’s solution provided to follow since the Tokugawa regime, I scribbled a query to remind me of including an extract to share with my GR friends, that is, “Why is it unchangeable?” Incidentally, I’d try to be brief, thinking it’s better left unsaid so that those interested in the context should find one to read themselves, the key extract is the following:
In the meantime, the seven parts as follows would post an overview for you. Part 1 Early History, Part 2 Nara, Part 3 The Heian Period, Part 4 Kamakura, Part 5 Muromachi, Part 6 Sengoku, and Part 7 Yedo.
As far as the 21st century is concerned, we can still see many countries have long opted for their ways of government in which tough struggles usually ensue. Profoundly amazed on Japan’s solution provided to follow since the Tokugawa regime, I scribbled a query to remind me of including an extract to share with my GR friends, that is, “Why is it unchangeable?” Incidentally, I’d try to be brief, thinking it’s better left unsaid so that those interested in the context should find one to read themselves, the key extract is the following:
. . . This Constitution, it is worth repeating one more, was regarded by the Shogunate as fundamentally unchangeable. It was reaffirmed by each Shogun on his succession, in a solemn ceremony attended by all his vassals, and though circumstances sometimes forced them to alter it in detail, they never admitted or even contemplated any deviation from its essential principles, and they punished without mercy any breach of its commands. (p. 449)
December 20, 2024
It was a great companion to The Tale of Genji. That is how I've started reading this book. But then I've got carried away beyond Heian period and finished it. Very informative, easy and richly illustrated read that describes not only culture, but the political and economic conditions of each period as well.
January 10, 2017
in this volume, Sansom, having finished writing his books on Japanese history up to the end of the shogunate, goes into detail about the history of culture in Japan. Surveying the history, he contextualises Japanese art by period. It is an excellent book to read before visiting the National Museum in Ueno park or any of the smaller collections, like the one in the Guimet Museum here in Paris. If you don't have the stamina to go through the history books, this volume is a great taste of both history and culture and a great read.
February 25, 2018
Detailed cultural history, loaded with factual information. My 3 stars is actually 3 1/2, just as the 4 stars I gave Valey's book on the same theme would be more realistically 4 1/2. Why the difference in rating. This book probably provides more information, but Varley is more readable, gives a better overview without getting lost in the details (for someone like me who is not a professional scholar in the field), and is more recent. Sansom's work dates back to the 1930s. A few revisions, but nonetheless the basic concept is based on a 1930s idea of scholarship. In the intervening four decades, the concept of a cultural history had widened (or been watered down, depending on your perspective!). Sansom's book, even in this more recent edition, only goes up to the mid-nineteenth century, whereas Varley's covers more recent developments in Meiji and up to the "present" (1976). Illustrations in Sansom are limited to line drawings, with a very few poor-quality (but fascinating) photographic reproductions of art works. I read both histories more or less simultaneously, and found that each rounded out the other.
March 29, 2025
Manages to cover lots of material with multiple warnings that he's skipping a lot of detail. The result is a great read despite having been published almost a hundred years ago. And I didn't come across a single stereotype about Asians/Japanese which is quite common among Westerners. Don't let the "cultural" in the title mislead you; yes, there is a lot about Japanese culture but political, administrative, and military matters are given their due share.
June 12, 2020
I was expecting more fictional narration so a few disappointments came out of this. The book is extremely informative, however it is a bit dry and in my opinion poses more as a textbook, which again I did not expect it to be.
February 5, 2018
Excellent although now outdated intro to the history of Japanese culture
January 25, 2020
Japan’s history is fascinating, especially when viewed from a Western perspective. Well written, if somewhat outdated.
July 23, 2023
Wonderful, engaging history. For all its sweep and erudite detail, "Japan: A Short Cultural History" never drags, it somehow keeps your interest and attention as only the best history books can. This book is a perfect companion (or maybe the other way around) to Morris's "The Nobility of Failure" as some of the same characters make appearances.
Samson takes you from the early centuries, when the Japanese imported Chinese thinking on government, the arts and religion, on to the breakdown of feudalism under the shoguns. The Fujiwara era from around 800 to 1068 is excellent - Sansom gives you not only the facts and dates but delightful sketches of famous (and some more obscure) figures, and he is constantly alert to the threads that enrich everyday life. Here's an example from the Kamakura period:
"For the sake of truth as well as interest it should be enlivened, and this may best be done by adding pigment from contemporary romance. The canvas should show a background of rice-fields, where peasants bend at their toil. On a hillside stands, in a pleasant grove, a temple in whose dim interior chanting priests kneel before an image of Amida. Not far away is a village of thatched houses, of which some, hardly more imposing than the rest, are the homes of the steward of the estate and his subordinates. Across the foreground move laden carts hauled by oxen or by straining men in loin clothes; a messenger bringing documents from the governor's mansion; a wandering monk soliciting alms or maybe a gift towards the rebuilding of the Todaiji Monastery of Nara; and a group of warriors on horseback, brightly dressed, on their way from hawking or from archery. Such is the scene in the intervals of peace."
I defy readers to not see a gorgeous Japanese woodblock print there! And for art lovers, Sansom devotes chapters to the development and main themes of Japanese art - the book is full drawings that show Japanese architecture as well as photos of important works in various mediums.
As Sansom notes, that's an idyllic snapshot during an "interval of peace," but there is plenty of samurai slashing here, too. The part of the Sengoku Period, "the age of the country at war," from the end of the 15th century to around 1600 is particularly strong as the shogunate solidified its position and the number of major daimyo families shrunk dramatically.
Sansom's real achievement here, I think, is that he has written a book that will interest a wide array of readers, not just those who are interested in Japan. This was the first book assigned to me in college (and I wish more of those that followed were as good!) and I've never stopped going back to it at times because the subject is absorbing and Sansom's handling of it so deft. Highly recommended.
Samson takes you from the early centuries, when the Japanese imported Chinese thinking on government, the arts and religion, on to the breakdown of feudalism under the shoguns. The Fujiwara era from around 800 to 1068 is excellent - Sansom gives you not only the facts and dates but delightful sketches of famous (and some more obscure) figures, and he is constantly alert to the threads that enrich everyday life. Here's an example from the Kamakura period:
"For the sake of truth as well as interest it should be enlivened, and this may best be done by adding pigment from contemporary romance. The canvas should show a background of rice-fields, where peasants bend at their toil. On a hillside stands, in a pleasant grove, a temple in whose dim interior chanting priests kneel before an image of Amida. Not far away is a village of thatched houses, of which some, hardly more imposing than the rest, are the homes of the steward of the estate and his subordinates. Across the foreground move laden carts hauled by oxen or by straining men in loin clothes; a messenger bringing documents from the governor's mansion; a wandering monk soliciting alms or maybe a gift towards the rebuilding of the Todaiji Monastery of Nara; and a group of warriors on horseback, brightly dressed, on their way from hawking or from archery. Such is the scene in the intervals of peace."
I defy readers to not see a gorgeous Japanese woodblock print there! And for art lovers, Sansom devotes chapters to the development and main themes of Japanese art - the book is full drawings that show Japanese architecture as well as photos of important works in various mediums.
As Sansom notes, that's an idyllic snapshot during an "interval of peace," but there is plenty of samurai slashing here, too. The part of the Sengoku Period, "the age of the country at war," from the end of the 15th century to around 1600 is particularly strong as the shogunate solidified its position and the number of major daimyo families shrunk dramatically.
Sansom's real achievement here, I think, is that he has written a book that will interest a wide array of readers, not just those who are interested in Japan. This was the first book assigned to me in college (and I wish more of those that followed were as good!) and I've never stopped going back to it at times because the subject is absorbing and Sansom's handling of it so deft. Highly recommended.
January 2, 2011
I purchased this book at great cost but it has been worthwhile.
It provides a concise overview of Japanese culture.
It is the only book I have found to be so informative without the "fluff" of other books on Japan.
The edition I purchased is of super high quality paper that makes such a small book rather heavy. A great book for my reference library.
It provides a concise overview of Japanese culture.
It is the only book I have found to be so informative without the "fluff" of other books on Japan.
The edition I purchased is of super high quality paper that makes such a small book rather heavy. A great book for my reference library.
February 10, 2009
Another great book from Sansom
August 26, 2014
Competently and enjoyably written cultural account without genius but with an excellent readable style and a clear comprehension of what the average reader requires. A very sound introduction
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews