The Making of Modern Japan

by Marius B. Jansen

Magisterial in vision, sweeping in scope, this monumental work presents a seamless account of Japanese society during the modern era, from 1600 to the present. A distillation of more than fifty years' engagement with Japan and its history, it is the crowning work of our leading interpreter of the modern Japanese experience. Since 1600 Japan has undergone three periods of wrenching social and institutional change, following the imposition of hegemonic order on feudal society by the Tokugawa shogun; the opening of Japan's ports by Commodore Perry; and defeat in World War II. The Making of Modern Japan charts these the social engineering begun with the founding of the shogunate in 1600, the emergence of village and castle towns with consumer populations, and the diffusion of samurai values in the culture. Jansen covers the making of the modern state, the adaptation of Western models, growing international trade, the broadening opportunity in Japanese society with industrialization, and the postwar occupation reforms imposed by General MacArthur. Throughout, the book gives voice to the individuals and views that have shaped the actions and beliefs of the Japanese, with writers, artists, and thinkers, as well as political leaders given their due. The story this book tells, though marked by profound changes, is also one of remarkable consistency, in which continuities outweigh upheavals in the development of society, and successive waves of outside influence have only served to strengthen a sense of what is unique and native to Japanese experience. The Making of Modern Japan takes us to the core of this experience as it illuminates one of the contemporary world's most compelling transformations.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction, Japanese History, Asia, Japanese Literature, Politics

936 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Marius Berthus Jansen was Emeritus Professor of Japanese History at Princeton University. Jansen graduated from Princeton in 1943, having majored in European history of the Renaissance and Reformation. After serving in the United States Army, during which time he studied Japanese and working in the Occupation of Japan, Jansen returned to the United States and completed his PhD in history at Harvard in 1950, studying Japan with Edwin O. Reischauer and China with John K. Fairbank. Jansen began his teaching career at the University of Washington in 1950 and moved to Princeton in 1959 as professor in the departments of history and Oriental studies, where he taught until his retirement in 1992.

Reviews

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marius B. Jansen's The Making of Modern Japan does an admirable job navigating that nation's history. Beginning with the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Jansen traces Japan's evolution as a unified nation, initially under the leadership of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Daimyo. Having ended a long-standing period of feudal strife, the Shoguns encouraged literacy, education and economic and social development while also maintaining a rigidly hierarchal society with little use for dissent or outside influences. Foreign trade was restricted, samurai and daimyo maintained autonomy, and minorities like the Ainu people and Christian converts were regularly persecuted. This system was ultimately unsustainable, particularly as increased trade and pressure from Western powers destabilized the Shogunate and led to the Meiji Restoration in the 1860s, allowing the Emperor to reinstate authority. While Meiji created a more liberal climate in some ways, with destruction of the samurai and daimyo class, educational reforms and a representative political system, it also triggered imperial expansion, leading to a series of wars with China and Russia, annexing Korea and German territories in the Pacific, increased stress on Shinto and Buddhist religion, authoritarian rule by the Emperor and an increasingly powerful and aggressive military class. The end result, after a brief interlude of progressivism in the Taisho era, was Hirohito's wars of conquest in the '30s and '40s, culminating in their devastating defeat in the 1940s. Jansen does a skillful job navigating Japan's cultural development and social movements; while he harbors undisguised, admiration for his subject, he doesn't allow it to blind him to the dark traits in their history: how the nation's intelligence, inventiveness and fortitude clashed with (or complemented) authoritarian, militarist and xenophobic actions that condemned Japan to a destructive course - but also allowed it to rebuild after the war, becoming a democratic, economically prosperous nation that, even with a marginal military presence, can compete with the world's superpowers. A clear-eyed, engaging exploration of Japan's tumultuous history.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marius Jansen first visited Japan in the mid-1940s as a member of the United States Army’s occupation force, and it began an engagement that would define the rest of his life. Upon his return to the United States, the Princeton graduate switched the focus of his studies from European history to that of modern Japan, embarking on a long and distinguished career as a pioneering scholar in the field. Over the five decades that followed, Jansen wrote nearly a dozen books, culminating in this comprehensive survey of Japanese history from the start of the Tokugawa era to the end of the twentieth century, which was published just a week before his death in 2000.

As a survey, Jansen’s book embodies all of the strengths and few of the weaknesses of its form. Throughout it the author covers the full spectrum of Japan’s history during these centuries, covering political, social, cultural, and economic developments over the course of this period. Though the nature of such an approach means that no one subject in it can be addressed in depth, this does not inhibit Jansen’s ability to offer a perceptive analysis of the events and movements he addresses. From this he offers an account that flows deftly from topic to topic in a way that highlights the effects of events and movements in the emergence of modern Japan.

Certain themes emerge from this, many of which build upon arguments made in Jansen’s previous work. Foremost among them is Japan’s autonomy throughout the era. While he acknowledges the role played by external influences such as the post-Second World War American occupation, Jansen stresses that the dynamics that made modern Japan were predominantly internal rather than external. Key to this is the role of the state, which Jansen sees as critical throughout the period under examination. Though he acknowledges that the state was not unabashedly a positive force in shaping Japan’s development, he credits it with overcoming numerous challenges form the early Tokugawa era onward.

Some readers may question the centrality Jansen accords the role of the state in his narrative. Yet his command of his subject is undeniable, as is the scope of his achievement with this book. While other scholars – many of whom are the beneficiaries of Jansen’s lifetime of effort to develop the history of Japan into a field of study – have produced much of value since this book was originally published, the quality and comprehensiveness of his work has ensured that Jansen’s book remains the best single-volume survey of modern Japanese history. Anyone seeking an overview of the subject will do well to read this book, both for Jansen’s insights and the path of subsequent reading that he lays out in it. In this respect, his influence of our understanding of the subject to which he devoted his life studying continues to this day, much to our benefit.

[Michael Camilleri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep, insightful and—let's face it—long history of Japan from the beginnings of the Tokugawa Era to the turn of the millennium. The book is stronger in its first half where Jansen takes us through the establishment of the Tokugawa state and how it functioned. Jansen avoids the mistake of losing you in a long list of chronologically ordered events and instead chooses to focus on specific elements, with the chronological flow of history sitting atop to loosely guide things forward.

Once the book moves into the Meiji Period, there's less of the insight and detail but the book still does an overall admirable job sketching out the way in which Japan rebuilt itself as a modern state and then descended into militarism and war. The period after the surrender is dealt with in even more cursory detail but given the thesis that the origins of much of modern day Japan can be understood as coming out of the history of the past 500 years (as opposed to just the Occupation or the Meiji Restoration), this shouldn't really come as a surprise.

While I consider these shortcomings, the book is still an incredible work of synthesis, giving the reader a rich understanding of Japanese society, both historical and contemporary.

[Patrick Meade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and well organized. Also very dry. Wildly dry. Like California dry.

[Brad Eastman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 100 years between 1865 and 1965, Japan went from technologically backwards, closed society with a feudal society to a global military superpower with empire aspirations to defeated society that had been bombed back to the stone ages to industrial and financial behemoth with one of the strongest democracies in the world. Mr. Jensen relates these remarkable transformations in detail by looking at the history, politics, culture and economics of Japan from the 16th through 20th centuries. For readers with little to no historical knowledge of Japan, this work is a great introduction to the subject, particularly, the way Japan and the outside world influenced and shaped each other in many spheres of life. Mr. Jensen's story is just as intriguing. As a college student in World War II, he was recruited into military intelligence and taught Japanese. He then served with the American occupation forces. At the time, Americans had very little exposure to Japanese society, culture and history. Mr. Jensen returned from the service to become a very distinguished professor of Japanese history. One caveat about this book, for non-Japanese speaking Western readers, the names are very difficult and confusingly similar. Creating a cheat sheet with reminders of who is who really helps in reading this book.

[Watto Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a journey.

Jansen does an incredible job of summarizing 400 years of rich Japanese history, the amount of detail in this book is astounding. The chronological style and the depiction of the Japanese people and their values are really well written.

Definitely worth the read!!

[AskHistorians]

This is the definitive work of modern era Japan. Jansen's work is a chronicle of not just the rise of railroads, of factories, the modern firearm, electricity and gas, the telegraph, milk!, and other interesting developments of early modern Japan. He gives background, history, cultural and political analysis, event and timeline breakdowns and more. An expansive work that takes the reader through decades upon decades of Japanese development and progress that happened at break neck speeds, but can now be looked at retrospectively at our leisure, guided by Jansen's steady hand.

[The Bamboo Traveler · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me over a year to finish Marius Jansen's 765-page book on the history of Japan. At times it was painful reading this book. It went into such minute detail about politics that it was difficult to keep all of the facts and characters straight. If you want a remedy for insomnia, here it is. That being said, it was informative.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive, authoritative, and kind of a slog.

[John Gossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first broad-scope history of Japan I’ve read that I feel deserves 5 stars. It starts with the unification wars and quickly dives into an analysis of the Tokugawa period, then successively covers the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras. The focus is on how the Japanese leaders, politicians, intellectuals, and broad populace thought, how that thought changed, leading up to modern times. The largest emphasis is on political thought: the beliefs and policies of the leadership, including the Emperors, shoguns, and ministers, but also the intellectuals who shaped them. For example, in the WWII section, Midway and Leyte Gulf are glossed over in a few paragraphs, while cabinet politics, the attitude of the Emperor, and the experiences of common people are given tens of pages each. The book also covers economics and the cultural trends of each era.

It may help to already understand the broad events of each era, since these are sometimes glossed over. Conversely, my eyes occasionally glossed over as he described an endless parade of Prime Ministers and their cabinets, each of whom followed similar policies, seemingly only distinguished by their names.

I learned a lot from this book. Even though I had just read another book about the Meiji Restoration, I found this section particularly strong: it illuminated many things I had questions about.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In recent years I found myself increasingly captivated by Japan. Concepts like wabi-sabi, ikigai, zen principles, Japanese food, and the heart-stopping ukiyo-e art all formed a cloud of fascination around Japan for me. But until now, like I said, it was just a cloud. I needed better foundations to continue exploring the origins of these elements and how they all fit together.
This book is the first in a series of books I got for that purpose. It was an uneven read for me some parts were lively and very interesting, whilst some felt dry, but overall it gave me what I was looking for - a solid timeline of Japan's development and how it became the place we know today. The book covers all the major eras and delves into the military, culture, economy and education in those time periods, providing a high-level overview of how ideas developed through time and how they were affected by the political and economic changes.
Now, I feel that I have some solid ground underneath my feet to continue exploring philosophy and art in more depth with a better understanding of a wider historical context.

[Jiliac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I never learned as much reading a book. The density of information; and it's such a different world. Yet, I felt the writing was pretty good (at least compare to other historians writing, better than I was expecting). Very insightful on many aspects (military, power organization, politics, economics, social cultural). If like me you come without knowing close to nothing on this country history, this is a great overview of all aspects of Japan "recent history" (four centuries lol). There is no default I could see. I liked how the parts are organized chronologically, but inside each part, the chapters are thematic.

My main interest in reading this book was understanding how Japan could become so successful with the Meiji restoration. Of course that's a very challenging question and the author doesn't even claim to answer it. But I think I still identified some elements that explain for example, why Japan's answer to the arrival of the West challenge was so much better than, say China? I think I could identify three factors.

First and foremost, the government organization of Tokugawa Japan was already extremely centralized. I just read "Why Nation Fails" by Acemoglu where this is clearly identified as a key factor to enable development. And that's where starting the book three century before the Meiji restoration, at the time of Japan unification is key. The shogun who established the Tokugawa dynasty, Ieyasu, did most of the reform necessary (not least by setting Edo, now Tokyo, as his capital). I felt the level of centralization was very impressive. A very efficient bureaucracy that could decide many aspect of the land organization. Much more than Louis XIV which we usually take highest centralized point in Europe history. Versailles looks like child play compared with the Daimyo structure where the nobility didn't even nominally possess the land they were ruling, and where time in Edo was mandatory!

The second factor is the "two head" systems Japan had. I wouldn't say that was a necessary factor for Japan development, but I think it helped the fast and relatively smooth reform process. This head of state who didn't really have any power could be used as a *pivot* to help the transition towards a new form of government.

Finally, one thing I'm very curious about is: Why did the Meiji leaders establish a constitution? It didn't seem like there was a inner power dynamic that push them towards more inclusive institution like Britain in the XIXth century. So I think the third factor is the fact that Japan always had this large threat next to them that they simultaneously were taking for role model: China. In the XIXth century, the West clearly took China position. First with the Opium war, by showing their power, and then with Perry misson by directly attacking Japan sovereignty. So Japan ~simply tranferred this threat+"role model" position from China to the West. And that's why we see all the "West study" initiative with all the leaders and scholars going abroad to study other countries. The threat of losing their sovereignty pushed them to change their political model to one that they saw are empowering. And that was this partial democracy most Western countries had at this time. I think the role of China in developing this role is not to be underestimated. At this time, all countries in the world were threaten by West (e.g. China itself), but only Japan and Korea had this "other state threat+model" position. Maybe Vietnam as well? So a natural question to follow up: why didn't they also react as well as japan did? A tentative answer: b/c they were much more under Chinese control and couldn't react fast enough so as to not lose their sovereignty.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a massive and comprehensive book on the major changes that took place in Japan between 1600 and 2000, with the focus on the 1800s and 1900s. Unsurprisingly, it goes into more depth on political, economic, and international changes. It does talk about social change, but this was definitely secondary to the typical themes a general history tends to cover.

[Patrick Valentine]

Jansen's book is hefty and detailed but very enlightening on the political and social history of modern Japan, with asides on Japanese culture and even philosophy. One gets a good insight into the many influences on Japan and Japan's responses.

The writing is fluid but sometimes he over-sprinkles the names. If a person is important, fine, but occasionally or not so occasionally he'll mention a person who does little to help a non-Japanese understand the history or who never appears again in the book. More dates could have been inserted as when he gets involved in a narrative or analysis he sometimes left me wondering where we were. The book is admirably neutral in presenting different views and academically rigorous in have sufficient but not overwhelming endnotes. It starts in the 17th century and goes all the way into the 1990s.

It included a number of maps and some excellent illustrations. Belknap (Harvard) did its usual fine job printing although I would have liked one overall map, maybe on the end pages, showing all the islands and their relationship to eastern Asia.

Dr Jansen is a retired history professor at Princeton and his knowledge of the subject seems immense and builds on a number of books he has written or edited. "Making of Modern Japan" is not for the beginner wanting to know just a little but for some wanting immersion. At my usual snail pace, picking up the book and sometimes skipping whole sections, it took several weeks to (more-or-less) finish.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great brick of a book, but it is a seamless narrative of Japanese history from the end of the Sengoku era up to modern times.

[Zoe Collin]

Read 4 class

Read it again

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this through around page 430. It's very good, just very heavy. It's like taking a college course in Japanese history. It has huge breadth: the internal politics, foreign policy, and culture of Japan are all here. You learn the differences between the daimyo and the bakufu pretty quickly. It's a story of clashing institutions. It can be hard to follow.

The author has a good eye for compelling details and primary sources. Europeans only play a small role in early Japanese history. We get a good sense of this when one of the Dutchmen who has been dispatched to Japan describes how he can only communicate with the Japanese if he agrees to be treated like a clown. The Japanese ask him to move around, dance, kiss the other men in his group, etc., so they can observe how Europeans act.

Eventually the West plays a major role. I stopped reading just after the Meiji Revolution. The book doesn't get worse there, it's just that I know a good amount of post-Meiji history already. I thought the book did a good job of introducing the period by describing some of the individual heroes of the history that later showed up on Japanese currency.

The book this reminded me of most is The Venture of Islam , which has a similar broad scope of a civilization. This book is a little more unfriendly to beginners, but it seems just as definitive.

[Saya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinceramente, no sé qué decir. Este libro es tan inmenso, tiene tanta información, los capítulos están tan bien enlazados y la información tan bien organizada que la continuidad resultante hace que sea una lectura interesantísima. En cambio, faltan comas, muchas, muchísimas comas, y el autor no facilita precisamente la lectura con esas frases larguísimas llenas de subordinadas y, de nuevo, con invisibles comas que, de haber estado, hubieran facilitado la lectura. (Aunque recordemos que el inglés no es mi lengua materna).

Este libro puede servir de referencia, aunque creo que como lectura de cabo a rabo es mucho más interesante. Lo he leído "rápido" (tuve un parón de dos meses hacia el final del período Meiji más o menos, porque en ese punto el libro se me estaba haciendo bola) y en absoluto he interiorizado conceptos, pero espero recordar ideas generales. Lo más seguro es que en el futuro lo relea, de manera más sosegada o incluso durante otras lecturas que puedan estar relacionadas. En definitiva, es un libro difícil pero muy recomendable para cualquier persona que quiera entender por qué Japón es como es.

[Jindřich Zapletal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is clearly a very rich and thoroughly researched source of information on Japanese history since 1600. It is very heavy on human resources. Starting with Meiji restoration, every page seems to introduce at least three new characters, and many of them we do not meet later. There is a price to pay for this--there are hardly any maps, any discussion of geography and natural resources, even the dateline may be difficult or impossible to find in the dense cast of characters. I found myself going to wikipedia every once in a while to consolidate the narrative with this type of data.

As an example, in the discussion of Manchukuo, isn't it important to know what the Russians and Japanese were looking for in that place, how it is structured geographically and demographically, something specific about industrial development? Instead, the author gives us a long list of military officers, their personal/political motivations and plots. Without doubt, many of the men and women we meet in the book are worth a closer look, but in such a number they are just lost in the crowd.

[Patricio Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes for a fantastic sleeping aid. I fell asleep more than 10 times while reading it. All jokes aside, this is definitely a tough, ambitious read that only the brave and curious would embark on. However, my brain absolutely loves long, dry, and information-rich books. The depth is surprisingly satisfactory given the breadth of the book. If you wish to get a very solid introduction to Tokugawa, Meiji, and 20th century Japan, I highly doubt that there are better bibliographical resources than this.

The book is from 2000, and there are some very interesting developments that have occurred since then, namely the extension of Japan's lost decade of the 90's, population decline, the ascendancy of China, and of course the remilitarization of the country that has occurred as a result of this last point.

[Oraklet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well researched book. Jansen starts off the first third of the book by explaining how the Tokugawa shogunate came by and how society was back then. He also talks about the grievance and uprisings that do occur. Then he goes on to the Meiji period and how Japan was modernised, how society changed and their military buildup up until WW2. WW2 is explained in 2 chapters, one is about the buildup and war in China while the second one covers the Pacific war up until the capitulation. The last two chapters talk about the economic build up and how society changed yet again, and how Japan became one of th 7 largest economies in the world.

It is also worth mentioning that there is a further reading section that spans 24 pages for anyone who would want to dwell deeper into the history and development of Japan.

[Steven Keays · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stupendous reference to understand how Japan became modern. I was a bit frustrated ovecthe first 100 pages because keeps referring to the previous warring period for comparisons, and clearly assumes that the reader is knowledgeable about it. I am not and was stymied with proper understanding. Curiously, the author never really defines what "the Bakufu" is but mentions it constantly. The growth of Japan during the 20th century is enlightened writing. But I wish that he could explain how the modern Japanese work culture really took hold, seeing how it diametrically opposed to the previous four centuries. Notwithstanding, this book is a must to any student of contemporary geopolitics.

[Mictter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compré este tochazo (871 páginas) con muchas ganas, pues se supone que cuenta la historia de Japón desde los inicios del shogunato Tokugawa hasta el pinchazo de la burbuja inmobiliaria a finales del siglo XX.
Se me hizo bola. Demasiada política en el mal sentido de la palabra: camarillas, ministros, teóricos del poder, etc, con listas interminables de personajes de interés relativo, y demasiado poco de lo que me interesa: cómo vivía la gente, la economía, batallitas y demás.
A pesar de todo, he terminado sabiendo más historia japonesa que cuando empecé, qué menos, pero no lo he disfrutado.

[Dylan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jansen’s writing is intriguing, highly informative and manages to convey textbook-level detail and precision in a readable, formative history of Japan. This book covers the rise of the Tokugawa through to the aging but integral Japan of the present day (or at least 2000). I feel now greater insecurity about my knowledge of Japan than when I started, which is the hallmark of a good history lesson.

[Jonathan Wang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deeply informative and wide in scope, but does not make well for casual reading (especially as somebody who was trying to crash-course themselves the history because they were going on a vacation there).

There were many times when the descriptions of historical events and its grand narratives felt dry and a slog to get through. If this book was taught as a semester-long university course along with supplemental resources, I could easily find myself enjoying (and comprehending) it more.

[Patrick Gaule · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is difficult to find a good history of Japan. This one definitively delivers for the period 1600 to 1900 - a fascinating read. However, I found the treatment of the 20th century underwhelming, with little insight (or even discussion) of how it came about that Japan launched wars of aggression against Korea, China, the U.S., etc.

[Chiyo Akiyama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful to students of East Asian Studies and those interested in the subject. Contains much of detailed informations. The book is a recommendation from my prof. If you approach it with concentration and some reading skills (I'm a non native speaker), Jansens book will be a real treasure!

[Kai Forest · Rating 3 out of 5]

For someone who never reads history books, this was a perfect scope. Felt thorough and unbiased enough while covering over 400 years of history in a reasonable length. My only complaint is that the writing is full of garden path sentences and grammatical errors, which slowed down reading

[Ernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on about 400 years of Japanese history.

A long but very informative read on Japan. I lost some interest during the middle Shogun times but it picked up right before the fall of the Shogun.

[Bernard English · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably unfair to Japanese culture, but the most titillating parts of the book were the descriptions of contact between Japanese and Westerners. There's a lot here for those interested in different aspects of modern Japan--not just the politics.