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A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower
In a rare collection of comprehensive coverage and sustained critical focus, this book examines Japanese history in its entirety to identify the factors underlying the nation's progression to superpower status. Japan's achievement is explained not merely in economic terms, but at a more fundamental level, as a product of historical patterns of response to circumstance. Japan is shown to be a nation historically impelled by a pragmatic determination to succeed. The book also highlights unresolved questions and little known facts.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
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About the author
Kenneth G. Henshall
21 books18 followersKenneth G. Henshall is a graduate of the universities of London (B.A.), Sydney (PhD), and Adelaide (Dip. Ed.), and is now a professor of Japanese at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. He has also taught at the universities of Auckland, Western Australia, California and Waikato. He is well-known for his translations of literature and history books, and is the author of A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
February 14, 2019
3.5
Took a very long time bur very informative.
From this book I ended up wanting to read +100 Books Lol
Took a very long time bur very informative.
From this book I ended up wanting to read +100 Books Lol
August 7, 2025
There are books you buy in passing, and there are books that walk with you for decades. A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower by Kenneth G. Henshall belongs to the latter kind for me—a quiet, steady companion picked up from the bustling chaos of the 2006 Kolkata Book Fair. It wasn’t the centerpiece of the day.
In fact, I bought it almost absentmindedly, lured more by the crisp Oxford University Press cover than by any deep interest in Japanese history at the time. And yet, like a patient friend, the book waited until I was ready.
To place it in memory is to return to the dust-clouded fairgrounds, still reeling from the aftertaste of 2004’s Neruda-drenched inauguration, where Chile was the theme country and Raúl Zurita had conjured a strange mix of grief and resistance in the presence of too much police and too few readers. The tents were brighter, yes, but the roads weren’t paved, and a single gust of wind could turn the afternoon into a battle scene.
Somewhere between discussions of Canto General and overpriced egg rolls, the idea of distant nations took root. Japan, silent and stoic in its corner of the Asian psyche, came later—more mysterious, more closed-off, and yet somehow more intimate than the fiery lyricism of Latin America.
When I first opened Henshall’s book, I expected the usual textbook tone—monarchs, dates, and the tedious dance of conquests. Instead, I found a deceptively slender volume with a remarkably fluid voice. Henshall manages the impossible: a chronological history that doesn’t feel like an exam prep guide. From the earliest signs of settlement in the archipelago to the techno-slick reality of post-bubble Japan, his narrative is both concise and expansive, like a haiku that knows its own silence.
One of the book’s great strengths is its ability to synthesize enormous historical shifts without becoming reductive. The Jomon and Yayoi periods are not just primitive footnotes; they are examined in terms of their lasting impact on Japanese aesthetics, land use, and even the psychology of “group harmony” that continues to shape the culture. The samurai, so often romanticized or caricatured, are placed in their proper sociopolitical contexts—the warrior class as both elite powerholders and, paradoxically, victims of their own ethical rigidity.
When Henshall reaches the Tokugawa period, the writing becomes even more compelling. This was Japan as locked box, isolationist and introspective, fearful of Western contamination but deeply self-aware. He captures the paradox: a society rigid in structure, yet pulsing with underground change—kabuki theatre, ukiyo-e prints, and the subtle undermining of official narratives by everyday lives. I remember reading this section while travelling on a late-night train to Hyderabad, the compartment bathed in harsh yellow light, the world outside a blur of sleeping villages. Somehow, reading about Edo Japan—where peace bred boredom and stagnation—felt uncannily relevant to the bureaucratic fatigue of contemporary India.
Of course, no history of Japan can avoid the dark years: the Meiji Restoration, the rapid industrialization, the road to imperialism and war. Henshall doesn’t flinch. He lays bare the contradictions: a country that leapt centuries ahead technologically, but struggled to reconcile modernity with its own mythos. The war years—especially the lead-up to Pearl Harbor, the Rape of Nanking, the kamikaze fanaticism—are narrated with restraint, but not apologia. He avoids the twin traps of Western condemnation and nationalist justification. Instead, what emerges is a portrait of a nation spiraling from pride into devastation, not unlike a Noh performance where the mask refuses to come off even as tragedy unfolds.
But it is the post-war sections that remain with me most vividly. Japan rising from the ashes is not just economic history—it’s psychological metamorphosis. The trauma of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the enforced pacifism, the U.S. occupation—all these are handled with sensitivity and insight. Henshall deftly explains how this era saw the reimagining of Japanese identity: from militaristic empire to cultural exporter, from emperor-worship to gadget fetishism. It’s here that the title earns its weight—From Stone Age to Superpower is no hyperbole, but a poetic compression of a nation’s arc.
I read the chapter on the 1980s bubble economy in the mid-2000s, just before the global financial crash, and remember thinking: this sounds eerily familiar. Overconfidence, hyper-speculation, blind optimism—Japan’s “lost decade” was already whispering warnings to the rest of us. Henshall’s tone here is cautionary but also humane; he doesn’t gloat over Japan’s stumble. Instead, he contextualizes it within a broader pattern: nations rise, fall, and recalibrate. The difference with Japan, he suggests, is the elegance with which it manages the recalibration. That phrase stuck with me: elegant recalibration. I thought of the tea ceremony, of cherry blossoms, of Studio Ghibli’s post-industrial dreamscapes. Even in crisis, Japan retains a sense of aesthetic.
The book ends without the false promise of resolution. Henshall is wise enough to admit that history is always mid-sentence. As of the edition I read, the Heisei period was still unfolding, and Japan was grappling with demographic decline, political torpor, and cultural ennui. I appreciated this refusal to neaten the story. Japan is not a neat country; it is a nation of ellipses, where absence is as expressive as presence.
What makes A History of Japan endure for me is not just its information, but its mood. It reads like someone thinking aloud, walking through centuries with a thoughtful frown, pausing now and then to point out a curious turn in the path. Henshall doesn’t pretend to know everything, but he knows how to frame questions—Why does Japan fear chaos more than authoritarianism? How does a society built on conformity nurture so many rebels in literature and art? Why is forgetting, as much as remembering, crucial to national healing?
Over the years, I’ve returned to this book not as a reference, but as a touchstone. It lives on my shelf not among history textbooks, but beside travelogues and memoirs. It is a reminder that a country’s story is never foreign if one reads it with empathy.
And every time I open it, a thin film of Kolkata’s book fair dust seems to rise from its pages. The same dust that clung to shoes and saris and carried the smell of paper, sweat, and political debates. That dust, I think now, was the true theme country of every fair. It had travelled continents. It carried Neruda and Henshall, Marx and Mishima. It settled on spines and hands and brows, demanding patience. In that dust, I had found Japan.
In fact, I bought it almost absentmindedly, lured more by the crisp Oxford University Press cover than by any deep interest in Japanese history at the time. And yet, like a patient friend, the book waited until I was ready.
To place it in memory is to return to the dust-clouded fairgrounds, still reeling from the aftertaste of 2004’s Neruda-drenched inauguration, where Chile was the theme country and Raúl Zurita had conjured a strange mix of grief and resistance in the presence of too much police and too few readers. The tents were brighter, yes, but the roads weren’t paved, and a single gust of wind could turn the afternoon into a battle scene.
Somewhere between discussions of Canto General and overpriced egg rolls, the idea of distant nations took root. Japan, silent and stoic in its corner of the Asian psyche, came later—more mysterious, more closed-off, and yet somehow more intimate than the fiery lyricism of Latin America.
When I first opened Henshall’s book, I expected the usual textbook tone—monarchs, dates, and the tedious dance of conquests. Instead, I found a deceptively slender volume with a remarkably fluid voice. Henshall manages the impossible: a chronological history that doesn’t feel like an exam prep guide. From the earliest signs of settlement in the archipelago to the techno-slick reality of post-bubble Japan, his narrative is both concise and expansive, like a haiku that knows its own silence.
One of the book’s great strengths is its ability to synthesize enormous historical shifts without becoming reductive. The Jomon and Yayoi periods are not just primitive footnotes; they are examined in terms of their lasting impact on Japanese aesthetics, land use, and even the psychology of “group harmony” that continues to shape the culture. The samurai, so often romanticized or caricatured, are placed in their proper sociopolitical contexts—the warrior class as both elite powerholders and, paradoxically, victims of their own ethical rigidity.
When Henshall reaches the Tokugawa period, the writing becomes even more compelling. This was Japan as locked box, isolationist and introspective, fearful of Western contamination but deeply self-aware. He captures the paradox: a society rigid in structure, yet pulsing with underground change—kabuki theatre, ukiyo-e prints, and the subtle undermining of official narratives by everyday lives. I remember reading this section while travelling on a late-night train to Hyderabad, the compartment bathed in harsh yellow light, the world outside a blur of sleeping villages. Somehow, reading about Edo Japan—where peace bred boredom and stagnation—felt uncannily relevant to the bureaucratic fatigue of contemporary India.
Of course, no history of Japan can avoid the dark years: the Meiji Restoration, the rapid industrialization, the road to imperialism and war. Henshall doesn’t flinch. He lays bare the contradictions: a country that leapt centuries ahead technologically, but struggled to reconcile modernity with its own mythos. The war years—especially the lead-up to Pearl Harbor, the Rape of Nanking, the kamikaze fanaticism—are narrated with restraint, but not apologia. He avoids the twin traps of Western condemnation and nationalist justification. Instead, what emerges is a portrait of a nation spiraling from pride into devastation, not unlike a Noh performance where the mask refuses to come off even as tragedy unfolds.
But it is the post-war sections that remain with me most vividly. Japan rising from the ashes is not just economic history—it’s psychological metamorphosis. The trauma of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the enforced pacifism, the U.S. occupation—all these are handled with sensitivity and insight. Henshall deftly explains how this era saw the reimagining of Japanese identity: from militaristic empire to cultural exporter, from emperor-worship to gadget fetishism. It’s here that the title earns its weight—From Stone Age to Superpower is no hyperbole, but a poetic compression of a nation’s arc.
I read the chapter on the 1980s bubble economy in the mid-2000s, just before the global financial crash, and remember thinking: this sounds eerily familiar. Overconfidence, hyper-speculation, blind optimism—Japan’s “lost decade” was already whispering warnings to the rest of us. Henshall’s tone here is cautionary but also humane; he doesn’t gloat over Japan’s stumble. Instead, he contextualizes it within a broader pattern: nations rise, fall, and recalibrate. The difference with Japan, he suggests, is the elegance with which it manages the recalibration. That phrase stuck with me: elegant recalibration. I thought of the tea ceremony, of cherry blossoms, of Studio Ghibli’s post-industrial dreamscapes. Even in crisis, Japan retains a sense of aesthetic.
The book ends without the false promise of resolution. Henshall is wise enough to admit that history is always mid-sentence. As of the edition I read, the Heisei period was still unfolding, and Japan was grappling with demographic decline, political torpor, and cultural ennui. I appreciated this refusal to neaten the story. Japan is not a neat country; it is a nation of ellipses, where absence is as expressive as presence.
What makes A History of Japan endure for me is not just its information, but its mood. It reads like someone thinking aloud, walking through centuries with a thoughtful frown, pausing now and then to point out a curious turn in the path. Henshall doesn’t pretend to know everything, but he knows how to frame questions—Why does Japan fear chaos more than authoritarianism? How does a society built on conformity nurture so many rebels in literature and art? Why is forgetting, as much as remembering, crucial to national healing?
Over the years, I’ve returned to this book not as a reference, but as a touchstone. It lives on my shelf not among history textbooks, but beside travelogues and memoirs. It is a reminder that a country’s story is never foreign if one reads it with empathy.
And every time I open it, a thin film of Kolkata’s book fair dust seems to rise from its pages. The same dust that clung to shoes and saris and carried the smell of paper, sweat, and political debates. That dust, I think now, was the true theme country of every fair. It had travelled continents. It carried Neruda and Henshall, Marx and Mishima. It settled on spines and hands and brows, demanding patience. In that dust, I had found Japan.
August 27, 2009
A good place to start if you're interested in Japanese history. The focus on 20th century history is obvious, given that it takes up more than half the book. As someone who is not a fan of 20th century history (for any country), I'm not enthused and wished he'd spent more time on earlier periods. I did like the first 70 pages, which covers up to the end of the Tokugawa Period (1868). I also liked the summarizations at the end of each chapter. If I wasn't particularly interested in a given chapter, I could just read the end summary and get all the important information there (plus, it's good for future refrence).
Also, since it's so slim, there obviously can't be too much depth into daily life of Japan and the focus is more on important names/dates/wars/trends/etc. While this is understandable, I do miss the interesting anecdotes and ability to make history "come alive" that I get from my favorite history books.
Its focus on the 20th century and its necessarily cut-and-dry text is what gives it three stars instead of four, but for what it is (a brief overview of Japanese history), it's very good. I feel like I've now got a decent foundation for future readings on Japanese history.
Also, since it's so slim, there obviously can't be too much depth into daily life of Japan and the focus is more on important names/dates/wars/trends/etc. While this is understandable, I do miss the interesting anecdotes and ability to make history "come alive" that I get from my favorite history books.
Its focus on the 20th century and its necessarily cut-and-dry text is what gives it three stars instead of four, but for what it is (a brief overview of Japanese history), it's very good. I feel like I've now got a decent foundation for future readings on Japanese history.
March 20, 2016
A perfectly fine and, to me, uncontroversial, history of Japan. It is pretty concise and its strength lies in its succinctness: it'd be easy to fall into morasses and miasmas with the history of any country, but Henshall steers clear by focusing on the salient points, usually internal political development and events. But this is not without its shortcomings. Short thrift is given to Japan's international relations except where they were overly salient (like, say, WWII), and very little room is given over to any talk of the arts, film, literature, what-have-you.
But that's okay. Henshall delivers everything that you'd need and even makes some wacky sociological assertions that make you scratch your chin thoughtfully. Plus, with quotes like
"[I]t was the foreigners, who, metaphorically-speaking, had finally blown open the doors of the closed country. Western fart power had prevailed."
you can't really go wrong.
But that's okay. Henshall delivers everything that you'd need and even makes some wacky sociological assertions that make you scratch your chin thoughtfully. Plus, with quotes like
"[I]t was the foreigners, who, metaphorically-speaking, had finally blown open the doors of the closed country. Western fart power had prevailed."
you can't really go wrong.
June 10, 2018
3.5 Stars
A bit dated considering the book came out in 1999, and the book focuses mostly on the past century though it does give a break down of what we know of Japan's history from ancient to modern times. A good starter book for Japanese history, but for more information you would have to find more sources.
A bit dated considering the book came out in 1999, and the book focuses mostly on the past century though it does give a break down of what we know of Japan's history from ancient to modern times. A good starter book for Japanese history, but for more information you would have to find more sources.
July 27, 2021
Un libro che si ripropone di coprire millenni di storia in meno di 300 pagine non può che essere vago e generalista. Pecca a mio parere nell'ultima parte, in cui tratta la storia più recente concentrandosi fin troppo sulle questioni economiche e relegando gli aspetti sociali in secondo piano. Tutto sommato un libro decente, da cui magari prendere spunto per approfondire singoli periodi o tematiche altrove.
January 28, 2023
Muito bom (dito por um amigo que estudou história do Japão) sumário da história do Japão. O texto está muito bem referenciado, inclusive não poucas vezes com fontes que discordam entre si (em assuntos que não consensuais). Também, está bem escrito, como se fosse uma narrativa. A conclusão é um bocado nhe, um pouco por bias pessoal, mas também porque não consegue manter um único tom.
May 30, 2017
Ao contar a história do Japão, consegue explicar a mentalidade destes que criaram dois "milagres" económicos.
Acho que o livro fica mais interessante a partir da primeira guerra mundial. Até lá, a pessoa perde-se um bocado com os nomes e as situações. Mas fica sempre com uma ideia do que aconteceu.
Acho que o livro fica mais interessante a partir da primeira guerra mundial. Até lá, a pessoa perde-se um bocado com os nomes e as situações. Mas fica sempre com uma ideia do que aconteceu.
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December 16, 2022Uma história cujo valor está mais em nos introduzir aos temas japoneses que em ser uma narrativa. Anotei termos, livros e personagens para pesquisar depois (e que aos poucos vou marcando aqui). Era o que eu queria desde a compra do livro.
October 27, 2020
Henshall gives a clear, uncluttered story of Japan, with every chapter nicely summarized at the end. It's a tale of learning from those more powerful and then seeking to become the best. It's also a tale of learning from every mistake that can be made in that path of striving for mastery. The theme is told almost entirely in political and economic terms, with only indirect reference to the history of spirituality. The last challenge, of deciding what goal to strive for after the imperial, industrial, and financial bubbles, ends the book with the most fascinating questions yet.
February 26, 2021
Excellent book. Very readable with a good blend of broad overview of events and some of the details that enrich understanding of it. It can be difficult to recite the facts of history in an engaging manner, but Henshall succeeded here in my opinion. I appreciated his approach examining the values that were shown through several different eras in Japan and how they contributed to the path that history has taken in the nation.
December 1, 2023
Czytając ta książkę dostałam to czego oczekiwałam. Autor w dobrze ustrukturyzowany i logiczny sposób przedstawia historię Japonii. Każdy rozdział ma podsumowanie co pomaga lepiej przyswoić informacje. Jest to zdecydowanie książka dla osób z małą wiedzą na ten temat. Budzi zainteresowanie i łatwo się ją czyta. Pozostawia niedosyt i zachęca do sięgnięcia po kolejne pozycje, które bardziej szczegółowo poruszą poszczególne kwestie.
February 4, 2020
This book saved my final paper in college, I've never been so grateful. It's incredibly useful for those who wish to study about Japan and its rich history.
August 21, 2018
This was a great resource for filling in the gaps in my knowledge about Japan. In my experience, so many of the works of history available to Americans are weirdly specific to the American experience. Most focus either directly or indirectly on the Pacific War and the American occupation or else are dated looks at the Japanese business culture when they seemed like the great ascendant economic enemy in the 1980s.
So what I was really hoping to get from Henshall’s book was a quick overview of the formation of the Japanese state and a more in-depth look at the Meiji restoration and how it contributed to Japanese militarism and ultimately into the post-WW2 state that I was familiar with from other readings.
I’m pleased to say that it met my expectations in this respect. I got a lot more insight into the decision to close Japan to foreigners in the first place. This was incredibly important context to have to understand the veritable explosion outward during the Meiji era, which further informed the seemingly rational decisions that led the state to confront the west militarily.
Having all this context was important too for breaking down a lot of the misinformation and propaganda that underpins Japan’s myths even today. Reading about Emperor Hirohito in the American context, it’s sort of taken as granted that the Japanese believed in the godlike essence of their ruler and that the monarchy was an essential part of the state going back centuries.
That turns out not to be true! The power and presence of the emperor’s court has waxed and waned over the years, but really hasn’t been the locus of true power in the country for millennia. The emperor has long been a figurehead, beholden at various times to military leaders or merchants or even former emperors for their titular power. And when that lie tumbles, so too do others like the idea of the noble samurai.
Henshall covers a lot of material in a relatively abbreviated amount of space, so of course there were a lot of times when I wish he would have paused and gone into greater detail. But what can you do when you’re trying to fit so much into 300 pages? This is very much a textbook, all the way down to the charts at the end of chapters, listing attributes that the Japanese had acquired during specific eras and chapter summaries that I could see a younger version of myself reading in lieu of the complete text before a test. But sometimes that’s all you need!
So what I was really hoping to get from Henshall’s book was a quick overview of the formation of the Japanese state and a more in-depth look at the Meiji restoration and how it contributed to Japanese militarism and ultimately into the post-WW2 state that I was familiar with from other readings.
I’m pleased to say that it met my expectations in this respect. I got a lot more insight into the decision to close Japan to foreigners in the first place. This was incredibly important context to have to understand the veritable explosion outward during the Meiji era, which further informed the seemingly rational decisions that led the state to confront the west militarily.
Having all this context was important too for breaking down a lot of the misinformation and propaganda that underpins Japan’s myths even today. Reading about Emperor Hirohito in the American context, it’s sort of taken as granted that the Japanese believed in the godlike essence of their ruler and that the monarchy was an essential part of the state going back centuries.
That turns out not to be true! The power and presence of the emperor’s court has waxed and waned over the years, but really hasn’t been the locus of true power in the country for millennia. The emperor has long been a figurehead, beholden at various times to military leaders or merchants or even former emperors for their titular power. And when that lie tumbles, so too do others like the idea of the noble samurai.
Henshall covers a lot of material in a relatively abbreviated amount of space, so of course there were a lot of times when I wish he would have paused and gone into greater detail. But what can you do when you’re trying to fit so much into 300 pages? This is very much a textbook, all the way down to the charts at the end of chapters, listing attributes that the Japanese had acquired during specific eras and chapter summaries that I could see a younger version of myself reading in lieu of the complete text before a test. But sometimes that’s all you need!
February 4, 2018
O carte bună, din care am aflat pe scurt istoria Japoniei. Mi-a plăcut stilul concis, nepartizan, bogat în informații. Rezumatele și tabelele de la sfârșitul fiecărui capitol le găsesc foarte folositoare. Pentru mine este un exemplu de scriere a unei cărți de istorie într-o prezentare atrăgătoare, oferind date și momente definitorii pentru formarea Japoniei moderne. Stilul este unul curat, fără ornamente stilistice inutile, limbajul fiind accesibil unui public divers.
Întreaga carte se concentrează pe concluziile finale. Cumva profesorul Kenneth G. Henshall, conduce textul ca pe o intrigă polițistă spre unele concluzii care mi se par cel puțin tulburătoare. Omogenitatea japonezilor este văzută când ca un lucru rău (naționalism, șovinism, rasism), când ca sursă a puterii economice actuale (prin confucianism în primul rând). Lipsa de moralitate, sau mai corect spus extrema capacitate de a închide ochii la fărădelegi, atunci când interesele naționale le sunt oferite ca scuze, când este prezentat ca un lucru rău, când ca o formă de pragmatism ce le-a permis să ajungă o superputere.
Istoria se termină în 1999, data apariției în limba engleză. Între timp Japonia a mers mai departe, criza încă nu e complet trecută și unele lucruri s-au mai îmbunătățit (drepturile femeilor, sindicatele). Japonia rămâne un model de succes și o permanentă fascinație pentru europeni.
Întreaga carte se concentrează pe concluziile finale. Cumva profesorul Kenneth G. Henshall, conduce textul ca pe o intrigă polițistă spre unele concluzii care mi se par cel puțin tulburătoare. Omogenitatea japonezilor este văzută când ca un lucru rău (naționalism, șovinism, rasism), când ca sursă a puterii economice actuale (prin confucianism în primul rând). Lipsa de moralitate, sau mai corect spus extrema capacitate de a închide ochii la fărădelegi, atunci când interesele naționale le sunt oferite ca scuze, când este prezentat ca un lucru rău, când ca o formă de pragmatism ce le-a permis să ajungă o superputere.
Istoria se termină în 1999, data apariției în limba engleză. Între timp Japonia a mers mai departe, criza încă nu e complet trecută și unele lucruri s-au mai îmbunătățit (drepturile femeilor, sindicatele). Japonia rămâne un model de succes și o permanentă fascinație pentru europeni.
May 10, 2021
This is a brief, generally neutral survey of Japanese history from the first Japanese to the 2011 earthquake. It is not an in depth or scholarly work at all.
In its goal of brief history it succeeds in covering the major issues in Japanese history, while not lingering on any era too long. If you’re looking at reading in depth on a specific era of Japanese history this book probably isn’t for you, but if you want a good review it’s exactly what you want.
In its goal of brief history it succeeds in covering the major issues in Japanese history, while not lingering on any era too long. If you’re looking at reading in depth on a specific era of Japanese history this book probably isn’t for you, but if you want a good review it’s exactly what you want.
February 22, 2013
Review of third edition, rather than the second.
I found this book to be short, sweet, and full of a lot of interesting information. I knew very little about Japan's history and this book provided a concise summary. I think, after reading this, I may be able to better understand some of the Japanese novels I read a little more fully.
I found this book to be short, sweet, and full of a lot of interesting information. I knew very little about Japan's history and this book provided a concise summary. I think, after reading this, I may be able to better understand some of the Japanese novels I read a little more fully.
February 9, 2019
The author Kenneth George Henshall is an Associate Professor at the School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He is a specialist in Japan's history as well as a Japanese learning books writer. Well written, easy to access, it is particularly well structured. Each chapter ends with a review including a chronological time table and an other one with key values and practices. Which are really useful to summarize the chapter and make any research or memorization easier. Furthermore, the book is quiet well balanced between the periods, half of the book is about ante-Meiji historical period, half till nowadays.
As the title of the book states, it is a history of Japan from stone age to nowadays. It is a very good introduction to the rich history and culture of this special nation. We understand better their behavior which consists in learning the best from other powers (literacy, religion, firearms, technology, constitution), improving it and becoming the best or among the bests. We learn also about the less known history, like the threat of imperialists powers such as European nations, Russia or the US, which obliged military the country to sign inequals treaties, just like China. Adding this to a racist behavior towards Asian people, nationalism is a highly understandable path.
Cons of the book, it is a real shame that the book doesn't have any map to help us to locate prefectures, states or battles. How come nowadays a history book doesn't have at least one map of the country, especially in a such wise book ? An other minus is that homosexual relations between samourai is just evoked. Yes, this part of their behavior is far too much hidden to people and personally I didn't know that. Like Greeks in antiquity, the disciple use to have relation with his master/teacher. Then when he became master/teacher, the samourai had relations with his disciples, I read that on the internet. But the author wrote only 10 lines about it. Finally I find too bad that we don't have a real chapter about Japanese soft power ; martial arts, mangas, video games, cars, technologies or porn, why not ? They influenced a lot those industries but we don't have any statistic or data showing its importance.
However, overall the book is very good, but I can't give 5 stars while there is no map. It is very good introduction to Japan's history, a nation which occupies only 0,25% of the land of the planet, for 1,65% of world population, but is the 3rd economical power of the world. OSU !
As the title of the book states, it is a history of Japan from stone age to nowadays. It is a very good introduction to the rich history and culture of this special nation. We understand better their behavior which consists in learning the best from other powers (literacy, religion, firearms, technology, constitution), improving it and becoming the best or among the bests. We learn also about the less known history, like the threat of imperialists powers such as European nations, Russia or the US, which obliged military the country to sign inequals treaties, just like China. Adding this to a racist behavior towards Asian people, nationalism is a highly understandable path.
Cons of the book, it is a real shame that the book doesn't have any map to help us to locate prefectures, states or battles. How come nowadays a history book doesn't have at least one map of the country, especially in a such wise book ? An other minus is that homosexual relations between samourai is just evoked. Yes, this part of their behavior is far too much hidden to people and personally I didn't know that. Like Greeks in antiquity, the disciple use to have relation with his master/teacher. Then when he became master/teacher, the samourai had relations with his disciples, I read that on the internet. But the author wrote only 10 lines about it. Finally I find too bad that we don't have a real chapter about Japanese soft power ; martial arts, mangas, video games, cars, technologies or porn, why not ? They influenced a lot those industries but we don't have any statistic or data showing its importance.
However, overall the book is very good, but I can't give 5 stars while there is no map. It is very good introduction to Japan's history, a nation which occupies only 0,25% of the land of the planet, for 1,65% of world population, but is the 3rd economical power of the world. OSU !
September 23, 2020
This book took me positively eons to finish. My mum picked it up for me in a library book sale or something like that, because I was interested for a long time (and still am) in Japan and Japanese culture. Unfortunately, this book does not delve very deeply into the history of the living, breathing Japan so much as it does the facts and figures behind it. It is no great masterpiece of non-fiction, though I am not generally an avid reader of the genre and might not be the best judge.
Despite the frequent use of (what I thought of as) inappropriately emotive language for a cold-facts style history book, it is very dry and reads to me like a university textbook - I am unsure as to whether or not it was intended for that purpose. However, I would like to draw attention to one particular paragraph at the top of page 70 which made me actually laugh out loud:
I appreciated that it did not seem to require any previous knowledge and did not take it for granted that you already knew about certain events, as a lot of European history books I have previously stuck my nose into seem to. I also appreciated the reviews and handy tables at the end of each chapter, which give handy little recaps on the things covered - although to me it does seem that the whole book could have been abbreviated to include these alone.
I often found myself using this book to put me to sleep of an evening. All the same, it probably provides a good background and general overview for any further reading into the subject of Japanese history.
Despite the frequent use of (what I thought of as) inappropriately emotive language for a cold-facts style history book, it is very dry and reads to me like a university textbook - I am unsure as to whether or not it was intended for that purpose. However, I would like to draw attention to one particular paragraph at the top of page 70 which made me actually laugh out loud:
In any event, the rule of the shōguns, which had lasted for almost 700 years, was at an end. The foreign devils were back, and did not look like leaving. When these devils had first appeared, a popular cartoon, based on the Japanese tradition of ‘farting contests’ (he-gassen), had shown westerners being blasted away by Japanese farts. But such a scenario was, so to speak, just so much hot air. The foreign devils were not blown away. On the contrary, it was the foreigners who, metaphorically speaking, had finally blown open the doors of the closed country. Western fart power had prevailed.
I appreciated that it did not seem to require any previous knowledge and did not take it for granted that you already knew about certain events, as a lot of European history books I have previously stuck my nose into seem to. I also appreciated the reviews and handy tables at the end of each chapter, which give handy little recaps on the things covered - although to me it does seem that the whole book could have been abbreviated to include these alone.
I often found myself using this book to put me to sleep of an evening. All the same, it probably provides a good background and general overview for any further reading into the subject of Japanese history.
October 12, 2024
See on minu kolmas või isegi neljas kord seda raamatut lugeda viimase 14 aasta jooksul.
Iga kord on mind kõnetanud erinevad aspektid raamatust: ajaga lisandunud uued teadmised asetuvad järjest paremini konteksti.
Meeldis:
-> Teos on kirjutatud piisavalt informatiivselt, kuid mitte infoga üle uputades
-> Kokkuvõtted iga ajastu lõpus
-> Ajastu tunnetust aitavad paremini edasi anda erinevad katked kirjandusteostest
-> Autor on lisanud erinevaid naljakaid ajastule sobilikke võrdlusi
-> Kasutatud allikate loetelu raamatu lõpus
Mis oli puudu 5*st:
-> Kaarte/illustratsioone oleks pidanud olema rohkem (üheast kaardist raamatu juures on ilmselgelt vähe, kui sellele on viiteid erinevates peatükkides; pildimaterjal aitaks teatud ajaloolisi sündmusi ka paremini mõista)
-> Suguvõsade seletuste juures (nt. Tairad/Minamotod jne), oleks tekstis võinud olla ka skeemid vms
-> Edasiseks lugemiseks oleks võinud olla soovituslik kirjandus ka konkreetsete ajastute kohta
Iga kord on mind kõnetanud erinevad aspektid raamatust: ajaga lisandunud uued teadmised asetuvad järjest paremini konteksti.
Meeldis:
-> Teos on kirjutatud piisavalt informatiivselt, kuid mitte infoga üle uputades
-> Kokkuvõtted iga ajastu lõpus
-> Ajastu tunnetust aitavad paremini edasi anda erinevad katked kirjandusteostest
-> Autor on lisanud erinevaid naljakaid ajastule sobilikke võrdlusi
-> Kasutatud allikate loetelu raamatu lõpus
Mis oli puudu 5*st:
-> Kaarte/illustratsioone oleks pidanud olema rohkem (üheast kaardist raamatu juures on ilmselgelt vähe, kui sellele on viiteid erinevates peatükkides; pildimaterjal aitaks teatud ajaloolisi sündmusi ka paremini mõista)
-> Suguvõsade seletuste juures (nt. Tairad/Minamotod jne), oleks tekstis võinud olla ka skeemid vms
-> Edasiseks lugemiseks oleks võinud olla soovituslik kirjandus ka konkreetsete ajastute kohta
November 2, 2019
After reading Gordon's "A Modern History of Japan" which was twice thicker with longer pages and concentrate on the history since Meiji, I was a bit skeptical that Henshall would be able to tell me much more about Japanese history, as there isn't much to say about early and medieval history in 70 pages, and even less from Meiji in 110 pages. However, I really enjoyed this book. Not only was it more digestible than Gordon's, it is probably the best complete history of Japan from the stone age to now that I have read so far.
There are lots of interesting anecdotes and facts, and Henshall's summaries of key points in Japanese culture's development after each chapters are very efficient and perspicacious. There is very little useless commentaries or wasted space, without being too dense. Very good indeed !
There are lots of interesting anecdotes and facts, and Henshall's summaries of key points in Japanese culture's development after each chapters are very efficient and perspicacious. There is very little useless commentaries or wasted space, without being too dense. Very good indeed !
April 14, 2018
Il libro rappresenta un'ottima introduzione per chi intenda accostarsi alla storia del Giappone. Non avendo alcuna preparazione in materia, ho trovato il testo ben strutturato per acquisire un'idea di massima sulle vicende storiche del popolo del Sol Levante.
L'esteso arco storico abbracciato, dalla preistoria al mondo contemporaneo, nelle sole 300 pagine del libro è un po' sacrificato e la trattazione risulta in alcune parti sommaria, col rischio di smarrirsi tra i molteplici nomi e i continui conflitti, soprattuto in epoca feudale. Un ricca bibliografia offre in ogni caso le necessarie indicazioni per eventuali approfondimenti.
Ho utilizzato il testo come supporto per un approfondimento storico durante la lettura de "La letteratura giapponese" di Marcello Muccioli.
L'esteso arco storico abbracciato, dalla preistoria al mondo contemporaneo, nelle sole 300 pagine del libro è un po' sacrificato e la trattazione risulta in alcune parti sommaria, col rischio di smarrirsi tra i molteplici nomi e i continui conflitti, soprattuto in epoca feudale. Un ricca bibliografia offre in ogni caso le necessarie indicazioni per eventuali approfondimenti.
Ho utilizzato il testo come supporto per un approfondimento storico durante la lettura de "La letteratura giapponese" di Marcello Muccioli.
August 26, 2019
Insightful and a good introduction to Japanese history and what made Japan the superpower it is. The summary for each section also makes it easy for you to reference and refresh your memory for later time. But it is obvious that it focuses more on the more recent era, that is 20th century onward. Which is still fine by me, but what irks me the most is the unnecessary focus on the Pacific War. The war only took 4 years yet the section for it is thrice as long as say Tokugawa era which was 200-ish years long or Heian era which was almost 400 years long. If I want to read about the Pacific War, I would have read books specifically about it. I did not expect a blow by blow account of which port was attacked when in a book about the introduction of the history of Japan.
January 22, 2022
This is a peek into the struggles of a divided country during ancient times to the 1800s and its rapid change once the country was united. For those who are not interested in the details, at the end of each chapter is a summary as well as a bulleted list of the main occurrences. The writing is easy to follow and offers an insight into Japan's history up to 2010.
What could have improved this book are maps of the original warlords' domains and the change to prefectures since like me, many readers will know the location of Japan's cities, but be unfamiliar with the location of prefectures.
What could have improved this book are maps of the original warlords' domains and the change to prefectures since like me, many readers will know the location of Japan's cities, but be unfamiliar with the location of prefectures.
September 12, 2024
Once finished I had to check the publish date, because I felt right when we got to “superpower”, the conclusion hit. The fact that it was published in 1999 made everything make sense. I loved the deep history of the Stone Age, since I feel like schools in America focus only on Pearl Harbor and Japan’s economic standing from the 1980’s through the 2000’s. This felt unbiased, which is fantastic. However I wish it went more into Industrialism, rather then briefly mentioning the Bullet Train and brushing past factory work. Overall, a great read for history buffs!
August 3, 2018
Il giusto titolo per il libro dovrebbe essere "Breve storia del Giappone". I Fino al periodo Meji si fa un riassunto a grandi linee degli eventi, a livelli di sussidiario di scuola elementare/media mentre il dopo-guerra e' trattato in modo didascalico, elencando una serie infinita di eventi con poco approfondimento. E' un libro scritto bene, ricco di note e credo che in fondo questo sia il suo ruolo: fornire spunti a chi realmente interessato ad approfondire la storia del Giappone…altrove.
October 30, 2019
A nice book for beginners who want an overview in Japanese history. Especially the chapters for newer history (>1800) were very precise. Sadly, the old eras weren't developed as much as I would have liked, so if that's the part of biggest interest you might want to look for a different book.
Otherwise nicely explained and at the end of every chapter there is a summary for the correlating epoch.
Otherwise nicely explained and at the end of every chapter there is a summary for the correlating epoch.
April 25, 2023
Demasiadas datas e nomes. O input original do autor é fraco e baseado em 2 ou 3 chavões. Os assuntos mais interessantes são inexplicavelmente acordados em notas, que são imensas é onde frequentemente encontramos os aspectos mais interessante ainda que abordados de forma demasiado sucinta. Os resumos no final de cada capítulo inicialmente tem valor mas depois tornam-se numa espécie de receita instantânea. Transpira uma certa antipatia pelo Japão.
June 3, 2018
This is a reasonably good concise overview of Japanese history. It was last updated in 2012, so it doesn't say anything about the most recent years. Its summary's after each chapter and the use of tables mark it as a textbook for educational purposes. This also means that it can feel rather dry. But if you want a short factual overview, this book delivers.
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