The World Turned Upside Down: Medieval Japanese Society

Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture

by Pierre-François Souyri, Kathe Roth (Translator)

In the late twelfth century, Japanese people called the transitional period in which they were living the "age of warriors." Feudal clans fought civil wars, and warriors from the Kanto Plain rose up to restore the military regime of their shogun, Yoritomo. The whole of this intermediary period came to represent a gap between two stable the ancient period, dominated by the imperial court in Heian (today's Kyoto), and the modern period, dominated by the Tokugawa bakufu based in Edo (today's Tokyo).

In this remarkable portrait of a complex period in the evolution of Japan, Pierre F. Souyri uses a wide variety of sources―ranging from legal and historical texts to artistic and literary examples―to form a magisterial overview of medieval Japanese society. As much at home discussing the implications of the morality and mentality of The Tale of the Heike as he is describing local disputes among minor vassals or the economic implications of the pirate trade, Souyri brilliantly illustrates the interconnected nature of medieval Japanese culture.

The Middle Ages was a decisive time in Japan's history because it confirmed the country's national identity. New forms of cultural expression, such as poetry, theater, garden design, the tea ceremony, flower arranging, and illustrated scrolls, conveyed a unique sensibility―sometimes in opposition to the earlier Chinese models followed by the old nobility. The World Turned Upside Down provides an animated account of the religious, intellectual, and literary practices of medieval Japan in order to reveal the era's own notable cultural creativity and enormous economic potential.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction, Japanese History, Asia, Reference, Medieval History

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Pierre François Souyri est un historien français spécialiste de l'histoire du Japon.

Reviews

[Rin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the Japanese Middle Ages, including military and society. There's some chapter for religion and culture but mostly it's about the former. Chapters are short and easy to follow, if you don't get lost with similar names, and are usually conected with one another forming a linear narative that follows chronological order. This means that chapter about Gempei war is followed by a chapter about Yoritomo and bakufu and the next one is about Hojo regency, the next is about Ashikaga and then Onin war and so on. In between are chapters about religion and culture and certain figures that are more or less important for a grand scheme of things, people like Dogen for example.

I wish this book went into more details when it comes to ritsuryo system and the "japanese feudalism", since that is particulary important part of the early japanese society.
Also, I wish there was more about the economy of the middle age Japan as well about relations with the mainland (China, Korea).

Still, I liked the book and its easy approach to complex themes and topics.
Really helpfull for understanding the society of Japan before the 17. ct.

4/5 stars, recommend it to those familiar with some themes of medieval and early modern Japan.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense and excellent chronological resource on medieval Japan.

[Alex Helling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Japan’s ‘middle ages’ start at the end of the 12th century with the Kamakura Bakufu seizing power from the aristocracy and the emperor who had ruled for centuries. This was the samurai, those who serve, engaging in a revolution. ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ as the title of this book by Pierre Souyri has it. This period where up was often down with social dynamism lasted up to the founding of the Tokugawa Bakufu just over four centuries later. This was a period of instability and it is best known for the way that the fracturing of society creates multiple civil wars. But rather than looking at the negative, Souyri seeks to explore medieval Japan as a dynamic and flourishing region, not just one in the grip of constant crisis.

Pros
Good introductory text
Shows Medieval Japan as a dynamic flourishing, if chaotic place

Cons
Spread rather thin

There would certainly be better books for a general history or narrative of events during this period - my recommendation would be George Sampson’s history of Japan, the second half of volume I plus volume II. However this is a bit different as while it follows history chronologically it is not trying to be an all encompassing or general history of the period the book covers. Rather it is about the dynamism and amount of social change that medieval japan went through - about as the title says where the low overthrow the high. In the case of Japan this means the rise of the samurai seizing power from the aristocracy and emperor, and eventually from the emperor’s representatives in the form of the shogunate too. So in theory it is more narrowly focused.

And it is remarkable how often this theme of social change is applicable. While it is most apparent politically and therefore economically through land ownership it happens across society; in the rise of merchants and towns, in changes from Buddhism with much more egalitarian cults, in peasant leagues etc. It is this that brings dynamism with business, trade, culture and art booming despite the ongoing conflicts. Souyri explores the way that this changed societal structures and new systems. It was eventually a new system that meant stability was once more attained.

Having said the world turned upside down is not aiming at being a general history the sheer prevalence of the theme through this period of Japanese history means it does end up covering a lot of the same ground, with the result that in a book of just around 200 pages, it is spread very thinly. And this means that a lot of the time Souyri is not providing all the answers. Thus the book stops without a good look at how Japan stabilised.

Being spread thinly is not all bad. It serves as a good introduction to many of the key issues in medieval Japanese history; the key trends, flashpoints. And since the book does go chronologically focusing as much on the thread of history as the general theory being set out it also introduces the key actors and events. Being chronological without getting into the detail much also means it is quick to read and easy to understand.

Overall an interesting take on medieval japan but anyone who has read more detailed books on the period are unlikely to learn much as much of the positive dynamic take can be taken from those. While it is perhaps odd to take a book that is pushing a theory of sorts as an introduction to the period The World Turned Upside Down can serve as such so I would also recommend it for those new to the topic.

[Emylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class // This was fine! For a small book, Souyri includes a lot of info. I had to skim it cause it's due, but I learned a lot of Medieval Japan and would like to go back and read it again when I can absorb a lot more.

[untitled lullaby · Rating 2 out of 5]

So dull. Takes ages to read. Has a strong start but it just gets more and more dull. It is the writing I think. Sengoku Judai is way more interesting and easier to read because it has a better writing style.

[Alex Beaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not recommended for beginners to Japanese history. It was a slog for me and I didn’t enjoy the writing or organization of the chapters.

[Jolie Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a school history research paper and it was really helpful! Really cool insight and very knowledgeable but accessible and not too difficult to understand. Cool concept!

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb single-volume history of the complex story of Japan from the 12th to the 16th Century. This was an era of political instability and social change, which included several key assassinations, civil wars, and struggles for power among numerous actors. It culminates in the sengoku jidai ("Time of the country at war"), when hundreds of warlords (daimyo, "Great Names") ruled essentially autonomous domains. Pierre-François Souyri does a great job of discussing the various political struggles, which is tricky given the shear number of personalities and families involved, and he notes how different kinds of institutions rose and fell during this turbulent era: emperors and their courts, shoguns, great families, regional military men, peasant associations, Buddhist and Shinto temples, and urban associations. The social order was fairly fragmented by the 1400s, and the era is also known as Gekokujō ("The low commanding the upper"). Souyri suggests that as Japan itself developed economically and socially, the power balance of different kinds of actors fluctuated. Few emperors achieved real political power after 1200s, shoguns became ineffective, cities and towns grew along with trade, and the ability to secure local peace predominated over any kind of traditional legitimacy. At several times, Souyri discusses the obvious comparison of feudal Japan to its near contemporary European counterpart, and finds both similarities and differences between the two systems. The most important difference being the theory that all of Japan was owned by the emperor, and thus there was a greater instability to the legitimate control of particular parcels of land.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A newer study (2002) by Pierre Souyri of Kamakura and Muromachi shoguns and economic and social history.

[Jinsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Translation of a fascinating non-fiction tracing the history of medieval Japan. Helpfully contextualises with a crash course in the country's ancient history and explains how this most un-Judeo-Christian of cultures came to be; with the right mix of compelling anecdotes and sociological statistics that is essential to any trustworthy and readable historical tome. Seppuku and beauty in a parallel universe.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great general overview of Japanese history during the medieval period of the late twelfth through sixteenth centuries.

[Kakanier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gehört zu den besten Büchern, die ich gelesen habe. Ein Hoch auf die Franzosen.