Japanese Culture

by H. Paul Varley

For nearly three decades Japanese Culture has garnered high praise as an accurate and well-written introduction to Japanese history and culture. This widely used undergraduate text is now available in a new edition. Thoroughly updated, the fourth edition includes expanded sections on numerous topics, among which are samurai values, Zen Buddhism, the tea ceremony, Confucianism in the Tokugawa period, the story of the forty-seven ronin, Mito scholarship in the early nineteenth century, and mass culture and comics in contemporary times.

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

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Jovi Ene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una dintre cele mai cuprinzătoare lucrări pe acest subiect, cartea lui Paul Varley studiază în amănunt felul în care principalele forme de artă japoneze au evoluat de-a lungul istoriei. Chestiunile istorice sunt amintite pe larg, pentru ca autorul să se concentreze pe cultură, în toate formele ei: arhitectură, pictură, poezie, teatrul no sau kabuki, religie, cinematografie, roman, primele forme de critică literară, olărit, gheișe sau organizarea caselor.
Mi-ar plăcea să am în bibliotecă volume asemănătoare pentru toate marile culturi ale lumii.
Am scris un prim articol despre carte aici (un altul va apărea săptămâna viitoare): http://filme-carti.ro/stiri/editorial...

[Solitudes · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is not your ordinary book, is huge, is hard to read, is using your brains at 100% and still wants some more of them. took me a long time to read it considering the huge amount of info in it and the additional readings I've need or the additional research needed in order to understand some more specific aspects from this book. after finished it I've had the urge to re-read it, this time taking written notes on some topics in order to further study them ( by reading about them on wiki or in other books related to the subject). definitely is not a book which you might read on a train or on your toilet, but on a desk with at least google at hand. one of the best books on "culture" subject I've ever read and most probably one of the books I will re-read in the next year.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I found it concise yet comprehensive, readable while still fairly rigorous. Far from being the last word about anything, this is the kind of book that sorts out all those things you've heard/learned about Japanese culture and helps you understand how they fit together. My only complaint is the excessively detailed treatment of the modern era--the block quotes (which otherwise had been used quite judiciously) were too long and the narrative seemed to lack the focus that was present in other chapters. Still very much recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in Japanese culture and its history.

[☃️ Quirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a solid overview of Japanese culture, it leaned more heavily on theater, art, and literature than I expected but that makes a lot of sense for a book about culture ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think the parts about the 47 Ronin, the Chinese art, and pre-WW2 reactionary shift were what I learned the most from

[Mircea Poeana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Japonia apare in ochii europenilor ca un haiku sau ca un puzzle sudoku.
Japonezul iubeste cultura, dar cand e vorba sa lupte e aprig.
Cand te nasti si traiesti in Tara Soarelui Rasare te raportezi la valori solare.
Munca, demnitate, simplitate, tenacitate, curaj, creativitate, loialitate...
Iar frumusetea detaliului, desi trecatoare, te poate ridica la zenit in orice clipa.
Atunci viata se caligrafiaza in cea mai subtila si fermecatoare ideograma.

[Shyames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Świetnie wyważone podsumowanie ogromu japońskiej kultury. Bardzo dobrze zachowany balans pomiędzy historią, polityką a zmianami w sztuce w kolejnych epokach. Polecam każdemu miłośnikowi kultury japońskiej!

[OsakaMark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reads like a textbook - a great textbook. Covers an enormous amount of material (culture and history) briefly and lucidly. Often I wanted more . . . but it's a textbook. Highly recommended.

[Weronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a reason why so many universities place this book on their reading lists for pupils of Japanese Studies. Varley gives a good overview of Japanese culture (with phenomena such as the traditional tea ceremony or religions like Buddhism and Shinto) and arts including literature, architecture and performing arts such as kabuki or noh. He also gives a strong historical base, describing the most important events of each era in Japan’s history, giving context which is needed to fully understand the Japanese arts, what they meant to their contemporaries, and what they could mean to us now. This book is definitely a must-read for anyone interested in Japan, either as an entity or just in some of the disciplines of arts. I would’ve given the book four stars but unfortunately I felt that, starting with the Meiji restoration, the historical bits were rushed and some context was lost, but that is understandable when it comes to books dealing with such a huge period of time.

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Varley's Japanese culture does have some educational value as far as explaining things like art history and basic aspects of Shinto. However author sometimes writes in extensive detail about art periods and styles, while neglecting other aspects of history. Example: Varley explains the general pattern, style, and set up of a Buddhist temple, but provides no possible factor, reason, or theory on why the Soga clan would suddenly oppose reform after years pursuing it under Prince Shotoku, and simply states that they did so. Author frequently seems to write from the perspective that China created Japan via religion, bureaucratic systems, art, and writing systems.
The book would have more value if 1) Varley could decide whether he is writing a book on Japanese history or on the history of Japanese art. 2) Could at least elaborate when making claims like "In contrast to the Indians, who have always been absorbed with metaphysical and religious speculation and scarcely at all with history, the Chinese are among the world's greatest record-keepers" or how China had a "civilizing influence" on Japan during the development of Nara.

[Stanley Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable, wide-ranging discussion of Japanese culture in all its forms with consideration of external influences and internal development. Includes 62 illustrations in the form of good quality photographic plates.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a textbook. Not the most exciting, page-turning read, but I learned a LOT. There's probably a newer edition..? This one was published in 2000 and pretty much stops at 1990, which is a shame because I found the last chapter on modern culture in Japan to be the most interesting.

[Gianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this for class and it was really interesting. kind of dry at times but full of really great information. real good for writing essays about japan.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continually updated, this is a must-read for students of Japanese history.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

[Riri · Rating 5 out of 5]

traumatizing, had to use it for an essay

[Adam Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

As textbooks goes this is one of the best ones I've ever come across. In general my knowledge of history is incredibly limited; I'm not even sure if any of the things I learnt in school were even relevant. Over the past few years, I have been studying Japanese as a personal hobby and have since fallen in love with the country.

This book has been vastly helpful in expanding my understanding of the country as a whole; meticulously examining the development of the country and its culture over the years; from origin until the early '90s. There was so much history that I just did not know about, as well as many answers to some of the things I had always wondered about. While I'm sure that I'll probably forget many of the details covered here, it was still helpful to learn about them.

The only real downside to this text was that at times it could be quite dense to read. Still, a great text nonetheless. Worth reading for those interested in learning all about Japan and its wonderfully unique culture.

[Kevin Stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent survey of Japan's history written by today's most celebrated American professor of Japanese Studies . Varley has since retired from Teaching, but when I took his lectures at the University of Hawaii, he was most engaging and informative.

[Mizumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It didn't feel like I was reading a study book most of the time. Small details help to keep it interesting, and some in-between remarks that made me snicker. It doesn't really feel like a big essay, but more like an interesting informative book.

[Magda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all the Japan addicts out there!

[Randolph Camp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book on the Japanese people and their culture back in Junior High School. It gave me a great insight into their world.

[Toscano · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete and wonderful written book about japanese culture. Adviced for beginners and non

[Andrea Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author was pretty offensive and should not be writing about another culture.