A Brief History of Japan: Samurai, Shogun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun

by Jonathan Clements

This fascinating history tells the story of the people of Japan, from ancient teenage priest-queens to teeming hordes of salarymen, a nation that once sought to conquer China, yet also shut itself away for two centuries in self-imposed seclusion.

First revealed to Westerners in the chronicles of Marco Polo, Japan was a legendary faraway land defended by a fearsome Kamikaze storm and ruled by a divine sovereign. It was the terminus of the Silk Road, the furthest end of the known world, a fertile source of inspiration for European artists, and an enduring symbol of the mysterious East. In recent times, it has become a powerhouse of global industry, a nexus of popular culture, and a harbinger of postindustrial decline.

With intelligence and wit, author Jonathan Clements blends documentary and storytelling styles to connect the past, present and future of Japan, and in broad yet detailed strokes reveals a country of paradoxes: a modern nation steeped in ancient traditions; a democracy with an emperor as head of state; a famously safe society built on 108 volcanoes resting on the world's most active earthquake zone; a fast-paced urban and technologically advanced country whose land consists predominantly of mountains and forests.

Among the chapters in this Japanese history book are:
• The Way of the Gods: Prehistoric and Mythical Japan
• A Game of Thrones: Minamoto vs. Taira
• Time Warp: 200 Years of Isolation
• The Stench of Butter: Restoration and Modernization
• The New Breed: The Japanese Miracle

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Asia, Travel, Japanese History

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Jonathan Clements is an author, translator, biographer and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Marco Polo, Mao Zedong, Koxinga and Qin Shihuangdi. He also writes for NEO magazine and is the co-author of encyclopedias of anime and Japanese television dramas.

Reviews

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting history book, especially in the second half.

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent short history of Japan, both entertaining and informative. For those looking for an entertaining read, you will appreciate the short introductory stories for each time period. For those looking to learn a lot about Japan in a short period of time, you will appreciate how the author is able to condense information while still maintaining a crisp pacing to the book.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for visitors to Japan. This book is very readable, and turned years of long history to a short book. Each chapter focused on a critical part of history, with a dramatized introduction of a story that reflects the parts.

So the Emperors are descended from the Gods, and archeology work on burial mounds are more or less prohibited. Clements strongly argued that the indigenous Ainu people were people who came from Asia long long ago, and later newcomers from Korea, especially the Kingdom of Baekje. This is because some Korean kings claimed the same ancestry from the gods. Kyoto city plan and customs were mostly copied from Tang China, and kamikaze saved Japan from the Mongols. The Samurai were minor disgraced nobles who were sent to fight the indigenous barbarians who then took over the power from the emperor. The peak period of the Shogun however led to 200 years of isolation until Mathew Perry cane with his steam boats. Japan quickly opened up after that and under Emperor Meiji the Samurai were disbanded. However they were mostly incorporated into the armed forces. They soon took over and decided to invade Asia, finally being defeated by America with her atomic bombs. Of course then the Occupation occured and America had to work with people involved with the war machine... Post war, Japan grew her industries and at one point was poised to take over the world. Japanese methods were admired everywhere, until the property bubble burst and the Lost decade started. Young people born around that period became Otaku (nerds) or even stayed at home and avoided contact with the outside world.

The current problem is mainly demographics. Even Abenomics cannot solve it: ultimately either Japan depopulates, or some form of immigration would happen. Women are still expected to marry and then stay home There is not enough childcare to let women continue to work after giving birth. Men openly proclaimed that they would not serve a woman boss. Those must be solved or else the birth rate problem, just like most Eastern Asia, would not get better.

[Lava Yuki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was very convoluted and difficult to follow. I found that it rambled on a lot and didn’t fully explore important aspects in a clear understandable fashion. I found Wikipedia to be better at explaining Japanese history. The Sengoku era, Tokugawa, Nobunaga and Toyotomi was very brief compared to earlier chapters despite them being important figures in Japanese history. Compared to other books on Japanese history that I’ve read, this was poorly written and made things more complicated that they should be.

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t know what all the complains are about. This book is genuinely a good, brief history of Japan. Like i’m sorry the author doesn’t go into immense detail about the theory of absolutism, or individual members of the bakafu, but this book truly is brief, and I think the details the author decided to focus on really interesting.
This book covers such a massive amount of time and events, and manages to summarise it in such a concise and informative way, I have to commend the author.

[Massimo Pigliucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like countless others, I’ve been fascinated with Japan and its culture for a long time, and have had the pleasure and honor to visit the country and experience firsthand some of the places mentioned in this delightful little guide by Jonathan Clements. The book does what the title says: it provides the reader with a brief history of Japan, including informative and insightful treatments of Samurai, Shoguns, and Zen. In less than three hundred pages you will time travel from the legendary midsts of Japan’s prehistory to the current demographic and economic crisis which, the author reasonably argues, will mark the beginning of yet another chapter in the long history of a place and people that—despite their reputation for sticking to tradition—constantly and imaginatively reinvent themselves. Clements doesn’t pull punches when they don’t need to be pulled, but also generally displays a sympathetic attitude toward his subject matter, the result of which is that we get a fairly balanced treatment of both the wonders and limitations of Japanese culture. One of the things that become clear the more you read about other cultures, though, is that everyone thinks of themselves as somehow special, and yet the very same themes recur over and over because, you know, we are all human beings after all. I’m hoping to pay another visit to the land of the Rising Sun, and this book will certainly be my companion to help me appreciate it even better.

[Sato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth be told, I am a little torn on this book. On the one hand, it does what it wants to do, namely give the reader a relatively brief overview of Japanese history from the earliest days to the current era. On the other, it has some shortcomings that were not ideal - at least in my eyes.

First, I want to stress that I don't regret reading this and I do think it is a decent work. I understand how hard it is to write an overview about the history of a whole nation. While reading, it was clear that Clements did his research and tried to include as much information about Japan and its cultural development as possible.

However, I had a few qualms with this book. One was structure. While the chapters of the book themselves make sense, the focus in them is...let's say unusual. Clements often didn't focus on the major events other history books tend to focus on. Which by itself is not terrible, but it is weird and not ideal. There were a few moments where I thought: "That's interesting, but why are we talking about this?", since things became very detailed in places while other events were brushed over very briefly. One example is the Pacific War which was quite short in comparison and only mentioned Japans war crimes in passing.

I also felt like Clements sometimes just assumed his readers know about certain events or people, because he offered little to no explanation about them. Which is okay for people more familiar with Japan, but lacking for those who are not. So I must wonder, who is this book for exactly?

Then there is also the topic of objectivity. From time to time Clements includes his own opinions and conclusions. To give an example, he dedicates quite some space to the Emishi, a people who lived in northern Honshū and are extinct today. Much about their history and culture is lost to time and it is likely that they consisted of several tribes. Now, Clements makes the claim, that the Emishi are basicially what is truly 'Japanese' and that all the rest of Japanese culture is just imported and therefore not Japanese. It's a jab at the Japanese national pride, which he critizes. Which you can of course, but to say that only the Emishi are truly unique when it comes to Japanese culture....is a little bold?

Lastly, there is the writing, which is good for the most part, while also quite dry in places. At the same time Clements tries to loosen it up a little, which is fine, albeit not always fitting. I don't know, there were times when he was pretty flippant with events I thought required a little more seriousness. It's not a major point though, and other readers might feel differently about this.

So, would I recommend this book? Not sure, to be honest. It's not bad and I'm glad I read it all things considered. That being said, it's not going to become a favorite of mine.

[Wee Lassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to be a Samurai, and other things I did not say when reading this book 📚🤩

[Jason Koivu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief yes, but a good primer. There's a lot of history to be had in that little country!

[Filippo Diotalevi · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author seems to ignore any communication good practice or technique and goes on and on for hundred of pages listing hundreds of names of emperors, families and shogun. You are much better off studying Japanese history on Wikipedia

[Ilya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. It gives a decent overview of Japanese history starting with Minamoto clan's rule and ending with Japan's contemporary standing in the world. My main complaint is that we barely spend any meaningful time in any given time period. I guess I should have expected that based on the title of this book. Overall, this was a book packed with information but don't expect any detailed analysis.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent overview of Japanese history. As with a lot of history, there’s a focus on wars and transfer of power. I appreciated the author’s additions of tidbits like how sushi came to be and his commentary on how Japanese culture evolved as a result of key historic events. The last chapter is less about the Japan of today and more the author’s predictions of what Japan has to do to succeed in the future.

[Alfred · Rating 2 out of 5]

350 pages and not one mention of hentai.

[June García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entretenido e informativo. Logra muy bien la titánica tarea de resumir siglos de historia, sin volverlo monótono.

Qué alucinante todo.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you would like to get a concise and brief overview of Japanese history, I would recommend this book.

To be fair, this is the first book I have read about Japan and its history, so this review might not be suited for people who already are familiar with the country. But if you are just like I was, without any clue, this book might offer you some concise insights.

Clements goes through the country's dense history chapter by chapter, but sometimes tends to run a bit astray. Yet, some nice facts and understanding of the country can be read throughout the book. The book is especially nice to read when traveling in the Kyoto and Nara region, as many places will gain more historical value. Plus it brings the history telling of the book to life.

The writing style is clear and understandable for any audience. Even though I would have liked the author to go more into depth in certain parts or about certain sources, I understand his choices in cutting down parts of the story in order to bring forward a compact book.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it is brief. The ancient, pre-modern history can be a little bit hard to follow and the author delves deep into abstract narrative during the first 100 pages. After this, it becomes easier to read. There is depth in some areas but not in others, which I guess is what you can expect from a 270 page book on an entire nation’s history.

[Joaquín · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meanders way too much. While I appreciate the sometimes novelistic style in which he writes, it often distracted from the main point for me.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a Japan expert so I am unable to be intellectually critical of this book, but I found it absolutely fabulous. It’s very readable, with each chapter opening with a historical anecdote written in thrilling and descriptive prose. The history is well summarized in a way that’s informative but still engaging, with a nice sprinkle of humor. I really appreciated how the author made sure to include the experiences of women throughout the centuries, and I thought it was quite objective in portraying the triumphs and mistakes of leaders. I do think it could have expanded more on the treatment of indigenous Ainu and Ryukyu peoples, as well as the experiences of immigrant workers in the modern era. These issues were briefly mentioned, but not expanded upon. If you are a history nut like me I think you’ll like this one.

[Emmy Lou Musgrave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book was very informative, but very dense. That is to be expected from a 300 page book that is trying to cover several thousand years of history. It starts with the creation myths of Japan and it ends in the 2010's with projections for the 2020's for Japanese economics and business (oh if only they knew what would happen!). For most of the early history segments, it was a lot of names, a lot of emperors and switching of powers, so I found it a bit hard to follow.

I think that this book was a great way to introduce myself to Japanese history, but I will definitely need to do more reading over specific time periods later on.

[Maria-Cristina Dițu · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I'm preparing for my first trip to Japan, I've started looking for more resources to help me better understand the country and its history and culture. I believe that if you are already familiar with Japan's past this may feel a bit too light as it doesn't go too deep into any subject in particular. The style is clear to understand and the author does a fairly decent job at going through a dense, quite complicated at times and different history and culture.

I will continue my journey and explore the history of the samurais, Japanese art through Hokusai, Noh and Kabuki theatre, along with events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor, which impacted the way the land of the rising sun evolved.

[Klaas Bottelier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright, interesting, quite well written but not complete enough for me. The book is not really long enough to do all of Japanese history justice, their history is so long and full of interesting periods, and I didn't always agree with what was included and what was excluded. The three great unifiers (Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, Ieyasu) don't get much attention at all for instance. I read this before visiting Japan itself, so I did enjoy reading it.

[Rohan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some reviewers didn't enjoy the first half, but I kind of liked the little snippets of intrigue.

The second half was also a great (but rushed, definitely "brief"!) recap of Japan.
I learnt that Japan economic miracle actually was an American who lived in Japan's advice.

Also that ramen came because American food aid was in the form of grain, so they had to find ways of using that.

[Nick Ryce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that begins extremely promisingly, encapsulating much of the interesting history surrounding the origins of Japan and its culture that rapidly begins to fall apart as soon as the modern age begins, often glossing over or skipping important events entirely whilst fascinating over the mundanity of Japan's economic system post WWII for chapters on end.

[S.Baqer Al-Meshqab · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Gollos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! As the title indicates, it’s a brief history of Japan, so don’t expect to go too much in the details. Still, it does give you a fair amount of knowledge to know what period you might find interesting and see links with the modern day politics and culture present in Japan.

Overall very good to dip your toes in Japanese history. Would strongly recommend as a starter book about Japan!

[Rob1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The early sections are hard to follow with the narrative being generally disjointed/dry but the history post Japan's era of seclusion was much easier to follow.

[Max D'onofrio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable short history of japan that also covers interesting cultural aspects. I read them when travelling to Japan and just wanted something to help me immerse myself in the history of Japan. Makes me want to read more on the country.

[Yura Gavrilovich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked some parts of the book but was extremely bored by others. These boring parts reminded me of similarly dry history books from school with enumerations of battles, emperors, and endless dates. Another shortcoming is that in audiobook format it's hard to grasp Japanese names and places that you hear for the first time.

[Cav · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent concise telling of Japanese history.
It is just long enough to cover the pivotal stories and figures of Japanese history, but not so long that it has you lost in the minutia.
Author Jonathon Clements writes with an easy, engaging style, that holds the reader's attention well.
"A Brief History of Japan" is well researched, written, and delivered. A welcome change from many other history books I have read. As such, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in Japanese history.
5 stars.

[Gaurav Lele · Rating 2 out of 5]

No classification, no great structure -

The narrative just jumps from one century to another without informing the reader of context.

The content is good but weird organization and classification makes it difficult to read and follow