A Short History of Tokyo

by Jonathan Clements

Tokyo, which in Japanese means the “Eastern Capital,” has only enjoyed that name and status for 150 years. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the city that is now Tokyo was a sprawling fishing town by the bay named Edo. Earlier still, in the Middle Ages, it was Edojuku, an outpost overlooking farmlands. And thousands of years ago, its mudflats and marshes were home to elephants, deer, and marine life. 

In this compact history, Jonathan Clements traces Tokyo’s fascinating story from the first forest clearances and the samurai wars to the hedonistic “floating world” of the last years of the Shogunate. He illuminates the Tokyo of the twentieth century with its destruction and redevelopment, boom and bust without forgoing the thousand years of history that have led to the Eastern Capital as we know it. Tokyo is so entwined with the history of Japan that it can be hard to separate them, and A Short History of Tokyo tells both the story of the city itself and offers insight into Tokyo’s position at the nexus of power and people that has made the city crucial to the events of the whole country.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Japan, Asia, Travel

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 6, 2020

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

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tiny book gives a brief, engagingly written summary of the history of Tokyo. Clements manages to pack an astonishing amount of information into comparatively few pages. For detailed period histories one must of course look elsewhere, but it's a good general overview and a quick, pleasant read.

[Books on Asia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was a fun read! Those who think history is boring will love this book; those who love history will also find this book entertaining. Clements focuses on the stories of Tokyo to tell the history of the city. Think the dog Hachikō, the samurai Saigō Takamori, the history of Ueno Park and other tidbits that give Tokyo its character. There is also a lot of stuff you'll find in any other history book, such as the meaning and controversies behind Yasukuni Shrine and the arrival of Commodore Perry's Black Ships in Tokyo Bay. I was particularly satisfied with the author's sensitive word choices describing "the arrival" of the Perry's Black Ships as opposed to the oft-used "opening of Japan" via the Black Ships since, as we know now, Japan capitulated under the threat of force. And while this challenge did result in Japan opening up its borders to trade with the West, Clements notes that when the Tokugawa Shogunate implemented its Sakoku era of self-isolation (starting in 1635), "The United States of America didn't even exist." In addition, rather than the oft-quoted claim that "Japan was almost completely cut off from the West" (which, while true, is often misconstrued that Japan had no contact with the outside world) Clements puts things in perspective again by explicating that the purpose of the edicts was to "highly limit foreign contacts, particularly with Europeans." Indeed, even through the Sakoku period Japan continued trade relations with China, Korea, Ryūkyū and the people of Yaezo (Hokkaido) as well as the Dutch.

Clements gives mostly cursory summaries of the major events, preferring to focus more on the details of smaller—but also significant—histories such as the "flowers of Edo" that allowed the city to constantly reinvent itself and the onset of electric lights affecting theaters and kabuki. Clements also gives much papyrus to place names and, while we're on the subject of the theater, tells us why we can't see a kabuki play in its namesake neighborhood of Kabukicho.

While I enjoyed Clements's light prose and whimsy, I didn't give it the full 5 stars because I found his style a little awkward. Many sentences I stumbled on and needed to reread to get the meaning. For example, when talking about the Meiji Emperor, the author says

"He saw in the great public works and early brick buildings that evoke nineteenth-century Japan for the modern tourist."

This sentence can be read two ways: "he saw in (noted) the public works and early brick buildings that...." or "he saw in (ushered in) the public works and early brick buildings...." but the reader doesn't know which it is until he/she gets to the end of the sentence. There were quite a lot of these constructions, so the beginning of the book was a bit rough-going till I got used to the ambiguity of this conversational tone. A tad better editing of such sentences would make for a smoother reader experience.

The back of the book gives a chronology of major events from to 628-2020 and includes even events not covered in the book. There is also a section on further reading, including the author's favorite books on Tokyo.

[David S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very readable short overview of Tokyo's history through snapshots from various points in time, which can be finished over a couple of sit-downs. Not at all comprehensive, but provides a rough sense of the city's development and some entertaining accounts of various places and characters. For anyone well-versed in Japanese / Tokyo history the content may be a little too familiar. But I would recommend it to anyone who's getting on a plane bound to Tokyo for the first time as an unchallenging read that will put you in the mood for your own adventure.

[Mish Haddad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable. Informative and interesting, not dry historical facts but facts anyone would think are cool tidbits to know and yet woven nicely into the entire picture of what is Tokyo. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to understand more of Tokyo without having to take long demanding university courses.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what it says in the title and exactly what I needed. I know pretty much nothing about Japanese history, so this was a great intro to Tokyo: not overwhelming at all. Highly recommended if you want some background on the city but know you aren’t going to get through hundreds of pages.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb little book, covered the history and the periods well, but I found it lacking in the last two chapters. There was enough detail for me, knowing a lot of the background to keep me interested.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing insights that will definitely make me see Tokyo differently the next time I visit.