A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era

by Frank Brinkley

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: History, Japan, Classics, Nonfiction

814 pages, Paperback

First published December 24, 2008

Reviews

[Sensei Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is boring the hell out of me as it's a dry historic text and i'm still going through all the parts talking about where they found what sort of broken pots and bronze tips. maybe it'll get better when it gets to the juice parts.

[Alex Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly factual overview of Japanese history up to the Meiji era. There are some nice general stories here, and some basic understandings of events for the most part, although the more detailed parts outline some of the more dramatic moments in history.

This was written in the early 20th century, and is missing images that went with the original book. The focus here is on history as narrative, with most of the events portrayed as driven by "great men". Interesting overview, I don't think I've read this treatment of history before for Japan.

[Gavin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was informative for two distinct reasons. The first was from the book's original purpose as a broad (and thorough) overview of Japanese history up to the Meiji era. The second was as a document of its own time. A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era was originally published in 1912. The author, Frank Brinkley, was an upper class irishman who spent time in the military and in diplomatic service. As you might expect from someone from that class in the British Isles in the early twentieth century, Brinkley is generally positively predisposed towards imperialism. While I'm certain there is no malice in his writing, it is hard not to be a little taken aback by his views on Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910 (which I am almost positive Korean readers will find offensive), or to note the thudding irony when he suggests that the peace treaties signed by Japan and Great Britain in 1905 and by Japan and Russia in 1906 are "two steady-points on the horizon".

As an introductory text to Japanese history, a reader could do much, much worse than this. Brinkley flies through centuries of historical events starting from the mythological, or maybe semi-mythological, origins of Japan until Japan's emergence as a modern power in the Meiji era. For someone looking for a grand sweep of the development of Japan and Japanese culture, this is an ideal text. Brinkley does a good job of identifying the principal actions and actors and the trends that have shaped the nation. Brinkley's wide scope means that many important events are dealt with a little hastily and that details are stream-lined to show simply causes and effects. Readers looking for a more specific description of events such as the Satsuma Rebellion or information on the Sengoku Jidai would do better to find texts which focus solely on those subjects.

My one complaint is that my Kindle edition did not contain the illustrations referred to in the text. However, as this is a public domain freebie, I don't feel too put out.

[Iami Menotu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very detailed royal history and an overview of japan over the ages. Voluminous