Product Description

Magisterial in vision, sweeping in scope, this monumental work presents a seamless account of Japanese society during the modern era, from 1600 to the present. A distillation of more than 50 years' engagement with Japan and its history, it is the crowning work of our leading interpreter of the modern Japanese experience. Since 1600 Japan has undergone three periods of wrenching social and institutional change, following the imposition of hegemonic order on feudal society by the Tokugawa shogun; the opening of Japan's ports by Commodore Perry; and defeat in World War II. "The Making of Modern Japan" charts these changes: the social engineering begun with the founding of the shogunate in 1600, the emergence of village and castle towns with consumer populations, and the diffusion of samurai values in the culture. Jansen covers the making of the modern state, the adaptation of Western models, growing international trade, the broadening opportunity in Japanese society with industrialization, and the postwar occupation reforms imposed by General MacArthur. Throughout, the book gives voice to the individuals and views that have shaped the actions and beliefs of the Japanese, with writers, artists and thinkers as well as political leaders given their due. The story this book tells, though marked by profound changes, is also one of remarkable consistency, in which continuities outweigh upheavals in the development of society, and successive waves of outside influence have only served to strengthen a sense of what is unique and native to Japanese experience. "The Making of Modern Japan" takes us to the core of this experience as it illuminates one of the contemporary world's most compelling transformations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122361 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 936 pages

Guardian 26 April 2003
This definitive historical companion is clear simple and thorough... Jansen is at his best.

Customer Reviews

A Great Account
Marius B. Jansen gives a very simple yet full description of a very complicated period of time in Japanese history. Through out the whole book his affection towards Japan makes it that much easier to relate to the events and people he describes in such great detail. The book is bound to engage and pull anyone willing to pick it up. To most Westerners the mental pictures that Jansen draws through his scrip are totally alien, and yet you will always find yourself ready to accept and embrace this new and exciting world. I would recommend this book to everyone, not just the Japan enthusiasts who will fall in love with it instantly but to any reader who is willing to learn about the world.