Essays in Idleness

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Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780231112550
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (125 download)

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Book Synopsis Essays in Idleness by : 吉田兼好

Download or read book Essays in Idleness written by 吉田兼好 and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Buddhist priest Kenko clung to tradition, Buddhism, and the pleasures of solitude, and the themes he treats in his "Essays, " written sometime between 1330 and 1332, are all suffused with an unspoken acceptance of Buddhist beliefs.

Formless in Form

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 0804730016
Total Pages : 343 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (47 download)

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Book Synopsis Formless in Form by : Linda H. Chance

Download or read book Formless in Form written by Linda H. Chance and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes a work of literature readable? This book asks that question of one of the classics of Japanese literature, the Tsurezuregusa (Essays in Idleness) by Kenko (1283-1352), a collection of brief, fragmentary reflections on a number of subjects. In Japanese literary history the work is classified as one of the first collections of zuihitsu, or informal essay. This first extended critical treatment of Tsurezuregusa goes back to its author and his time to rebuild the discursive world of the early fourteenth century and to examine such matters as whether genre labels assist reading or obscure significant comparisons and contexts. The book presents compelling arguments against considering Tsurezuregusa as an example of zuihitsu; instead, the text is treated as a deliberate, controlled effort by Kenko to force the reader to confront the impermanent and contingent nature of existence through experiencing the text. The book develops this view by studying the collaborative strategies operating between writers and readers in medieval Japan, the intellectual intent and devices of Kenko's text, and the many kinds of writing on which it draws. We learn how a text with a commitment to shaping responses to the world is simultaneously dedicated to exploding the reader's identification with the presumably unchanging facts of existence. The aesthetics of impermanence (mujo), central to medieval Japanese thinking, emerges not only as what writing is about but also as a means to demonstrate and to encourage the enactment of aesthetics by readers. Thus, a work that seems formless, to have little structure, is shown to be so in the interest of form, that is, of conveying a clear meaning to its audience. Or, to express it with a more Buddhist inflection amenable to Kenko, although the form that we can perceive is contingent on conditions and is hence formless, the fact of form continues to matter absolutely. Both literature and the nature of existence are readable because of the interplay of provisional and absolute truths, of the writer's and the reader's approaches to texts.

The Miscellany of a Japanese Priest, Being a Translation of Tsure-zure Gusa

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Publisher : Tuttle Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (49 download)

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Book Synopsis The Miscellany of a Japanese Priest, Being a Translation of Tsure-zure Gusa by : Kenkō Yoshida

Download or read book The Miscellany of a Japanese Priest, Being a Translation of Tsure-zure Gusa written by Kenkō Yoshida and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 1974 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Essays in Idleness

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 0141957875
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (419 download)

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Book Synopsis Essays in Idleness by : Kenko

Download or read book Essays in Idleness written by Kenko and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2013-12-05 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These two works on life's fleeting pleasures are by Buddhist monks from medieval Japan, but each shows a different world-view. In the short memoir Hôjôki, Chômei recounts his decision to withdraw from worldly affairs and live as a hermit in a tiny hut in the mountains, contemplating the impermanence of human existence. Kenko, however, displays a fascination with more earthy matters in his collection of anecdotes, advice and observations. From ribald stories of drunken monks to aching nostalgia for the fading traditions of the Japanese court, Essays in Idleness is a constantly surprising work that ranges across the spectrum of human experience. Meredith McKinney's excellent new translation also includes notes and an introduction exploring the spiritual and historical background of the works. Chômei was born into a family of Shinto priests in around 1155, at at time when the stable world of the court was rapidly breaking up. He became an important though minor poet of his day, and at the age of fifty, withdrew from the world to become a tonsured monk. He died in around 1216. Kenkô was born around 1283 in Kyoto. He probably became a monk in his late twenties, and was also noted as a calligrapher. Today he is remembered for his wise and witty aphorisms, 'Essays in Idleness'. Meredith McKinney, who has also translated Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book for Penguin Classics, is a translator of both contemporary and classical Japanese literature. She lived in Japan for twenty years and is currently a visitng fellow at the Australian National University in Canberra. '[Essays in Idleness is] a most delightful book, and one that has served as a model of Japanese style and taste since the 17th century. These cameo-like vignettes reflect the importance of the little, fleeting futile things, and each essay is Kenko himself' Asian Student

A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees

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Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 0141398264
Total Pages : 52 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (413 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees by : Kenko

Download or read book A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees written by Kenko and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2015-02-26 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met...' Moonlight, sake, spring blossom, idle moments, a woman's hair - these exquisite reflections on life's fleeting pleasures by a thirteenth-century Japanese monk are delicately attuned to nature and the senses. Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. Yoshida Kenko (c. 1283-1352). Kenko's work is included in Penguin Classics in Essays in Idleness and Hojoki.

The Karma of Words

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Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520342674
Total Pages : 223 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (23 download)

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Book Synopsis The Karma of Words by : William R. LaFleur

Download or read book The Karma of Words written by William R. LaFleur and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-09-01 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A masterly book . . . will prove of great assistance to a student of Japanese literature and thought from the eleventh century onwards."--Times Literary Supplement "A major contribution to the fields of Japanese studies, comparative literature, and history of religions . . . a book that begs for classroom use."--The Eastern Buddhist "Innovative and provocative . . . will be of interest not only to specialists in Japanese religion and Japanese culture, but also to literary critics and cultural historians."--Religious Studies Review "Rich and stimulating material . . . an important help and influence to all concerned with understanding the tradition that has shaped Japanese culture and religion."--History of Religions "Thought provoking, finely written . . . one of the more original and creative contributions to the study of medieval culture and religion to be produced by a Western scholar. . . . Can be read with profit by all Western students of Japanese culture . . . one of those rare books that has something to offer Japanese specialists in medieval studies."--Journal of Japanese Studies "A very important contribution to Japanese studies . . . a paradigm of the genre."--Pacific Affairs "This is an exciting, ground-breaking book."--Chanoyu Quarterly "I have been most impressed and even excited by what I have read."--Donald Keene, Professor Emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University "This is one of the most important books in Japanese studies in a long time and will influence the entire field."--Robert Bellah, former Elliott Professor of Sociology, Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley

Language and Literature

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Publisher : Otto Harrassowitz Verlag
ISBN 13 : 9783447041799
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (417 download)

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Book Synopsis Language and Literature by : Karl Heinrich Menges

Download or read book Language and Literature written by Karl Heinrich Menges and published by Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. This book was released on 1999 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Traditional Japanese Literature

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Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231504535
Total Pages : 601 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Traditional Japanese Literature by : Haruo Shirane

Download or read book Traditional Japanese Literature written by Haruo Shirane and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012-09-25 with total page 601 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Haruo Shirane's critically acclaimed Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600, contains key examples of both high and low styles of poetry, drama, prose fiction, and essays. For this abridged edition, Shirane retains substantial excerpts from such masterworks as The Tale of Genji, The Tales of the Heike, The Pillow Book, the Man'yoshu, and the Kokinshu. He preserves his comprehensive survey of secular and religious anecdotes (setsuwa) as well as classical poems with extensive commentary. He features no drama; selections from influential war epics; and notable essays on poetry, fiction, history, and religion. Texts are interwoven to bring into focus common themes, styles, and allusions while inviting comparison and debate. The result is a rich encounter with ancient and medieval Japanese culture and history. Each text and genre is enhanced by extensive introductions that provide sociopolitical and cultural context. The anthology is organized by period, genre, and topic—an instructor-friendly structure—and a comprehensive bibliography guides readers toward further study. Praise for Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600 "Haruo Shirane has done a splendid job at this herculean task."—Joshua Mostow, University of British Columbia "A comprehensive and innovative anthology.... All of the introductions are excellent."—Journal of Asian Studies "One of those impressive, erudite, must-have titles for anyone interested in Asian literature."—Bloomsbury Review "An anthology that comprises superb translations of an exceptionally wide range of texts.... Highly recommended."—Choice "A wealth of material."—Monumenta Nipponica

Legends of Japan

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Publisher : Tuttle Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1462907725
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (629 download)

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Book Synopsis Legends of Japan by : Hiroshi Naito

Download or read book Legends of Japan written by Hiroshi Naito and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2012-07-17 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These twenty-two Japanese tales open to Western readers the world of fantasy in the legendary literature of Japan--a world of ogres, monkeys, goblins, and priest, of spelling-casting and rescuing people. Rich in variety, Legends of Japan includes tales of the supernatural, magic, and deities, as well as tales of romance and intrigue. The vividness and aesthetic appeal of these stories is enhanced by twenty-two woodblock prints from the studio of modern Japanese illustrator Masahiko Nishin. The tales are drawn from two Japanese masterpieces of the Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1192-1333) periods. The earlier and main source is 31-volume Konjaku Monogatari, a collection of tales of Japanese, Chinese and Indian origin. The other source is the miscellany Tsurezure Gusa, by Kento Yoshida, a monk of noble birth who was well versed in Japanese and Chinese literature. A reader's delight, these little books distills the color and charm, the wisdom and humor of two great treasuries of classical Asian literature.

Hojoki

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Publisher : Stone Bridge Press
ISBN 13 : 1880656221
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (86 download)

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Book Synopsis Hojoki by : Kamo no Chomei

Download or read book Hojoki written by Kamo no Chomei and published by Stone Bridge Press. This book was released on 1998-07-01 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An extraordinary literary work from the 12th century, a meditation on nature and mortality.

Mechademia 8

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Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
ISBN 13 : 1452940215
Total Pages : 519 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (529 download)

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Book Synopsis Mechademia 8 by : Frenchy Lunning

Download or read book Mechademia 8 written by Frenchy Lunning and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 519 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Known as the “Walt Disney of Japan” it is no surprise that Tezuka Osamu is still the best-known manga creator to Western fans. Current scholarship has uncovered the profound complexity and ambiguity not only of his work but of the man, the artist, and his life—dismantling his position as the god of manga. Contributors to this volume of Mechademia—a series devoted to creative and critical work on anime, manga, and the fan arts—analyze Tezuka and his complicated approaches toward life and nonlife on earth, as well as his effect on the lives of other manga artists. Using essays and reprints of Japanese manga on Tezuka, this book questions his influence and attitudes toward the nonhuman, evolutionary theory, the aesthetic lineage of contemporary manga, incipient feminism in the reinscription of the nonhuman feminine, the sexual politics of manga bodies, the origins of the moe culture, and the styles of didacticism revealing the digressions of insects and classical modes, among others. The authors offer varying perspectives on the historical transformations in production, distribution, and reception that gradually integrated and differentiated an overlapping series of markets and readerships in the postwar era. Divided into four sections that explore different “lives”—“Nonhuman Life,” “Media Life,” “A Life in Manga,” and “Everyday Life”—Mechademia 8 serves as a prehistory of the impersonal politics of the present while tracing Tezuka’s legacy. Contributors: Akatsuka Fujio; Anno Moyoko; Linda H. Chance, U of Pennsylvania; Jonathan Clements; Hideaki Fujiki, Nagoya U; Patrick W. Galbraith; Verina Gfader, U of Huddersfield; Alicia Gibson; G. Clinton Godart, USC; Yorimitsu Hashimoto, Osaka U; Ryan Holmberg; Hikari Hori, Columbia U; Mary A. Knighton, College of William and Mary; Thomas Lamarre, McGill U; Christine L. Marran, U of Minnesota; Natsume Fusanosuke, Gakushuin U, Tokyo; Ōtsuka Eiji, Kobe Design U; Baryon Tensor Posadas; Renato Rivera Rusca, Meiji U; Frederik L. Schodt; Marc Steinberg, Concordia U; Tezuka Osamu; Toshiya Ueno, Wako U, Tokyo; Matthew Young.

Dictionary of Oriental Literatures 1

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Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000158179
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (1 download)

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Book Synopsis Dictionary of Oriental Literatures 1 by : Jaroslav Prusek

Download or read book Dictionary of Oriental Literatures 1 written by Jaroslav Prusek and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-01-06 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Dictionary of Oriental Literatures fills a long-felt gap in Western literature by presenting a concise summary, in three volumes and about 2000 articles, of practically all the literatures of Asia and North Africa. The first volume describes the Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese, Korean and Mongolian literatures; the second covers the area of South and South-East Asia, comprising, besides all literatures of India and Pakistan, those of Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines; and the third is devoted to the numerous literatures of West Asia and North Africa. including on the one hand the literatures of the ancient Near East and Egypt, and on the other hand those of Central Asia and the Caucasus, of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and of the various Arab countries including Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. The majority of entries give information about the life and work of the individual writers and poets of the classical, medieval and modern periods of the literatures included and also attempt to evaluate their writings from the historical and aesthetic point of view. The remaining articles describe literary terms, genres, forms, schools, movements etc. The Dictionary has been prepared by the Oriental Institute in Prague under the supervision of a Advisory Editorial Board of European and American scholars of international reputation and is unique in that it is the fruit of the collaboration of over 150 orientalists from many parts of the world. Contents include: Volume I East Asia: The Far East, including Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese, Korean and Mongolian literatures. Volume II South and South-East Asia: Ancient Indian, Assamese, Baluchi, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Indian literature in English, Indo-Persian, Kannada, Kashmiri, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Panjabi, Pashto, Rajasthani, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, Sinhalese, Nepali, Burmese, Thai, Cambodian, Malay and Indonesian, Javanese, Vietnamese and Philippines literatures. Volume III West Asia and North Africa: The Near East and Egypt, Central Asia and the Caucasus, Turkish, Persian, Afghan, Kurd and Arabic literatures, covering all the Arab states from Iraq in the East to Algeria in the West.

The Politics of Reclusion

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Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 9780824819132
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (191 download)

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Book Synopsis The Politics of Reclusion by : Kendall H. Brown

Download or read book The Politics of Reclusion written by Kendall H. Brown and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Chinese themes of the Four Graybeards of Mt. Shang and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove figure prominently in the art of Momoyama-period Japan (ca. 1575-1625). Kendall Brown proposes that the dense and multivalent implications of aesthetic reclusion central to these paintings made them appropriate for patrons of all classes - the military, who were presently in power, the aristocracy, who had lost power, and the Buddhist priesthood, who forsook power. These paintings, and their attendant messages, thus serve as dynamic cultural agents that elucidate the fundamental paradigms of early modern Japanese society. Unlike traditional art history studies, which emphasize the style and history of art objects, The Politics of Reclusion sets out to reconstruct the possible historical context for the interpretive reception and use of Chinese hermit themes within a specific period of Japanese art. In emphasizing the political dimension of aesthetic reclusion, it introduces into the field of Japanese art history a discussion of the politics of aesthetics that characterizes recent work in the field of Japanese literature. By embedding the paintings within the contexts of politics, philosophy, religion, and even gender, this study restores the reflexive relations between the paintings and their culture and, as such, is one of the first extensive intellectual and social histories of Japanese art in a Western language. It is one that will appeal not only to students of art but to those interested in Japanese literature, history, and philosophy.

The Aesthetics of Discontent

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Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 9780824813642
Total Pages : 236 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (136 download)

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Book Synopsis The Aesthetics of Discontent by : Michele Marra

Download or read book The Aesthetics of Discontent written by Michele Marra and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1991-01-01 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series of interpretations of selected classics examines premodern Japanese literature from the perspective of conflictual ideologies. Professor Marra's analysis of such works as the Ise Monogatari, the Hojoki, and Tsurezuregusa highlights the existence of discontent in the authors of the so-called high tradition and explains the means these authors used to express their social dissatisfaction in literary texts. His aim is to recover the validity of the historicist approach in literary studies by focusing on the importance of the context in the formation of the text. The text is seen as a product of ideological manipulation on the part of those who, by reading, writing or editing, appropriate it according to specific and private concerns. Professor Marra displays both sensitivity to the texts and a comprehensive grasp of Japanese and Western scholarship in making his argument that aesthetics and politics in premodern Japanese literature are mutually defining.

Japanese Literature

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 44 pages
Book Rating : 4.A/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Japanese Literature by : Clay MacCauley

Download or read book Japanese Literature written by Clay MacCauley and published by . This book was released on 1898 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Japanese Tea Ceremony

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Publisher : Tuttle Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1462903592
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (629 download)

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Book Synopsis Japanese Tea Ceremony by : A.L. Sadler

Download or read book Japanese Tea Ceremony written by A.L. Sadler and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2011-12-20 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tea cermony--known as cha-no-yu, or literally "hot water for tea"--has touched nearly every aspect of Japanese life. First published in 1933 as Cha-No-Yu, or The Japanese Tea Ceremony, this classic remains the gold standard for books on the five-centuries-old tea ceremony, which is itself "an epitome of Japanese civilization." Abundantly illustrated with drawings and photographs showing every aspect of the tea ceremony, this book takes readers on a complete tour of furniture and utensils, architecture and gardens, and numerous other features of cha-no-ya. Photos of tea bowls, teahouses and gardens reveal the exquisite artistry of the cult of tea. The Japanese Tea Ceremony is a fascinating exploration of one of Japan's greatest arts and details the importance of the tea ceremony's history and traditions, its historical tea masters and its physical manifestations. This book includes: Descriptions of the many disciples contained within the broader framework of tea ceremony, including art, architecture, gardening and exquisite handicrafts The experiences of masters of the art over the centuries Histories of the various schools and traditions of the art of tea

Japan Encyclopedia

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Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674017535
Total Pages : 1130 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (175 download)

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Book Synopsis Japan Encyclopedia by : Louis-Frédéric

Download or read book Japan Encyclopedia written by Louis-Frédéric and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 1130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Knowing Japan and the Japanese better," Louis Frédéric states in the introduction to this encyclopedia, "is one of the necessities of modern life." The Japanese have a profound knowledge of every aspect and detail of Western societies. Unfortunately, we in the West cannot say the same about our knowledge of Japan. We tend to see Japan through a veil of exoticism, as a land of ancient customs and exquisite arts; or we view it as a powerful contributor to the global economy, the source of cutting-edge electronics and innovative management techniques. To go beyond these clichés, we must begin to see how apparently contradictory aspects of modern Japanese culture spring from the country's evolution through more than two millennia of history. This richly detailed yet concise encyclopedia is a guide to the full range of Japanese history and civilization, from the dawn of its prehistory to today, providing clear and accessible information on society and institutions, commerce and industry, sciences, sports, and politics, with particular emphasis on religion, material culture, and the arts. The volume is enhanced by maps and illustrations, along with a detailed chronology of more than 2,000 years of Japanese history and a comprehensive bibliography. Cross-references and an index help the reader trace themes from one article to the next. Japan Encyclopedia will be an indispensable one-volume reference for students, scholars, travelers, journalists, and anyone who wishes to learn more about the past and present of this great world civilization.