The Imperial Family Of Japan

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Japan's Imperial House in the Postwar Era, 1945-2019

Author : Kenneth J. Ruoff
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 1684176166
Total Pages : 440 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (841 download)

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Book Synopsis Japan's Imperial House in the Postwar Era, 1945-2019 by : Kenneth J. Ruoff

Download or read book Japan's Imperial House in the Postwar Era, 1945-2019 written by Kenneth J. Ruoff and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-02-01 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "With the ascension of a new emperor and the dawn of the Reiwa Era, Kenneth J. Ruoff has expanded upon and updated The People’s Emperor, his study of the monarchy’s role as a political, societal, and cultural institution in contemporary Japan. Many Japanese continue to define the nation’s identity through the imperial house, making it a window into Japan’s postwar history. Ruoff begins by examining the reform of the monarchy during the U.S. occupation and then turns to its evolution since the Japanese regained the power to shape it. To understand the monarchy’s function in contemporary Japan, the author analyzes issues such as the role of individual emperors in shaping the institution, the intersection of the monarchy with politics, the emperor’s and the nation’s responsibility for the war, nationalistic movements in support of the monarchy, and the remaking of the once-sacrosanct throne into a “people’s imperial house” embedded in the postwar culture of democracy. Finally, Ruoff examines recent developments, including the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the heir crisis, which have brought to the forefront the fragility of the imperial line under the current legal system, leading to calls for reform."

Emperor of Japan

Author : Donald Keene
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231518110
Total Pages : 957 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Emperor of Japan by : Donald Keene

Download or read book Emperor of Japan written by Donald Keene and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2005-06-14 with total page 957 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The renowned Japanese scholar “brings us as close to the inner life of the Meiji emperor as we are ever likely to get” (The New York Times Book Review). When Emperor Meiji began his rule in 1867, Japan was a splintered empire dominated by the shogun and the daimyos, cut off from the outside world, staunchly antiforeign, and committed to the traditions of the past. Before long, the shogun surrendered to the emperor, a new constitution was adopted, and Japan emerged as a modern, industrialized state. Despite the length of his reign, little has been written about the strangely obscured figure of Meiji himself, the first emperor ever to meet a European. But now, Donald Keene sifts the available evidence to present a rich portrait not only of Meiji but also of rapid and sometimes violent change during this pivotal period in Japan’s history. In this vivid and engrossing biography, we move with the emperor through his early, traditional education; join in the formal processions that acquainted the young emperor with his country and its people; observe his behavior in court, his marriage, and his relationships with various consorts; and follow his maturation into a “Confucian” sovereign dedicated to simplicity, frugality, and hard work. Later, during Japan’s wars with China and Russia, we witness Meiji’s struggle to reconcile his personal commitment to peace and his nation’s increasingly militarized experience of modernization. Emperor of Japan conveys in sparkling prose the complexity of the man and offers an unrivaled portrait of Japan in a period of unique interest. “Utterly brilliant . . . the best history in English of the emergence of modern Japan.”—Los Angeles Times

The Yamato Dynasty

Author : Sterling Seagrave
Publisher : Crown
ISBN 13 : 0767904974
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (679 download)

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Book Synopsis The Yamato Dynasty by : Sterling Seagrave

Download or read book The Yamato Dynasty written by Sterling Seagrave and published by Crown. This book was released on 2001-08-14 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Yamato Dynasty, Sterling Seagrave, who divulged the secrets of Mao Tse-tung and the ruthlessness of Chiang Kai-shek in the New York Times bestseller The Soong Dynasty, and his wife and longtime collaborator, Peggy, present the controversial, never-before-told history of the world’s longest-reigning dynasty–the Japanese imperial family–from its nineteenth-century origins through today. In the first collective biography of both the men and women of the Yamato Dynasty, the Seagraves take a controversial, comprehensive look at a family history that crosses two world wars, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the American occupation of Japan, and Japan’s subsequent phoenix-like rise from the ashes of the Second World War. The Yamato Dynasty tells the story of the powerful men who have stood behind the screen–the shoguns and financiers controlling the throne from the shadows–taking readers behind the walls of privilege and tradition and revealing, in uncompromising detail, the true nature of a dynasty shrouded in myth and legend

Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan

Author : Stephen Large
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134968760
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (349 download)

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Book Synopsis Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan by : Stephen Large

Download or read book Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan written by Stephen Large and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emperor Hirohito reigned for more than sixty years, yet we know little about him or the part he really played in the turbulent history of Showa Japan. Stephen Large draws on a wide range of Japanese and Western sources in his study of Emperor Hirohito's political role in Showa Japan (1926-89). This analysis focuses on key events in his career such as the extent to which he bore responsibility for Japanese aggression in the Pacific in 1941, and explains why Hirohito remains such a contested symbol in Japanese post war politics.

Enigma of the Emperors

Author : Ben-Ami Shillony
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004213996
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (42 download)

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Book Synopsis Enigma of the Emperors by : Ben-Ami Shillony

Download or read book Enigma of the Emperors written by Ben-Ami Shillony and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-10-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important new and original study on the institution of the Japanese emperors focuses on the enigma of the institution itself, namely, the extraordinary continuity of the Japanese dynasty, which is unknown anywhere else in the world, yet which is now at risk on account of more recent laws of succession.

The Emperors of Modern Japan

Author : Ben-Ami Shillony
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004168222
Total Pages : 355 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (41 download)

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Book Synopsis The Emperors of Modern Japan by : Ben-Ami Shillony

Download or read book The Emperors of Modern Japan written by Ben-Ami Shillony and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2008 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book offers a fascinating picture of the four emperors of modern Japan, their institution, their personalities and their impact on the history of their country. Leading scholars from Japan and other countries have contributed essays which treat this subject from various angles.

British Royal and Japanese Imperial Relations, 1868-2018

Author : Peter Kornicki
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781898823865
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (238 download)

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Book Synopsis British Royal and Japanese Imperial Relations, 1868-2018 by : Peter Kornicki

Download or read book British Royal and Japanese Imperial Relations, 1868-2018 written by Peter Kornicki and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new study examines the history of the relations between the British and Japanese monarchies over the past 150 years. Complemented by a significant plate section, with many rarely seen historical photographs and illustrations, together with supporting chronologies, this volume will become a benchmark reference on the subject.

The Soong Dynasty

Author : Sterling Seagrave
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781541338494
Total Pages : 508 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (384 download)

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Book Synopsis The Soong Dynasty by : Sterling Seagrave

Download or read book The Soong Dynasty written by Sterling Seagrave and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-15 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Fast paced and jammed with racy details' - New York Times Book Review The Soong Dynasty is the first full behind-the-scenes account of the extraordinary Soong family whose power and wealth dominated China and American policy towards Asia in the Twentieth Century. It is an extraordinary work of historical detection which traces the family's roots from the middle of the last century and their explosive rise thereafter. Descendants of a runaway, they grew up in America under the protection of the Methodist church and returned to their homeland to make a fortune selling Western bibles. The Soong Family became the principal rulers of China during the first half of the Twentieth Century. In The Soong Dynasty, Sterling Seagrave describes for the first time the intricate and fascinating rise to power of Charlie Soong and his children, whom he married to some of China's most powerful men to create a network of power and influence which was to last for over fifty years. It is a classic tale of power, money, corruption and greed with elements of tragedy and comedy. Praise for The Soong Dynasty: 'Seagrave knows China, and has caught the atmosphere of that weird, melancholy place ... he has shed light into so many dark places, and turned a difficult piece of history into an engrossing narrative' - Daily Telegraph 'Seagrave s marathon probe includes much new evidence ... It is an important segment of twentieth century world history ... People should therefore be encouraged to read it' - Dervla Murphy, Irish Times 'The Soong Dynasty brings much pungent material to light ... [it is] a story unraveled with fluency and flair' - Time 'A gripping book. Seagrave has tackled a mighty subject with resourcefulness and spirit' - Washington Post 'Compulsively readable' - International Herald Tribune 'Mr Seagrave is a fine investigative reporter - digging up information from a multitude of sources, much of it original, and piecing together a gripping account of epochal events' - Wall Street Journal Sterling Seagrave, who grew up on the China-Burma border in the 1940s (his father was Dr Gordon Seagrave, author of Burma Surgeon), is the author of Yellow Rain, The Marcos Dynasty, Dragon Lady, and Lords of the Rim and has written many articles for major newspapers and magazines. In preparing The Soong Dynasty, he drew on half a lifetime in Asia and on many sources, including the files of Time Inc., the National Archives, many individuals, and the FBI, to produce a riveting and revealing narrative of major historical importance supplemented with much new material. He lives in Europe.

Hirohito And The Making Of Modern Japan

Author : Herbert P. Bix
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0061860476
Total Pages : 832 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (618 download)

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Book Synopsis Hirohito And The Making Of Modern Japan by : Herbert P. Bix

Download or read book Hirohito And The Making Of Modern Japan written by Herbert P. Bix and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 832 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize In this groundbreaking biography of the Japanese emperor Hirohito, Herbert P. Bix offers the first complete, unvarnished look at the enigmatic leader whose sixty-three-year reign ushered Japan into the modern world. Never before has the full life of this controversial figure been revealed with such clarity and vividness. Bix shows what it was like to be trained from birth for a lone position at the apex of the nation's political hierarchy and as a revered symbol of divine status. Influenced by an unusual combination of the Japanese imperial tradition and a modern scientific worldview, the young emperor gradually evolves into his preeminent role, aligning himself with the growing ultranationalist movement, perpetuating a cult of religious emperor worship, resisting attempts to curb his power, and all the while burnishing his image as a reluctant, passive monarch. Here we see Hirohito as he truly was: a man of strong will and real authority. Supported by a vast array of previously untapped primary documents, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan is perhaps most illuminating in lifting the veil on the mythology surrounding the emperor's impact on the world stage. Focusing closely on Hirohito's interactions with his advisers and successive Japanese governments, Bix sheds new light on the causes of the China War in 1937 and the start of the Asia-Pacific War in 1941. And while conventional wisdom has had it that the nation's increasing foreign aggression was driven and maintained not by the emperor but by an elite group of Japanese militarists, the reality, as witnessed here, is quite different. Bix documents in detail the strong, decisive role Hirohito played in wartime operations, from the takeover of Manchuria in 1931 through the attack on Pearl Harbor and ultimately the fateful decision in 1945 to accede to an unconditional surrender. In fact, the emperor stubbornly prolonged the war effort and then used the horrifying bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, together with the Soviet entrance into the war, as his exit strategy from a no-win situation. From the moment of capitulation, we see how American and Japanese leaders moved to justify the retention of Hirohito as emperor by whitewashing his wartime role and reshaping the historical consciousness of the Japanese people. The key to this strategy was Hirohito's alliance with General MacArthur, who helped him maintain his stature and shed his militaristic image, while MacArthur used the emperor as a figurehead to assist him in converting Japan into a peaceful nation. Their partnership ensured that the emperor's image would loom large over the postwar years and later decades, as Japan began to make its way in the modern age and struggled -- as it still does -- to come to terms with its past. Until the very end of a career that embodied the conflicting aims of Japan's development as a nation, Hirohito remained preoccupied with politics and with his place in history. Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan provides the definitive account of his rich life and legacy. Meticulously researched and utterly engaging, this book is proof that the history of twentieth-century Japan cannot be understood apart from the life of its most remarkable and enduring leader.

Japan's Imperial Army

Author : Edward J. Drea
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700622349
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis Japan's Imperial Army by : Edward J. Drea

Download or read book Japan's Imperial Army written by Edward J. Drea and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2016-05-03 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Popular impressions of the imperial Japanese army still promote images of suicidal banzai charges and fanatical leaders blindly devoted to their emperor. Edward Drea looks well past those stereotypes to unfold the more complex story of how that army came to power and extended its influence at home and abroad to become one of the world's dominant fighting forces. This first comprehensive English-language history of the Japanese army traces its origins, evolution, and impact as an engine of the country's regional and global ambitions and as a catalyst for the militarization of the Japanese homeland from mid-nineteenth-century incursions through the end of World War II. Demonstrating his mastery of Japanese-language sources, Drea explains how the Japanese style of warfare, burnished by samurai legends, shaped the army, narrowed its options, influenced its decisions, and made it the institution that conquered most of Asia. He also tells how the army's intellectual foundations shifted as it reinvented itself to fulfill the changing imperatives of Japanese society-and how the army in turn decisively shaped the nation's political, social, cultural, and strategic course. Drea recounts how Japan devoted an inordinate amount of its treasury toward modernizing, professionalizing, and training its army-which grew larger, more powerful, and politically more influential with each passing decade. Along the way, it produced an efficient military schooling system, a well-organized active duty and reserve force, a professional officer corps that thought in terms of regional threat, and well-trained soldiers armed with appropriate weapons. Encompassing doctrine, strategy, weaponry, and civil-military relations, Drea's expert study also captures the dominant personalities who shaped the imperial army, from Yamagata Aritomo, an incisive geopolitical strategist, to Anami Korechika, who exhorted the troops to fight to the death during the final days of World War II. Summing up, Drea also suggests that an army that places itself above its nation's interests is doomed to failure.

Japan on Display

Author : Morris Low
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134195826
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (341 download)

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Book Synopsis Japan on Display by : Morris Low

Download or read book Japan on Display written by Morris Low and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-09-27 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sixty years on from the end of the Pacific War, Japan on Display examines representations of the Meiji emperor, Mutsuhito (1852-1912) and his grandson the Showa emperor, Hirohito who was regarded as a symbol of the nation, in both war and peacetime. Much of this representation was aided by the phenomenon of photography. The introduction and development of photography in the nineteenth century coincided with the need to make Hirohito’s grandfather, the young Meiji Emperor, more visible. Photo books and albums became a popular format for presenting seemingly objective images of the monarch, reminding the Japanese of their proximity to the Emperor, and the imperial family. In the twentieth century, these 'national albums’ provided a visual record of wars fought in the name of the Emperor, while also documenting the reconstruction of Tokyo, scientific expeditions, and imperial tours. Drawing on archival documents, photographs, and sources in both Japanese and English, this book throws new light on the history of twentieth-century Japan and the central role of Hirohito. With Japan’s defeat in the Pacific War, the Emperor was transformed from wartime leader to peace-loving scientist. Japan on Display seeks to understand this reinvention of a more 'human’ Emperor and the role that photography played in the process.

Windows for the Crown Prince

Author : Elizabeth Gray Vining
Publisher : Franklin Classics Trade Press
ISBN 13 : 9780353307773
Total Pages : 340 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (77 download)

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Book Synopsis Windows for the Crown Prince by : Elizabeth Gray Vining

Download or read book Windows for the Crown Prince written by Elizabeth Gray Vining and published by Franklin Classics Trade Press. This book was released on 2018-11-11 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Modern Kyoto

Author : Alice Y. Tseng
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 9780824873752
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (737 download)

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Book Synopsis Modern Kyoto by : Alice Y. Tseng

Download or read book Modern Kyoto written by Alice Y. Tseng and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2018-10-31 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can an imperial city survive, let alone thrive, without an emperor? Alice Y. Tseng answers this intriguing question in Modern Kyoto, a comprehensive study of the architectural and urban projects carried out in the old capital following Emperor Meiji’s move to Tokyo in 1868. Tseng contends that Kyoto—from the time of the relocation to the height of the Asia-Pacific War—remained critical to Japan’s emperor-centered national agenda as politicians, planners, historians, and architects mobilized the city’s historical connection to the imperial house to develop new public architecture, infrastructure, and urban spaces. Royal births, weddings, enthronements, and funerals throughout the period served as catalysts for fashioning a monumental modern city fit for hosting commemorative events for an eager domestic and international audience. Using a wide range of visual material (including architectural plans, postcards, commercial maps, and guidebooks), Tseng traces the development of four core areas of Kyoto: the palaces in the center, the Okazaki Park area in the east, the Kyoto Station area in the south, and the Kitayama district in the north. She offers an unprecedented framework that correlates nation building, civic boosterism, and emperor reverence to explore a diverse body of built works. Interlinking microhistories of the Imperial Garden, Heian Shrine, Lake Biwa Canal, the prefectural library, zoological and botanical gardens, main railway station, and municipal art museum, among others, her work asserts Kyoto’s vital position as a multifaceted center of culture and patriotism in the expanding Japanese empire. Richly illustrated with many never-before-published photographs and archival sources, Modern Kyoto challenges readers to look beyond Tokyo for signposts of Japan’s urban modernity and opens up the study of modern emperors to incorporate fully built environments and spatial practices dedicated in their name.

An Imperial Concubine's Tale

Author : G. G. Rowley
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231530870
Total Pages : 245 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis An Imperial Concubine's Tale by : G. G. Rowley

Download or read book An Imperial Concubine's Tale written by G. G. Rowley and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012-12-18 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japan in the early seventeenth century was a wild place. Serial killers stalked the streets of Kyoto at night, while noblemen and women mingled freely at the imperial palace, drinking saké and watching kabuki dancing in the presence of the emperor's principal consort. Among these noblewomen was an imperial concubine named Nakanoin Nakako, who in 1609 became embroiled in a sex scandal involving both courtiers and young women in the emperor's service. As punishment, Nakako was banished to an island in the Pacific Ocean, but she never reached her destination. Instead, she was shipwrecked and spent fourteen years in a remote village on the Izu Peninsula before she was finally allowed to return to Kyoto. In 1641, Nakako began a new adventure: she entered a convent and became a Buddhist nun. Recounting the remarkable story of this resilient woman and her war-torn world, G. G. Rowley investigates aristocratic family archives, village storehouses, and the records of imperial convents. She follows the banished concubine as she endures rural exile, receives an unexpected reprieve, and rediscovers herself as the abbess of a nunnery. While unraveling Nakako's unusual tale, Rowley also reveals the little-known lives of samurai women who sacrificed themselves on the fringes of the great battles that brought an end to more than a century of civil war. Written with keen insight and genuine affection, An Imperial Concubine's Tale tells the true story of a woman's extraordinary life in seventeenth-century Japan.

In the Realm of a Dying Emperor

Author : Norma Field
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307761002
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (77 download)

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Book Synopsis In the Realm of a Dying Emperor by : Norma Field

Download or read book In the Realm of a Dying Emperor written by Norma Field and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-02-09 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the Emperor Hirohito died in 1989, Japanese newspapers had to use a special, exalted word to refer to his death, and had to depict his life uncritically, as one beginning in turbulence but ending in magnificent accomplishment. To do otherwise would have exposed them to terrorism from the vigilant right wing. Yet this insightful book by a Japanese-American scholar who grew up in both cultures reveals the hidden fault lines in the realm of the dying emperor by telling the stories of three unlikely dissenters: a supermarket owner who burned the national flag; an aging widow who challenged the state's "deification" of fallen soldiers; and the mayor of Nagasaki, who risked his career and his life by suggesting that Hirohito bore some responsibility for World War II.

The Thames and I

Author : Hiro no Miya Naruhito (Crown Prince, son of Akihito, Emperor of Japan)
Publisher : Brill
ISBN 13 : 9781905246069
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (46 download)

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Book Synopsis The Thames and I by : Hiro no Miya Naruhito (Crown Prince, son of Akihito, Emperor of Japan)

Download or read book The Thames and I written by Hiro no Miya Naruhito (Crown Prince, son of Akihito, Emperor of Japan) and published by Brill. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This sensitive, engaging and informative account of English university life, customs and mores - as seen from the perspective of a young Japanese student, albeit Japan's heir to the throne - contributes to cross-cultural studies in the broader context. It is also a rare record of a life lived by one who normally experiences 'life above the clouds' as a member of the Japanese imperial family.

Shintō In the History and Culture of Japan

Author : Ronald S. Green
Publisher : Association for Asian Studies
ISBN 13 : 9780924304910
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (49 download)

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Book Synopsis Shintō In the History and Culture of Japan by : Ronald S. Green

Download or read book Shintō In the History and Culture of Japan written by Ronald S. Green and published by Association for Asian Studies. This book was released on 2020-09-30 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a concise overview of Shintō through a survey of its key concepts, related archeological finds, central mythology, significant cultural sites, political dimensions, and historical developments. Its goal is to promote an understanding of Shintō as an enduring cultural phenomenon central to Japan past and present.