What book do you recommend as an introduction into Japanese history...

What book do you recommend as an introduction into Japanese history? What are some good Japanese history books I can read online for free?

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Japan
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Up to date history books are rarely "online for free"

>what is libgen

kys weeb

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Japan

You're welcome.

Good luck ever being credible with using only Wikipedia as your source of knowledge

It's still a great resource as an introductory primer.
Not to mention that there are sources at the end of each article.
I thought that kneejerk anti-wiki mindset was a 2000s phenominon.

this

what period

It's an "I disagree with you but cant prove you wrong so i'll say using wiki makes your source invalid even though i also use it" phenomenon

gregor samson's three volume history of japan

george sansom* i mean

Farris, William Wayne. Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan’s Military, 500–1300. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995.
>Well-researched and easy-to-read college-level work describing the evolution of Japanese military tactics based on historical technology, economics, politics, and the social order. There is a heavy emphasis on the maturing political skills that eventually led to the samurai class’s domination of the imperial court.
Friday, Karl F. Hired Swords: The Rise of Power in Early Japan. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1992.
>The book details Japan’s nation-building trials and tribulations beginning in the Heian period. This author a true storyteller and writes at the college level, though tends to assume the reader has a general background in Japanese history and vocabulary. Includes a glossary and excellent citation list.


Berry, Mary Elizabeth. Hideyoshi. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1989.
>Arguably, the most comprehensive English-language look at the life and relationships of the samurai commander that unified not only the military of Japan but also the country itself. Easy to read, has an excellent note section.
Find this resource:
Friday, Karl F. The First Samurai: The Legend of the Warrior Rebel Taira Masakado. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2008.
>This is a well-researched story of Taira Masakado, “the most famous samurai you never heard of,” as stated by the author. Written at a college level, reads like a novel, and provides very detailed background information on Japanese politics and culture during the early to mid-10th century.

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai

Yoshikawa, Eiji. Taiko. Translated by William Scott Wilson. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1992.
>A novel. Written about the lives of the triumvirate of Hideyoshi, Nobunaga, and Tokugawa samurai warlords and unifiers of Japan in the late 1500s.
Yoshikawa, Eiji. Musashi. Translated by Charles S. Terry. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1995.
>A novel. Miyamoto Musashi—a samurai; touted as the greatest Japanese swordsman of all time; author of The Book of Five Rings (1645), a book on the anatomy of strategy and arguably the most popular book on strategy, behind Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Basis for the three-part feature Japanese film, The Samurai Trilogy.
Breen, John, and Mark Teeuwen. A New History of Shinto. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
>A revisionist view, the understanding of traditional philosophies about religion in Japan is recommended before reading this work, and at least the undergraduate level of understanding.
Find this resource:
Earhart, H. Byron. Japanese Religion: Unity and Diversity. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2004.
>Excellent description of the how and whys of the synchronism; recommended more at the graduate level as the language can be somewhat wordy and confusing.
Fujisawa, Chikao. Zen and Shinto: A History of Japanese Philosophy. New York: Philosophical Library, 1959.
>Short and sweet, brings an interesting view of the melding of the two philosophies and some comparisons with Western philosophies.
Ono, Sokyo. Shinto: The Kami Way. Boston: Tuttle, 1962.
>Easy-to-read description of Shinto and its symbolism, shrines, and traditions; written at the secondary school level, with decent descriptive illustrations.

Conlan, Thomas D. From Sovereign to Symbol: An Age of Ritual Determinism in Fourteenth-Century Japan. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
>The insight this title presents on the ritualism and competition between the two courts during the 14th century is phenomenal, a unique approach focusing on the influence of court monks and the way they manipulated the courts. University level, fascinating read, be sure not to skip through the prelude, introduction, or explanatory footnotes.
Ikegami, Eiko. The Taming of the Samurai: Honorific Individualism and the Making of Modern Japan. Boston: Harvard University Press, 1995.
>This work gives an interesting and detailed look at the part that the samurai played in Japanese politics and how they evolved from their earliest days through the entirety of this period into the bureaucrats of the 17th century through to the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century. College level.
McCullough, Helen Craig, trans. The Taiheiki: A Chronicle of Medieval Japan. Boston: Tuttle, 2003.
>Written by unknown authors living the experience; an account of the fall of the Hōjō clan in the early 14th century. The translator appears to have captured the essence of the times, keeping modern perceptions to a minimum; if possible, be sure to read the prelude to Conlan 2011 first.
Souyri, Pierre François. The World Turned Upside Down: Medieval Japan. Translated by Kathe Roth. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.
>Many historical works cover higher-government and upper-caste issues. This one covers a wide range of sociological problems involving the lower castes of people, driven by economic and cultural issues. Covers the fluctuation of wealth among the local and regional mid-level warlords. Easy to read and understand; secondary and above.

Delgado, James P. Khubilai Khan’s Lost Fleet: In Search of a Legendary Armada. Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 2008.
>Turnbull, Stephen. Samurai Invasion: Japan’s Korean War, 1592–1598. London: Cassell, 2002.
>For the general public, hence very easy to read; detailed and well illustrated; written from a Japanese perspective with a samurai emphasis; very good descriptions of the technology and the bibliography includes Japanese, Korean, and Chinese sources; the appendixes give examples of “Order of Battle” and a “List of Heads.”
Hawley, Samuel. The Imjin War: Japan’s Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China. 2d ed. Hemet, CA: Conquistador, 2014.
>The author does an excellent job attempting to give a neutral view of the war; loaded with background information on all three belligerents; heavy in political and diplomatic historical views; covers the progression of battles and local civilian impacts; general education level.

Andrew Gordon's Modern History of Japan is the general overview book you're most likely to find in your local college bookstore.

Swope, Kenneth M. A Dragon’s Head and a Serpent’s Tail: Ming China and the First Great East Asian War, 1592–1598. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2009.
>A primarily Chinese perspective while comparing the perspectives of the other belligerents; he also adds emphasis on the naval battles, impacts to the local populace, political and diplomatic effects, and Japan’s desire to expand its sphere of influence. College level, excellent comprehensive look.
Turnbull, Stephen. Samurai Invasion: Japan’s Korean War, 1592–1598. London: Cassell, 2002.
>For the general public, hence very easy to read; detailed and well illustrated; written from a Japanese perspective with a samurai emphasis; very good descriptions of the technology and the bibliography includes Japanese, Korean, and Chinese sources; the appendixes give examples of “Order of Battle” and a “List of Heads."

Yu, Songnyong. The Book of Corrections: Reflections on the National Crisis during the Japanese Invasion of Korea 1592–1598. Translated by Choi Byonghyon. Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 2002.
>A primary source, Korean perspective of the Imjin War. The author was the chief state councilor for one of the Korean kings (Sonjo); the author also looks at the relationships between Korea, China, and Japan. Includes personal opinions as well; interesting perspective, college level, worth reading.
Kang, Hang. A Korean War Captive in Japan, 1597–1600: The Writings of Kang Hang. Edited and translated by JaHyun Haboush and Kenneth R. Robinson. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013.
>The translation of the view of a Korean prisoner of war/spy in Japan; excellent comparison of the Korean and Japanese cultures; includes the translators’ opinions on the author’s perspective; a comparative of Korean and Japanese Confucianism and the psychology of the war and Japanese military organization and culture; college level.

Not OP, but I owe you a drink all the same

Berry, Mary Elizabeth. The Culture of Civil War in Kyoto. Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 1994.
>Captures the complexity of life in Kyoto during, but mostly after, the Onin War. Verbally illustrates the disparity of the Japanese people during such a violent and confusing time. It is a university-level work with an extensive list of translated works in the bibliography as well as explanatory notes.
Goble, Andrew Edmond. Kenmu: Go-Daigo’s Revolution. Cambridge, MA: Council on East Asian Studies at Harvard University, 1996.
>The story of the three-year reign of Emperor Go-Daigo, who took advantage of the fall of the Hōjō clan; undergraduate level; author does a good job explaining the old order that Go-Daigo wanted to restore. It was short lived, as too many warlords liked the power experienced under Hōjō.
Varley, H. Paul. The Ōnin War. New York: Columbia University Press, 1967.
>Describes the evolution of the bakufu type of a government, beginning with the Kamakura Bakufu and the balance of power with local governments and central governmental control, ending with the ten-year Ōnin War, a siege of Kyoto, and the rise of the Ashikaga Bakufu, which allowed central control to disintegrate.

np, if you can hold out a bit longer i'll take all this stuff and make a pic for Veeky Forumsstorians to use

Ferris, William Wayne. Japan’s Medieval Population: Famine, Fertility and Warfare in a Transformative Age. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2006.
>A comprehensive study of the common medieval population set between 1150 CE and 1600 CE. Covers the entire demographic of the period, includes many primary sources and explanatory notes. University level. Though not absolutely necessary, a little background in general socioeconomics would make it an easier read.
Segal, Ethan Isaac. Coins, Trade and the State: Economic Growth in Early Medieval Japan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011.
>A detailed study of the economic growth and decline; the definition and movement of money throughout Japan during the period, with examples of how various clans exercised their authority over their own economic situations; university level and excellent supplement to Ferris 2006.
Sei, Shonagon. The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagan. Translated by Ivan Morris. New York: Columbia University Press, 1991.
>This translation of a primary source exemplifies the culture of the late Heian period. Diary of the author, a courtesan and former lady-in-waiting of the Empress Sadako; important to military history in that it describes the imperial court mentality of the day; general education level.
McAlpine, Helen, and William McAlpine. Japanese Tales and Legends. Oxford Myths and Legends. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
>Compilation of tales/poems that span Japanese culture since ancient times. These short stories give a brief look into the mind and soul of the Japanese people and is worth reading, especially if you are a true student of Japanese history.

Jesus? Is it you?

Yoshitsune: A Fifteen-Century Japanese Chronicle. Translated by Helen Craig McCullough. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1971.
>Can supplement both the Heike and/or the Genji. Yoshitsune was a Minamoto general who took part in the Minamoto-Taira war that was scarcely mentioned in the original tales; read the preface and the introduction to understand the relevance and importance. A translation of a primary work; general education level.
Murasaki, Shikibu. The Tale of Genji. Translated by Royall Tyler. New York: Penguin, 2001.
>Considered the world’s first novel; interpreted into modern English for an easy read. Extensive footnote explanations help the reader understand the culture, historical background, and priorities of court. This interpretation is recommended for university-level readers.
Tyler, Royall, trans. The Tale of the Heike. New York: Viking, 2012a.
>The true author of this tale is not known, though there are several unsubstantiated guesses; this version was designed to be performed, but Tyler’s interpretation allows for a smooth read and includes many explanatory footnotes.
Taira, Shigesuke. Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke. Translated by Thomas Clearly. Rutland, VT: Tuttle, 1999.
>This is one of the rare “code of ethics” that was actually written down; it was specifically written for the powerful Taira clan in the mid-12th century to gain better control over soldiers and staff. The translation and interpretation are well done and easy to read.
Varley, H. Paul. Warriors of Japan: As Portrayed in the War Tales. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 1994.
>A translation of a compilation of personal accounts by participants and historians of the day, depicting actual events known as the “War Tales.” This version is written and interpreted at a college level and should be in the library of any student of medieval Japanese history.