Notes
- I doubt I’m going to have time to write much on this book. But it was interesting to read, mainly because insights into feudal Japan arise almost accidentally in the course of the narrative, leaving a lot of questions I'd like to follow up.
- The visits overseas, and the clash of cultures, the reason I bought the book, stimulated by Aeon: Video - Fukuzawa Yukichi in Europe1, make up a small proportion of the narrative.
- We're warned in the afterword that the autobiography is an old man's rationalisation of what his opinions would have been as a young man. This may be true, but is not of relevance to my interests, which are more cultural that political or biographical.
- I'd like to learn more about the history of Japan and its rapid transition to modernity. I many need to buy another book2, as currently, all I have specific to Japan is:-
- "Milton (Giles) - Samurai William: The Adventurer Who Unlocked Japan"
- "Reischauer (Edwin O.) - The Japanese"
- However, I have a number of books on world history, from which sections on Japan (including – hopefully – in its international context) might be taken:-
- "Fairbank (John King), Reischauer (Edwin O.), Craig (Albert M.) - East Asia: tradition and transformation"
- "Fernandez-Armesto (Felipe) - Millennium: A History of Our Last Thousand Years",
- "Fry (Plantagenet) - The Dorling Kindersley History of the World",
- "Grenville (J.A.S.) - The Collins History of the World In the Twentieth Century",
- "Marr (Andrew) - A History of The World",
- "McNeill (Wiliam H.) & Iriye (Mitsuko), Eds. - Readings in World History, Vol. 9 (Modern Asia & Africa)",
- "Overy (Richard), Ed. - The Times Complete History of the World",
- "Roberts (J.M.) - The Pelican History of the World"
- Reading the Japanese elements of the above would give me the excuse for looking at them without the commitment of reading them from beginning to end.
In-Page Footnotes
Footnote 2:
- The book I had my eyes on is History of Japan by J.G. Caiger.
- The Amazon Book Description of which is:-
- A classic of Japanese history, this book is still the preeminent work on the history of Japan.
- Newly revised and updated, A History of Japan is a single-volume, complete history of the nation of Japan. Starting in ancient Japan during its early pre-history period A History of Japan covers every important aspect of history and culture through feudal Japan to the post-cold War period and collapse of the bubble Economy in the early 1990's. Recent findings shed additional light on the origins of Japanese civilization and the birth of Japanese culture.
- Also included is an in-depth analysis of the Japanese religion, Japanese arts, Japanese culture and the Japanese People from the 6th century B.C.E. to the present. This contemporary classic, now updated and revised, continues to be an essential text in Japanese studies. Classic illustrations and unique pictures are dispersed throughout the book.
- A History of Japan, Revised Edition includes:
- Archaic Japan — including Yamato, the creation of a unified state, the Nana Period, and the Heian period.
- Medieval Japan — including rule by the military houses, the failure of Ashikaga Rule, Buddhism, and the Kamakura and Muroachi periods.
- Early Modern Japan — including Japanese feudalism, administration under the Tokugawa, and society and culture in early modern Japan.
- Modern Japan — including The Meiji Era and policies for modernization, from consensus to crisis (1912-1937), and solutions through force.
- This contemporary classic continues to be a central book in Japanese studies and is an vital addition to the collection of any student or enthusiast of Japanese history, Japanese culture, or the Japanese Language.
Text Colour Conventions (see disclaimer)
- Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2026
- Mauve: Text by correspondent(s) or other author(s); © the author(s)