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A Brief History of Japan: Samurai, Shogun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun
This fascinating history tells the story of the people of Japan, from ancient teenage priest-queens to teeming hordes of salarymen, a nation that once sought to conquer China, yet also shut itself away for two centuries in self-imposed seclusion.
First revealed to Westerners in the chronicles of Marco Polo, Japan was a legendary faraway land defended by a fearsome Kamikaze storm and ruled by a divine sovereign. It was the terminus of the Silk Road, the furthest end of the known world, a fertile source of inspiration for European artists, and an enduring symbol of the mysterious East. In recent times, it has become a powerhouse of global industry, a nexus of popular culture, and a harbinger of post-industrial decline.
With intelligence and wit, author Jonathan Clements blends documentary and storytelling styles to connect the past, present and future of Japan, and in broad yet detailed strokes reveals a country of paradoxes: a modern nation steeped in ancient traditions; a democracy with an emperor as head of state; a famously safe society built on 108 volcanoes resting on the world's most active earthquake zone; a fast-paced urban and technologically advanced country whose land consists predominantly of mountains and forests.
Among the chapters in this Japanese history book are:
The Way of the Gods: Prehistoric and Mythical Japan
A Game of Thrones: Minamoto vs. Taira
Time Warp: 200 Years of Isolation
The Stench of Butter: Restoration and Modernization
The New Breed: The Japanese Miracle
First revealed to Westerners in the chronicles of Marco Polo, Japan was a legendary faraway land defended by a fearsome Kamikaze storm and ruled by a divine sovereign. It was the terminus of the Silk Road, the furthest end of the known world, a fertile source of inspiration for European artists, and an enduring symbol of the mysterious East. In recent times, it has become a powerhouse of global industry, a nexus of popular culture, and a harbinger of post-industrial decline.
With intelligence and wit, author Jonathan Clements blends documentary and storytelling styles to connect the past, present and future of Japan, and in broad yet detailed strokes reveals a country of paradoxes: a modern nation steeped in ancient traditions; a democracy with an emperor as head of state; a famously safe society built on 108 volcanoes resting on the world's most active earthquake zone; a fast-paced urban and technologically advanced country whose land consists predominantly of mountains and forests.
Among the chapters in this Japanese history book are:
The Way of the Gods: Prehistoric and Mythical Japan
A Game of Thrones: Minamoto vs. Taira
Time Warp: 200 Years of Isolation
The Stench of Butter: Restoration and Modernization
The New Breed: The Japanese Miracle
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2017
About the author
Jonathan Clements
130 books100 followersJonathan Clements is an author, translator, biographer and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Marco Polo, Mao Zedong, Koxinga and Qin Shihuangdi. He also writes for NEO magazine and is the co-author of encyclopedias of anime and Japanese television dramas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
May 15, 2023
A really interesting history book, especially in the second half.
October 7, 2021
This was an excellent short history of Japan, both entertaining and informative. For those looking for an entertaining read, you will appreciate the short introductory stories for each time period. For those looking to learn a lot about Japan in a short period of time, you will appreciate how the author is able to condense information while still maintaining a crisp pacing to the book.
May 28, 2018
A must read for visitors to Japan. This book is very readable, and turned years of long history to a short book. Each chapter focused on a critical part of history, with a dramatized introduction of a story that reflects the parts.
So the Emperors are descended from the Gods, and archeology work on burial mounds are more or less prohibited. Clements strongly argued that the indigenous Ainu people were people who came from Asia long long ago, and later newcomers from Korea, especially the Kingdom of Baekje. This is because some Korean kings claimed the same ancestry from the gods. Kyoto city plan and customs were mostly copied from Tang China, and kamikaze saved Japan from the Mongols. The Samurai were minor disgraced nobles who were sent to fight the indigenous barbarians who then took over the power from the emperor. The peak period of the Shogun however led to 200 years of isolation until Mathew Perry cane with his steam boats. Japan quickly opened up after that and under Emperor Meiji the Samurai were disbanded. However they were mostly incorporated into the armed forces. They soon took over and decided to invade Asia, finally being defeated by America with her atomic bombs. Of course then the Occupation occured and America had to work with people involved with the war machine... Post war, Japan grew her industries and at one point was poised to take over the world. Japanese methods were admired everywhere, until the property bubble burst and the Lost decade started. Young people born around that period became Otaku (nerds) or even stayed at home and avoided contact with the outside world.
The current problem is mainly demographics. Even Abenomics cannot solve it: ultimately either Japan depopulates, or some form of immigration would happen. Women are still expected to marry and then stay home There is not enough childcare to let women continue to work after giving birth. Men openly proclaimed that they would not serve a woman boss. Those must be solved or else the birth rate problem, just like most Eastern Asia, would not get better.
So the Emperors are descended from the Gods, and archeology work on burial mounds are more or less prohibited. Clements strongly argued that the indigenous Ainu people were people who came from Asia long long ago, and later newcomers from Korea, especially the Kingdom of Baekje. This is because some Korean kings claimed the same ancestry from the gods. Kyoto city plan and customs were mostly copied from Tang China, and kamikaze saved Japan from the Mongols. The Samurai were minor disgraced nobles who were sent to fight the indigenous barbarians who then took over the power from the emperor. The peak period of the Shogun however led to 200 years of isolation until Mathew Perry cane with his steam boats. Japan quickly opened up after that and under Emperor Meiji the Samurai were disbanded. However they were mostly incorporated into the armed forces. They soon took over and decided to invade Asia, finally being defeated by America with her atomic bombs. Of course then the Occupation occured and America had to work with people involved with the war machine... Post war, Japan grew her industries and at one point was poised to take over the world. Japanese methods were admired everywhere, until the property bubble burst and the Lost decade started. Young people born around that period became Otaku (nerds) or even stayed at home and avoided contact with the outside world.
The current problem is mainly demographics. Even Abenomics cannot solve it: ultimately either Japan depopulates, or some form of immigration would happen. Women are still expected to marry and then stay home There is not enough childcare to let women continue to work after giving birth. Men openly proclaimed that they would not serve a woman boss. Those must be solved or else the birth rate problem, just like most Eastern Asia, would not get better.
May 9, 2020
This book was very convoluted and difficult to follow. I found that it rambled on a lot and didn’t fully explore important aspects in a clear understandable fashion. I found Wikipedia to be better at explaining Japanese history. The Sengoku era, Tokugawa, Nobunaga and Toyotomi was very brief compared to earlier chapters despite them being important figures in Japanese history. Compared to other books on Japanese history that I’ve read, this was poorly written and made things more complicated that they should be.
April 17, 2021
Decent overview of Japanese history. As with a lot of history, there’s a focus on wars and transfer of power. I appreciated the author’s additions of tidbits like how sushi came to be and his commentary on how Japanese culture evolved as a result of key historic events. The last chapter is less about the Japan of today and more the author’s predictions of what Japan has to do to succeed in the future.
January 29, 2024
Don’t know what all the complains are about. This book is genuinely a good, brief history of Japan. Like i’m sorry the author doesn’t go into immense detail about the theory of absolutism, or individual members of the bakafu, but this book truly is brief, and I think the details the author decided to focus on really interesting.
This book covers such a massive amount of time and events, and manages to summarise it in such a concise and informative way, I have to commend the author.
This book covers such a massive amount of time and events, and manages to summarise it in such a concise and informative way, I have to commend the author.
June 3, 2018
If you would like to get a concise and brief overview of Japanese history, I would recommend this book.
To be fair, this is the first book I have read about Japan and its history, so this review might not be suited for people who already are familiar with the country. But if you are just like I was, without any clue, this book might offer you some concise insights.
Clements goes through the country's dense history chapter by chapter, but sometimes tends to run a bit astray. Yet, some nice facts and understanding of the country can be read throughout the book. The book is especially nice to read when traveling in the Kyoto and Nara region, as many places will gain more historical value. Plus it brings the history telling of the book to life.
The writing style is clear and understandable for any audience. Even though I would have liked the author to go more into depth in certain parts or about certain sources, I understand his choices in cutting down parts of the story in order to bring forward a compact book.
To be fair, this is the first book I have read about Japan and its history, so this review might not be suited for people who already are familiar with the country. But if you are just like I was, without any clue, this book might offer you some concise insights.
Clements goes through the country's dense history chapter by chapter, but sometimes tends to run a bit astray. Yet, some nice facts and understanding of the country can be read throughout the book. The book is especially nice to read when traveling in the Kyoto and Nara region, as many places will gain more historical value. Plus it brings the history telling of the book to life.
The writing style is clear and understandable for any audience. Even though I would have liked the author to go more into depth in certain parts or about certain sources, I understand his choices in cutting down parts of the story in order to bring forward a compact book.
October 29, 2023
Well, it is brief. The ancient, pre-modern history can be a little bit hard to follow and the author delves deep into abstract narrative during the first 100 pages. After this, it becomes easier to read. There is depth in some areas but not in others, which I guess is what you can expect from a 270 page book on an entire nation’s history.
September 20, 2020
The author seems to ignore any communication good practice or technique and goes on and on for hundred of pages listing hundreds of names of emperors, families and shogun. You are much better off studying Japanese history on Wikipedia
May 10, 2024
I am not a Japan expert so I am unable to be intellectually critical of this book, but I found it absolutely fabulous. It’s very readable, with each chapter opening with a historical anecdote written in thrilling and descriptive prose. The history is well summarized in a way that’s informative but still engaging, with a nice sprinkle of humor. I really appreciated how the author made sure to include the experiences of women throughout the centuries, and I thought it was quite objective in portraying the triumphs and mistakes of leaders. I do think it could have expanded more on the treatment of indigenous Ainu and Ryukyu peoples, as well as the experiences of immigrant workers in the modern era. These issues were briefly mentioned, but not expanded upon. If you are a history nut like me I think you’ll like this one.
February 14, 2024
I thought that this book was very informative, but very dense. That is to be expected from a 300 page book that is trying to cover several thousand years of history. It starts with the creation myths of Japan and it ends in the 2010's with projections for the 2020's for Japanese economics and business (oh if only they knew what would happen!). For most of the early history segments, it was a lot of names, a lot of emperors and switching of powers, so I found it a bit hard to follow.
I think that this book was a great way to introduce myself to Japanese history, but I will definitely need to do more reading over specific time periods later on.
I think that this book was a great way to introduce myself to Japanese history, but I will definitely need to do more reading over specific time periods later on.
July 7, 2024
As I'm preparing for my first trip to Japan, I've started looking for more resources to help me better understand the country and its history and culture. I believe that if you are already familiar with Japan's past this may feel a bit too light as it doesn't go too deep into any subject in particular. The style is clear to understand and the author does a fairly decent job at going through a dense, quite complicated at times and different history and culture.
I will continue my journey and explore the history of the samurais, Japanese art through Hokusai, Noh and Kabuki theatre, along with events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor, which impacted the way the land of the rising sun evolved.
I will continue my journey and explore the history of the samurais, Japanese art through Hokusai, Noh and Kabuki theatre, along with events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor, which impacted the way the land of the rising sun evolved.
March 23, 2024
The early sections are hard to follow with the narrative being generally disjointed/dry but the history post Japan's era of seclusion was much easier to follow.
February 5, 2020
This was an excellent concise telling of Japanese history.
It is just long enough to cover the pivotal stories and figures of Japanese history, but not so long that it has you lost in the minutia.
Author Jonathon Clements writes with an easy, engaging style, that holds the reader's attention well.
"A Brief History of Japan" is well researched, written, and delivered. A welcome change from many other history books I have read. As such, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in Japanese history.
5 stars.
It is just long enough to cover the pivotal stories and figures of Japanese history, but not so long that it has you lost in the minutia.
Author Jonathon Clements writes with an easy, engaging style, that holds the reader's attention well.
"A Brief History of Japan" is well researched, written, and delivered. A welcome change from many other history books I have read. As such, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in Japanese history.
5 stars.
October 22, 2021
Meanders way too much. While I appreciate the sometimes novelistic style in which he writes, it often distracted from the main point for me.
February 3, 2021
I started this book in an aim to know history of the country i live in better. I was not disappointed.
The book starts with Disney’s Moana like tale, where old woman persuades the rest to move into the land of rising sun, where the food is plentiful, and fish are abundant. I am pretty sure Jared Bush has read this book and was deeply inspired.
Jokes aside, myths of Izanagi and Izanami, the central deities in the Japanese creation myth, are presented too making this book fusion of folklores and factual history, and not just combination of dull, turgid and frankly boring facts.
The story of Goddess of Sun ( Amaterasu) is not missed as well and explains how three sacred treasures ( valor (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel) )were used to lure hiding Amaterasu from her cave.
Then the narrative explores the ancient settlers and their land, whom Chinese historians referred to as the “Land of Wà” or The land of Dwarfs. Alas offensive, considering the average height of Japanese, the referral seemed pretty accurate.
Japanese culture and tradition was deeply influenced and embedded with the Chinese Tang Dynasty. No wonder the Japanese Emperor of that time was bowing to the Chinese emperor. This is widely known in history as concept of Emperor at home, king abroad (外王內帝).
From years 1192, the Emperors of Japan started to demote some members ( children and grandchildren) out of succession into nobility and gave them new surnames Minamoto and Taira. The ones that regained the emperors confidence, were promoted again into Samurai’s or ministers, actively creating a new class.
Minamoto and Taira families then led lifelong battle, into the Imperial favor, which is represented in Japanese flag as white and red.
At around 14-16th century, westerners started poking in, prompting 200year Sakoku period, when japan adapted isolationist foreign policy under Tokugawa Shogunate.
Finally when it reopened its gates, Japan realized how much it was behind compared to European Imperialists, and suffered unfair trade agreements with them.
Under Meiji Reconstruction, Japan started adopting new technologies from French and British and quickly turned into Asian Imperialistic country. From there, they regained confidence that they could also enjoy the privileges the Traditional imperialists did. But at what cost? Japan signing Tripartite act with German and Italy, became the active participant of the war, which led to Pearl Harbor attack then to Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atom bombing.
Then it started rebranding itself as Cool Japan and transforming war time technologies into consumer electronics, and cars, enjoyed great fame of “ Japanese quality and reliability”. Much of which we know now as purely Japanese, namely mangas, cute things and otaku, comes from the culture formed postwar period.
If i must say some cons of this book, it might be about the author. Although he did a brilliant job in covering vast history of japan from ancient times, he seems to have a negative bias towards Japanese culture. He mentions about green tea as unpleasant to taste strange drink among all the delicacies he might have picked otherwise. His mentioning of “Butter stench/ バタークサ“ is a bit out of place too. Considering the fact that Japanese must have said many other good things about foreigners other than Butter stench. He then attributes all there to mention about culture to Chinese, and joins Kyushu Lineages to Korean novelties. Albeit inarguable, some nationalists here would be deeply offended by the latter two remarks.
The book starts with Disney’s Moana like tale, where old woman persuades the rest to move into the land of rising sun, where the food is plentiful, and fish are abundant. I am pretty sure Jared Bush has read this book and was deeply inspired.
Jokes aside, myths of Izanagi and Izanami, the central deities in the Japanese creation myth, are presented too making this book fusion of folklores and factual history, and not just combination of dull, turgid and frankly boring facts.
The story of Goddess of Sun ( Amaterasu) is not missed as well and explains how three sacred treasures ( valor (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel) )were used to lure hiding Amaterasu from her cave.
Then the narrative explores the ancient settlers and their land, whom Chinese historians referred to as the “Land of Wà” or The land of Dwarfs. Alas offensive, considering the average height of Japanese, the referral seemed pretty accurate.
Japanese culture and tradition was deeply influenced and embedded with the Chinese Tang Dynasty. No wonder the Japanese Emperor of that time was bowing to the Chinese emperor. This is widely known in history as concept of Emperor at home, king abroad (外王內帝).
From years 1192, the Emperors of Japan started to demote some members ( children and grandchildren) out of succession into nobility and gave them new surnames Minamoto and Taira. The ones that regained the emperors confidence, were promoted again into Samurai’s or ministers, actively creating a new class.
Minamoto and Taira families then led lifelong battle, into the Imperial favor, which is represented in Japanese flag as white and red.
At around 14-16th century, westerners started poking in, prompting 200year Sakoku period, when japan adapted isolationist foreign policy under Tokugawa Shogunate.
Finally when it reopened its gates, Japan realized how much it was behind compared to European Imperialists, and suffered unfair trade agreements with them.
Under Meiji Reconstruction, Japan started adopting new technologies from French and British and quickly turned into Asian Imperialistic country. From there, they regained confidence that they could also enjoy the privileges the Traditional imperialists did. But at what cost? Japan signing Tripartite act with German and Italy, became the active participant of the war, which led to Pearl Harbor attack then to Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atom bombing.
Then it started rebranding itself as Cool Japan and transforming war time technologies into consumer electronics, and cars, enjoyed great fame of “ Japanese quality and reliability”. Much of which we know now as purely Japanese, namely mangas, cute things and otaku, comes from the culture formed postwar period.
If i must say some cons of this book, it might be about the author. Although he did a brilliant job in covering vast history of japan from ancient times, he seems to have a negative bias towards Japanese culture. He mentions about green tea as unpleasant to taste strange drink among all the delicacies he might have picked otherwise. His mentioning of “Butter stench/ バタークサ“ is a bit out of place too. Considering the fact that Japanese must have said many other good things about foreigners other than Butter stench. He then attributes all there to mention about culture to Chinese, and joins Kyushu Lineages to Korean novelties. Albeit inarguable, some nationalists here would be deeply offended by the latter two remarks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2022
A very good concise overview of thousands of years of history. Reference to wars are kept in the context of what was going on rather than just a listing of destruction. Actually pretty amazing how interesting this book was to read.
Okay three favorite factoids
1 Empress Jinju (maybe mythical, maybe not?) but she was bad ass. In 300 CE. Led the invasion of Korea as revenge for her husband’s death then came. Ask three years later and had his child (kept in her womb..oh my) and then ruled for 69 years as her son’s regent.
2 there was a Minister of Go for over a 100 years. The best player (Who then never had to compete again thus making it a lifetime appointment) the emperor loved Go but also needed something for the militant samurai to be occupied with as it was a peaceful time. I wish there was still a MofGo. Sigh
3 finally the recently retired PM Abe is the grandson of a prime minister. Whose brother was also a prime minister. Between the three of them they controlled much of Japanese politics since 1955. Did not know that
It also seems that the Samurai mystique is very much like our cowboys—lots of stories and romanticizing that doesn’t reflect the reality. (the author describes them as glorified night watchmen during the period when Japan was “closed”—there was nothing for them to do)
Okay three favorite factoids
1 Empress Jinju (maybe mythical, maybe not?) but she was bad ass. In 300 CE. Led the invasion of Korea as revenge for her husband’s death then came. Ask three years later and had his child (kept in her womb..oh my) and then ruled for 69 years as her son’s regent.
2 there was a Minister of Go for over a 100 years. The best player (Who then never had to compete again thus making it a lifetime appointment) the emperor loved Go but also needed something for the militant samurai to be occupied with as it was a peaceful time. I wish there was still a MofGo. Sigh
3 finally the recently retired PM Abe is the grandson of a prime minister. Whose brother was also a prime minister. Between the three of them they controlled much of Japanese politics since 1955. Did not know that
It also seems that the Samurai mystique is very much like our cowboys—lots of stories and romanticizing that doesn’t reflect the reality. (the author describes them as glorified night watchmen during the period when Japan was “closed”—there was nothing for them to do)
March 11, 2024
Prior to reading this, I think my entire knowledge of Japan’s history was limited to either (1) U.S. interaction during and post- World War 2 or (2) possibly fictitious things I picked up in movies. So huge gaps in my knowledge were filled — or at least improved — by reading this. Yes, it’s “brief” (in the title) so I didn’t consider it a thorough scholarly treatment of the history, but I think it was enough to satisfy my curiosity for now.
One thing I didn’t like is how most chapters begin with a “vignette” — some of them historical, some legendary, and others purely imaginary. I think the intent was to place the reader, emotionally, in the time period that the coming chapter was about to cover. The problem, for me, is that none of the vignettes included any *mention* of the time period, so each one felt like I was reading it with zero context, always dealing with people and places that hadn't been mentioned yet. So they felt like wasted space/time and in fact had the negative impact of taking me out of the timeline until the vignette ended and the author re-introduced me to the time period under consideration. (Very likely other readers will really enjoy these; I think I would have enjoyed them tons more if they’d included a brief introductory sentence that at least mentioned the time period and perhaps some other context.)
March 5, 2024
A very well put together brief history that does a great job of what the author intended to do. I like how the author started with the Mongol invasion but then went back in time to the very beginning until we arrived back at that point before segwaying into the medieval and modern times. This had a very theatrical draw to it that effectively pulls the reader in before laying out boatloads of historical data dumping that would likely bore most. I'm very much interested in learning more about Japan in the late 19th and early 20th century, as a result of this book.
July 1, 2024
⭐️ 3.5
I’m not one to rate history books but I enjoyed this one. It had some dense chapters, especially those which discussed ancient and medieval Japan, basically just listing all these different emperors and shoguns and diving into their inner court affairs, which got quite dull. but I still think I took something away from those chapters nonetheless. I especially enjoyed listening about post 17th century Japan, and I think the last few chapters were very interesting.
this one’s free on Audible if you have Premium!
I’m not one to rate history books but I enjoyed this one. It had some dense chapters, especially those which discussed ancient and medieval Japan, basically just listing all these different emperors and shoguns and diving into their inner court affairs, which got quite dull. but I still think I took something away from those chapters nonetheless. I especially enjoyed listening about post 17th century Japan, and I think the last few chapters were very interesting.
this one’s free on Audible if you have Premium!
October 25, 2023
Fantastic book to get a digestible overview of Japanese history, ancient and modern! The pace is great and I never felt bored or bogged down by dates, long names, which sides were fighting for which emperors, etc.. the narrative is equally serious, thoughtful, humorous and cheeky. I read this at the start of my journey through Japan and it made the experience richer, understanding how Japan became the way it is
March 24, 2022
When I was younger I wrote a paper on the Japanese and Dutch trade history. It was fun to re-visit some of the stories that I had forgotten. However, the book didn’t surprise me as much as the similar titled book about the history of China.
Somehow the manner of story telling and also the history itself was less intriguing.
This is a book that I’m glad I read, but Im not sure I will re-read.
Somehow the manner of story telling and also the history itself was less intriguing.
This is a book that I’m glad I read, but Im not sure I will re-read.
April 4, 2024
Pretty good. I already had a fairly basic knowledge of Japan going into this book. I didn’t learn a ton and it really is a surface level overview of Japan. But, I did learn some things and a few dots were connected I didn’t realize. Additionally I learned a fair amount about why Japan is the way it is now. Would recommend this to someone looking for an intro to Japan!
June 6, 2023
Listened to this while on the Shinkansen and while walking around Hiroshima. Japan has a much too rich and complex history for one book to be enough to get a real grasp on it but this was a good primer.
February 24, 2024
A decent introduction to the history of an enigmatic country. The author does a good job of creating a narrative out of the facts sometimes but fails to do that often. The result is a feeling of reading Wikipedia half the times, as many others have stated in the reviews. The book is also surprisingly poorly edited, with glaring typos and some incoherent sentences. Overall, not a terrible read but could have been much better with a little more effort.
October 9, 2018
Enjoyable, easy intro.
July 14, 2020
Really enjoyed this one. Lots of interesting information on Japan.
Japan has a deep history!
4 1/5
Japan has a deep history!
4 1/5
June 1, 2023
Exactly what it says on the tin can. Good overview over Japanese history, concise but informative. An excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with the subject, as well as an enjoyable way to revisit it for those who know a thing or two.
July 9, 2023
Found this as great introduction and primer for a visit to Japan.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews