CompleteMartialArts.com - Japanese Culture, 4th Edition (Updated and Expanded)

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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 952 EAN: 9780824821524 ISBN: 0824821521 Label: University of Hawaii Press Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 400 Publication Date: 2000-05-28 Publisher: University of Hawaii Press Studio: University of Hawaii Press
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Editorial Reviews: Japanese Culture has been called "a masterpiece of much in little space" (Booklist). For more than two decades it has garnered high praise as an accurate and well-written introduction to Japanese history and culture. This widely used undergraduate text is now available in a new edition. Thoroughly updated, the fourth edition includes expanded sections on numerous topics, among which are samurai values, Zen Buddhism, the tea ceremony, Confucianism in the Tokugawa period, the story of the forty-seven ronin, Mito scholarship in the early nineteenth century, and mass culture and comics in contemporary times.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: I think Japanese should cherish the culture as Japanese too. Comment: I have lived in Tokyo, Japan since I was born here. Though I can say about the case in Tokyo only, even I can not look at the Japanese historical things in my ordinaly Tokyo life. Tokyo is same as another big town over the world, developed town with high stores building, the imported fashion from mainly U.S.A etc. Certainly, the modern life in Tokyo may be comfortable, but I think that the life is not truth things, that is, that may be physical comfot, not mental. If I say honestly, in fact, I am very tired in Tokyo life since my birth, especially mental part: the overpopulated city, dirt air from the rannning cars, people followed with benefit. In such condition, I think that Japanese should get back the vanished Japanese history again. Japanese long history and cultures is not just culture, I think, they have been made on the reasonable means, for instance Japanese Buddhism would be born on the tender mind that take care of other person. But in modern Japanese city, there are little people that beleive in reliegions. Thank you for reading poor writing. Customer Rating: Summary: 10,000 Years In 300 Pages Comment: The tracings of Japanese culture go back some 10,000 years - speaking conservatively. Since then there has been a remarkable continuity of inhabitation on the Japanese islands, which has resulted in one of the richest and complex cultures in the world today. Originally heavily influenced by the neighboring Chinese culture in the period from 300 BC to 300 AD, the islands quickly found their own way and over the ensuing years have developed a breadth of integrated experience that is often baffling to the outsider or curious student. Paul Varley's book, in it's fourth edition and showing no signs of losing its value, is an attempt to present the significant cultural and historical developments, covering the past two millennia. OF course, most of the focus is from the eighth century on as Japanese civilization shifted from day to day survival to a complex political framework with a great flourishing of substantive creative art. Considering that my standard historical reference on Japan has some seven volumes and thousands of (often tedious) pages, Varley's task is considerable and his success worthy of note. In a mere three hundred pages of tiny print Varley manages to draw a picture of the Japanese people that, while far from complete, misses none of the key culture moments. He does this in a plain, business-like writing style that pours out unending amounts of information with merciless patience. He is very readable, but not what I would call enjoyable, since the sheer quantity of information can be overwhelming. If simply read straight through, it is easy to lose track of the thread of ideas. But the book rewards repeated study and the reader will soon find that all this information contributes much towards an understanding of the Japanese experience. Customer Rating: Summary: Typical history Comment: This book is good. I'm not going to call it great, nor will I say that it isn't a worthwhile read; however, it gets wordy at points. It could be improved with an overview of each chapter and then have the in-depth information to follow. Regardless, there is a wealth of information within! I personally love the history parts because I fell asleep when I took east asian history, and this is a good way of refreshing my memory to prepare for my college major of East Asian Studies come 2005 ;). Customer Rating: Summary: Amazing detail in such a small amount of space Comment: I wasn't sure what to expect when i bought this book - after all the title does seem a little generic and it is a pretty small book, but i was pleasantly surprised. Varley's style is incredibly terse yet still very accessible. He deals with Japanese culture chronologically, giving the reader a clear picture of the state of the country at the time any major cultural events took place, although avoiding any unecessarily long forays into the history of Japan which do not relate to cultural happenings. Overall, an extremely diverse and useful introduction to Japanese culture which could provide a thorough grounding in the subject prior to further study, or equally serve as a useful reference book to anyone with a casual interest in the culture of Japan Customer Rating: Summary: Great introduction to Japanese history and culture Comment: This book is fantastic for a thorough introduction to Japanese culture. It was a pleasure to read. This was the textbook used for my Japanese Life and Culture university class, and I was extremely pleased with it. Varley's writing style is straightforward and extremely interesting. What I especially liked about the book was its mixture of history and all aspects of Japanese culture, from the literature to the art to the religions. I can't recommend this book highly enough for anyone interested in learning about Japanese culture. More Reviews