The Making of Modern Japan

Rating:
Summary: The work of a liftetime. . .
Review: And for most, reading it may take a lifetime. But that might not be a bad thing.

This book has two strong points: first, it is remarkably all-inclusive - the work of a master historian; second, it is inexpensive for such a massive tome.

Jansen crafts a decent narrative, but the writing itself is sometimes plodding and only the most tenacious reader will be able to navigate all 765 pages.

Which means that this is an excellent book for researchers and budding Japan specialists. It is probably the best condensed history that covers this massive a timeframe.

But for the casual reader this book can at best be read over the years, chunk by chunk only as inspiration strikes.

Rating:
Summary: A Neutral and Readable History of Japan!
Review: First and foremost, I was very surprized at how readable this book is at times. For a book of this size, and the amount of material it covers, I was glad at how readable it was in certain parts.

I also liked that the book was relatively neutral approach. The author clearly respects Japanese history and has mastered it, while not making excuses for their mistakes. To often Japanese and Chinese scholars have been seduced by the cultures of these areas and it clouds their writing and interpretations. I liked the neutrality of this book.

I am less interested in social history, so I will not lie and pretend to have found those chapters interesting, it is not my thing.

The chapters that I felt were the best dealth with the unification of Japan around 1600 and the events surrounding the Meiji Restoration of 1868.

To me, one of the most interesting periods in Japanese history is the 16th and 17th century. The stories and actions of Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu (my screen name)fascinate me greatly. However, there is so little in English about them. It is so hard to find many sources on these great Japanese leaders and the final battles at Sekigara and Osaka castle. So it was quite enjoyable to read about them in this book. The Tokugawa Shogunate ruled Japan for over 200 years and was great to read how it came into power and stayed in power. If this time period interests you, you must read Totman's bio of Tokugawa and of course Cavells Shogun.

Equally as interesting is how the Tokugawa Shogunate collapsed and the Emperor was restored. The book does a great job detailing Perry's arrival in Japan and its forced opening to the west. The book also does a great job discussing the infighting in Japan going on at the time of Perry's arrival and after. The book makes it clear that the Meiji Restoration was more than simply a reaction to Western Imperialism. I enjoyed reading about all the infighting between the remaining Tokugawa bakfu and the more rebellous daimyo.

Also the author does a great job describing how after the Meiji restoration Japan modernized and westernized.

I also feel this books makes up for some of the weaknesses in other recent books on modern Japan. "Embracing Defeat" was too sympathetic to the Japanese in dealing with its history immediately after WWII. This book stays neutral.

Also,Bix recent biography of Hirohito, really did not go into enough detail of the Meiji restoration which this books does a great job of.

However, that creates another problem. Again, if you have read either Bix' Hirohito or Embracing Defeat you will be pretty well informed of post-WWII Japan. Therefore the last chapters of this book are really not neccessary to read. Again, its done well, but having read both of those books makes his information a bit of overkill.

So, if you are looking for a good overview of recent Japanese history you will enjoy this book. It is well written and informative and at times surprizingly entertaining. But again, the last few parts of this book cover material fans of Japanese history will have read too much of recently.

If you like Japanese history, you will like this book.

Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: Having lived in Japan off and on for over 10 years I tremendously enjoyed Marius' detailed knowledge on Japanese history. Although hard going over a number of weekends, it put all the snippets of my own knowledge of modern Japanese history in context and made the pieces of the puzzle fit. Indispensable reading for any serious student of Japan.

Rating:
Summary: Thorough and informative
Review: I bought this book for reference while taking a Modern History of Asia class - I ended up reading the whole thing! Informative, interesting and a great resource for the 3 papers on Japan I wrote.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely facinating to students of Japanese History
Review: I could not put this book down once I started reading it. Anyone looking for details from the end of the Edo era through the Allied Occupation follwing WWII will not be able to find a better book than this.

Rating:
Summary: A remarkably clear, thorough and readable history
Review: The late Marius Jansen has left us with a superb single volume introduction to modern Japanese history. Anyone approaching Japanese history for the first time would do very well to start with this book. Those who know the story well already will nevertheless find many delights. The book is good reading and explains the intricacies of Japanese history with remarkable clarity. Jansen treats the social and cultural as well as political and economic sides, and integrates them into a coherent whole. When reading more specialized accounts, I find myself referring back to Jansen's book as a convenient way to put their stories in context. The illustrations are well chosen and well presented. Strongly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: First Rate Overview
Review: This books covers the last 400 years of Japanese history in a series of very well written and well organized chapters. The focus on structural changes in Japanese political and social organization with briefer but insightful discussions of intellectual and economic history. Relatively unfamiliar topics such as the emergence and articulation of the Tokugawa state, the Meiji restoration, and the complex structure of Japanese politics in the pre-WWII era are discussed with great insight. There is an excellent annotated bibliography for each chapter. Jansen does an excellent job of balancing the need to explain and analyze events properly with the need to produce a one volume (though pretty thick) book. This is the book for someone looking for an introduction to Japanese history.