History of Japan, 1615-1867

Rating:
Summary: Excellent text
Review: An excellent text on the pre-modern Edo-period of Japanese history, covering the events following the battle of Sekigahara, and the establishment of the Bakufu government in Edo (now Tokyo), up to the opening up of Japan by Commodore Perry, and the Meiji Restoration in 1867.

Excellent book for the serious student of Japanese history, covering salient aspects of everyday life during the period of national isolation, eg. Art and Culture, the Government, the growth of cities etc.

Also recommended for those with an interest in how Japan laid the foundations for becoming a global superpower, and how the Samurai lost their grip on feudal power to the (technically far inferior) mercantile class.

Not as fine as the Cambridge History of Japan, but for those more interested specifically in the Edo period, this is a must-have text, if a little old-fashioned.

Rating:
Summary: Best affordable introduction to Japanese history
Review: Pretty much every English speaker who studies Japan acquires a copy of Sansom. Consequently, if you are interested in Japan, you probably already have a set. I am giving this collection four stars instead of five simply because its scholarship is now a bit dated and it is not the Cambridge History of Japan. But, who can afford the Cambridge History? I wish I could. In terms of being affordable, this is most likely still the best introduction to Japanese history around in English.