The Japanese
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
Few nations have captured the world's imagination quite like Japan, and The Japanese by Edwin O. Reischauer stands as one of the most authoritative and penetrating examinations of Japanese civilization ever written. Reischauer — a Harvard scholar, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and lifelong Japan specialist — chronicles the historical forces, cultural traditions, and social structures that have shaped the Japanese people from their ancient origins through to their remarkable modern transformation. The work presents a sweeping portrait of a nation that, within a single century, vaulted from feudal isolation to global economic superpower, all while preserving a fiercely distinct cultural identity. Reischauer writes with a clarity and warmth born of decades of immersion in Japanese society, balancing rigorous historical scholarship with an accessible, humanist prose style that speaks to general readers and academics alike. He argues that understanding Japan requires grappling with its unique synthesis of borrowed and indigenous traditions — from Chinese writing systems and Buddhist philosophy to Shinto ritual and samurai ethics — and illustrates how these layered influences continue to animate contemporary Japanese life. Rich in sociological insight and cross-cultural nuance, The Japanese remains an indispensable guide to one of the world's most fascinating and complex societies, leaving the reader to wonder: how much of Japan's future is already written in its past?
Author: Edwin O. Reischauer
Format: Paperback
Genre: Asian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
Few nations have captured the world's imagination quite like Japan, and The Japanese by Edwin O. Reischauer stands as one of the most authoritative and penetrating examinations of Japanese civilization ever written. Reischauer — a Harvard scholar, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and lifelong Japan specialist — chronicles the historical forces, cultural traditions, and social structures that have shaped the Japanese people from their ancient origins through to their remarkable modern transformation. The work presents a sweeping portrait of a nation that, within a single century, vaulted from feudal isolation to global economic superpower, all while preserving a fiercely distinct cultural identity. Reischauer writes with a clarity and warmth born of decades of immersion in Japanese society, balancing rigorous historical scholarship with an accessible, humanist prose style that speaks to general readers and academics alike. He argues that understanding Japan requires grappling with its unique synthesis of borrowed and indigenous traditions — from Chinese writing systems and Buddhist philosophy to Shinto ritual and samurai ethics — and illustrates how these layered influences continue to animate contemporary Japanese life. Rich in sociological insight and cross-cultural nuance, The Japanese remains an indispensable guide to one of the world's most fascinating and complex societies, leaving the reader to wonder: how much of Japan's future is already written in its past?