Sons Of Heaven: A Portrait Of The Japanese Monarchy
Condition: SECONDHAND
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Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Behind the gilded chrysanthemum curtain lies one of the world's most ancient and enigmatic institutions — the Japanese Imperial Household, a dynasty that traces its lineage back over two millennia to the mythological sun goddess Amaterasu. Sons of Heaven: A Portrait of the Japanese Monarchy chronicles the sweeping history of Japan's imperial family, from its semi-divine origins through the turbulent modernisation of the Meiji era, the catastrophic ambitions of the Second World War, and the remarkable reinvention of Emperor Hirohito as a constitutional monarch in a devastated, then resurgent, nation. Jerrold M. Packard presents a richly detailed and authoritative portrait of an institution that has survived precisely because of its extraordinary capacity for adaptation, all while preserving an aura of sacred mystery that sets it apart from every other monarchy on earth. Packard writes with the precision of a historian and the narrative fluency of a seasoned storyteller, weaving together court ritual, political intrigue, and human drama to illuminate the paradox at the heart of the Japanese state: an emperor who reigns but does not rule, revered as a living god yet constitutionally powerless. The work situates the monarchy within the broader currents of Japanese culture, examining how imperial symbolism has shaped national identity across centuries of feudal isolation, imperial expansion, and post-war reconstruction. For anyone seeking to understand the silent, enduring power at the centre of modern Japan, this portrait raises a question as compelling as it is unresolved — in a nation hurtling toward the future, what does it mean to be the Son of Heaven?
Author: Jerrold M. Packard
Format: Hardback
Published: 1988, Macdonald Queen Anne Press
Genre: Asian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Behind the gilded chrysanthemum curtain lies one of the world's most ancient and enigmatic institutions — the Japanese Imperial Household, a dynasty that traces its lineage back over two millennia to the mythological sun goddess Amaterasu. Sons of Heaven: A Portrait of the Japanese Monarchy chronicles the sweeping history of Japan's imperial family, from its semi-divine origins through the turbulent modernisation of the Meiji era, the catastrophic ambitions of the Second World War, and the remarkable reinvention of Emperor Hirohito as a constitutional monarch in a devastated, then resurgent, nation. Jerrold M. Packard presents a richly detailed and authoritative portrait of an institution that has survived precisely because of its extraordinary capacity for adaptation, all while preserving an aura of sacred mystery that sets it apart from every other monarchy on earth. Packard writes with the precision of a historian and the narrative fluency of a seasoned storyteller, weaving together court ritual, political intrigue, and human drama to illuminate the paradox at the heart of the Japanese state: an emperor who reigns but does not rule, revered as a living god yet constitutionally powerless. The work situates the monarchy within the broader currents of Japanese culture, examining how imperial symbolism has shaped national identity across centuries of feudal isolation, imperial expansion, and post-war reconstruction. For anyone seeking to understand the silent, enduring power at the centre of modern Japan, this portrait raises a question as compelling as it is unresolved — in a nation hurtling toward the future, what does it mean to be the Son of Heaven?