Tokyo
Subtitle: a biography : disasters, destruction and renewal : the story of an indomitable city
By: Stephen Mansfield
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 208
ISBN-13: 9784805313299
Subjects: Social life and customs; Civilization; Japanese literature; Intellectual life; HISTORY / Asia / Japan; In literature; History
Description: The history of Tokyo is as eventful as it is long. A concise yet detailed overview of this fascinating, centuries-old city, Tokyo: A Biography is a perfect companion volume for history buffs or Tokyo-bound travelers looking to learn more about their destination. In a whirlwind journey through Tokyo's past from its earliest beginnings up to the present day, this Japanese history book demonstrates how the city's response to everything from natural disasters to regime change has been to reinvent itself time and again. A calamitous fire results in a massive expansion of the city's territory. A debate over the Samurai code creates far-reaching social change. A malleable boy becomes the figurehead for powerful forces who change an ancient feudal society into a modern industrialised power within a generation. Utter destruction wipes the slate clean again so Tokyoites may start all over. And so it goes. Tokyo's story is riveting, and by the end of Tokyo: A Biography, readers see a city almost unrivalled in its uniqueness, a place that despite its often tragic history still shimmers as it prepares to face the future.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 196-200), filmography (pages 201-202), and index.
Table of contents: title: The master plan; title: The restive city; title: The Great Meiji Bazaar; title: The flammable city; title: Hachiman, god of war; title: Occupying bodies; title: The independent city; title: Fault lines; title: Plural zones.