A history of Japan
Subtitle: from stone age to superpower
By: Kenneth G. Henshall.
Edition: 2nd ed.
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2004
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
Subjects: Japan -- History
Description: In a rare combination of comprehensive coverage and sustained critical focus, this book examines Japanese history in its entirety to identify the factors underlying the nation's progression to superpower status. Japan's achievement is explained not merely in economic terms, but at a more fundamental level, as a product of historical patterns of response to circumstance. Japan is shown to be a nation historically impelled by a pragmatic determination to succeed. The book also highlights unresolved questions and little-known facts. - Publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : Japan and history; title: Part 1. From the stone age to statehood : myths, prehistory and ancient history (to 710); title: Part 2. Of courtiers and warriors : early and medieval history (710-1600); title: Part 3. The closed country : the Tokugawa period (1600-1868); title: Part 4. Building a modern nation : the Meiji period (1868-1912); title: Part 5. The excesses of ambition : the Pacific war and its lead-up; title: Part 6. A phoenix from the ashes : postwar successes and beyond; title: Conclusion : Lessons for aspiring superpowers.