A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present

by Andrew Gordon

Book Overview

In this sweeping narrative, Andrew Gordon paints a richly nuanced and strikingly original portrait of the last two centuries of Japanese history. Gordon takes us from the days of the shogunate--the feudal overlordship of the Tokugawa family--through the modernizing revolution launched by midlevel samurai in the late nineteenth century, the adoption of Western hairstyles, clothing, and military organization, and the nation's first experiments with...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195110609
• ISBN13: 9780195110609
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 9.6" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

good seller

the book is like new and is not damaged. I also received it faster than what i expected. I will buy again from seller.

Excellent history book

This book was easy to read and understand. I enjoyed it so much that I did not even sell it at the end of the class. I reccomend this book to anyone even remotely interested in Japanese history.

Great Overview of Japanese Histor

Andrew Gordon covers the important aspects of Japanese history through time. He starts off by dealing with the Tokugawa and ends with the current political situation at the turn of the century. The appendixes provide a good account of Japanese government by listing the prime ministers and the country's election results since the end of WWII. Contemporary History of Japan focuses on important aspects of the Tokugawa regime such as its political, social and economic set up of Tokugaw Japan and focuses on its eventual downfall. The book continues with the Samurai revolution and the Meiji revolution that set the path for Japan to become a world power. Gordon then continues Japan in the early 20th centiru and how the countr began to change internallly as a result and how Japan dealt the Depressoin Crises in the 1930s, its wars with China and Russia and its eventual role in WWII and the American influence in the post WWII years. After the end of WWII, Japan becomes a dominant figure on the world stage with rapid economic growth unparalled else where in the world resulting in massive changes in society. Gordon does deal with Japanese economic troubles in the post WWII era such as the oil crises in the 1970s and the how Japanese bubble burst as well as other issues Japan is facing such as low-birth rates and changing gender roles. Great background to Japan overall.

Good and detailed

I received this book today and flipped through it while doing laundry. I'm impressed. It's been a long time since I read a history book and this isn't like the dry, boring texts I remember from school.I won't waste time mentioning that he covers all the obvious stuff, all the wars and major political events that you would expect a history book to cover.What struck me is his ability to smoothly give you the big picture while sticking in little bits that give you some idea of what the people at the time thought and experienced.In addition to telling you about the hardships of farming, he gives a picture of a 21-year-old girl's hands; that's all you need to see. In addition to telling you about the influence of the west, he shows you pictures of Japanese women in wanna-be outfits that just say it all. The cartoons, political posters, songs, propaganda posters -- they give a feel for Japan I wasn't expecting from a book.This book is mostly text; I don't want to imply it has a ton of extras but it has enough to really drive home some of his points.All that and I haven't even read the book yet!It was interesting to learn that (obviously) Japan wasn't always like it is now. The description of the employment situation in the 1920s sounds quite a lot like America in the 1990s boom -- no loyal employees with lifelong employment then! Knowing that less than a hundred years ago the reserved, peaceful Japanese engaged in widespread political riots where they beat each other and the police shook up my stereotypes.Good book, highly recommended.