One of the world's leading social theorists provides a monumental synthesis of Japanese history, religion, culture, and social organization. Equipped with a thorough command of the subject, S. N. Eisenstadt focuses on the non-ideological character of Japanese civilization as well as its infinite capacity to recreate community through an ongoing past.

Preface. Part I: BEGINNINGS AND FOUNDATIONS. 1. Early Japan. 2. The Impact of Continental Civilization. Part II: ARISTOCRATS, MONKS, AND SAMURAI. 3. The Heian Period. 4. The Kamakura Period. 5. The Ashikaga Shogunate: Integration and Disintegration. Part III: LATE TRADITIONAL JAPAN. 6. The Formation of a New Order. 7. The Tokugawa Shogunate: The Middle Years. Part IV: JAPAN IN THE MODERN WORLD. 8. Endings and Beginnings: From Tokugawa to Meiji. 9. The Emergence of Modern Japan: 1874-1894. 10. Imperial Japan 18951931. 11. Militarism and War. 12. The New Japan. Afterword. Suggestions for Further Reading. Index.

Gift of Dr. John Matzko (BJU History Faculty).

Japan, the country of the rising sun, is today known as one of the most prosperous and technologically advanced nations despite not having many natural resources. This guide will lead you into that dive, showing how those characteristics synonymous with the Japanese civilization gradually appeared, formed, and transformed through time.

This book is a comprehensive synthesis of Japanese civilization in the 21st century. It covers all major elements of this civilization with a strong emphasis on how it can develop further in the future. All nations strive for prominence, but few reach it. Over the last 61 years (1965-2016), Japan has achieved this uncommon status. But, where is Japan heading in the 21st century? This question has been asked since the 1990s; Japan has been in a stagnant-deflation stage and has been looking for all sorts of solutions to return to the prosperous times reflecting Pax Niponnica in the 1970s and 1980s. The context of this situation and some recommendations for the future of Japanese culture are provided in this book. Nowadays, Japan is the third largest economy of the world, second only to China in the 2010s. Its economy performs at near zero growth, due primarily to its aging society, which is actually positive since the Japanese have the longest lifespan in the world today and slow growth does not unsustainably deplete resources and nature. Japans new purpose should be in the development of a sustainably wise civilization and its world-wide dissemination. Does Japanese civilization have a chance to trigger another reform and be successful again in the 21st century? This question has been pondered by several co-authors of the book. This monograph is written for those who are interested in the contemporary issues of the worlds globalization and the role of leading countries in this process. With this in mind, students, faculty, social and political activists from around the world should be interested in this book.

An introduction to Japanese spiritual civilization,its significance and realization; Nichirenism (the true Mahayana Buddhism) and Japanese national principles.

Seventeen distinguished experts on Japanese religion provide a fascinating overview of its history and development. Beginning with the origins of religion in primitive Japanese society, they chart the growth of each of Japan's major religious organizations and doctrinal systems. They follow Buddhism, Shintoism, Christianity, and popular religious belief through major periods of change to show how history and religion affected each-and discuss the interactions between the different religious traditions.

For nearly three decades Japanese Culture has garnered high praise as an accurate and well-written introduction to Japanese history and culture. This widely used undergraduate text is now available in a new edition. Thoroughly updated, the fourth edition includes expanded sections on numerous topics, among which are samurai values, Zen Buddhism, the tea ceremony, Confucianism in the Tokugawa period, the story of the forty-seven ronin, Mito scholarship in the early nineteenth century, and mass culture and comics in contemporary times.

A Companion to Japanese History provides an authoritative overview of current debates and approaches within the study of Japan’s history. Composed of 30 chapters written by an international group of scholars Combines traditional perspectives with the most recent scholarly concerns Supplements a chronological survey with targeted thematic analyses Presents stimulating interventions into individual controversies