David J. Lu - Japan a documentary history. Vol. 2 : the late Tokugawa period to the present.

JAPAN

A Documentary History

JAPAN

A Documentary History

Volume II

The Late Tokugawa Period
to the Present

David J. Lu

An East Gate Book

Contents

Japan: A Documentary History is being published simultaneously in one clothbound edition, which includes the complete text, and two paperback editions: Vol. I: The Dawn of History to the Late Tokugawa Period, and Vol. II: The Late Tokugawa Period to the Present. The complete table of contents and the complete index appear in all three, and the pagination of the paperbacks is sequential.

I. Dawn of Japanese History

Power contest between Sun Goddess and Susano-o; Coming of age in ancient Japan; Emperor Jimmus conquest of the East; Japan in the Wei dynastic history; The legend of Prince Yamototakeru; Early Shint rituals from the Engishiki

II. The Impact of Chinese Civilization

The regency of Prince Shtoku; The Taika reforms; Law and administration under the Taih-Yr code; History as a means of solidifying the imperial power; Songs of myriad leaves; Buddhism as protector of the nation

III. The Early Heian Period

The lotus of the wonderful law; Kkais view of the superiority of Buddhism; Ennins search for the law; Confucian view of Buddhism; Fixation with China; Life of the nobility; Tales of the common man

IV. Rise of Feudal Institutions

Public vs. private ownership of land; Growth of shen; Organization of shen; Rise of the warrior class; Rule by the Kamakura Shogunate

V. Kamakura Buddhism

Salvation through nembutsu; Hnen and the founding of the Jdo sect; Shinran and dependence on Amidas pure grace; Dgen and the meaning of Zen; Lotus, Buddha, and nationalism

VI. The Development of Feudal Institutions through the Muromachi Period

Jits encroachment upon shen; Tokuseiforgiving of debts; Criticism of Kemmu Restoration; Ashikaga Takaujis rise to power; Shugo as domanial lords; Agricultural development and village community; Rise of a money economy; Development of ichi and za; The Sry system and primogeniture

VII. From Civil Wars to Unification

Denial of traditional authority; Sengoku daimy as domanial lords; Oda Nobunagas road toward unification; Unification by Toyotomi Hideyoshi; Japans Christian century

VIII. Tokugawa: Era of Peace

Control of vassals; Methods of rural control; Control of the urban areas; Control of Buddhist temples; Closing of the country; Growth of commerce; Managing the economy; Commerce as a calling

IX. Intellectual Currents in Tokugawa Japan

Variety of Tokugawa Confucianism; Confucianism and political action; Confucian justice; Education of the young; Death and a samurai; Knowledge of the West; National learning and Shint revival

The history of mankind is full of joy and vicissitude, and the history of Japan is no exception. Man, to paraphrase Leopold von Ranke, is a creature so good and at the same time so evil, so noble and at the same time so animal-like, so polished and at the same time so uncouth who, while seeking eternity, is bound by the fleeting moment. This book is a narrative of Japanese history as rendered by the Japanese people themselves at the time they lived. It shows their foibles and triumphs with their tears and laughter. There is a thread of common experience that they share with the rest of the world. As such, a documentary history has the power of immediacy not enjoyed by an interpretive history. It speaks directly to its readers beyond the constraints of time and space.

This book is intended not just for college students but has a broader audience in mind, including businessmen, diplomats, policymakers, and anyone interested in Japan. With that supposition, the following criteria are used in selecting the documents: (1) a given document must adequately reflect the spirit of the times and the lifestyle of the people of that age; (2) the emphasis must be placed on the development of social, economic, and political institutions, without neglecting important cultural attainments; and (3) some key documents must be studied in depth from different perspectives. Among the key documents so identified are Prince Shtukus seventeen-article constitution (604), Goseibai Shikimoku (1232), laws for military households (1615), Charter Oath (1868), Meiji constitution (1889), Shwa constitution (1946) and the U.S.Japan security pact (1960). In each case, the text is accompanied by commentaries. In the case of the Charter Oath, three different versions are reproduced, thus allowing us to study its drafting process. In the case of the Shwa constitution, committee deliberations as well as comments by Japanese and American participants are reproduced. Many of these documents are not available in English elsewhere. As much as possible, duplication with existing sources in English is avoided. Close to three-quarters of the documents contained in this volume are original translations by this writer.

Some alert readers will find that this book is a successor to my two-volume Sources of Japanese History published in 1974. The first part of the present volume retains much of the 1974 edition, but a number of documents are added to show business practices in the Tokugawa period. The second part has extensive revisions and totally new chapters. Again serious consideration is given to Japans economic might, which has resulted in a new chapter on Japans emergence as an economic superpower.