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Book Synopsis

''A history that somehow manages to be at once succinct and sweeping: essential reading for anyone interested in this most fascinating of countries'' - Tom Holland

In this enormously enjoyable introduction to a remarkable country, Christopher Harding traces Japan''s rich history over several millennia. Beginning with its earliest coastal communities through to the spread of Buddhism, the rise of the warlords, the promise and menace of the West and Japan''s own empire-building, Harding explores how a distinctly Japanese society and culture was forged.

Drawing on the latest scholarship, A Short History of Japan moves beyond traditional tourist-board clichés to consider Japan''s own view of its past, values and culture, from ceramics and theatre to food and architecture. The result is a sensory, tactile history, where the reader experiences all the pleasures of a visit to Japan: a bolt of silk or a warm bowl of ramen; the feel and scent of tatami underfoot; the warmth of slipping into a hot spring bath. Harding skilfully shows how these everyday details are intimately bound up with the bigger historical picture, as an expression of the values that have been extraordinarily successful in helping the country to cope with centuries of radical change.

A Short History of Japan

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    A Hardback by Christopher Harding

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      Book details

      Publisher Penguin Random House Group
      Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
      Published 9 April 2025
      ISBN-13 9780241563199
      978-0241563199
      ISBN-10 0241563194
      Also in:
      Non Fiction History General and world history

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      ''A history that somehow manages to be at once succinct and sweeping: essential reading for anyone interested in this most fascinating of countries'' - Tom Holland

      In this enormously enjoyable introduction to a remarkable country, Christopher Harding traces Japan''s rich history over several millennia. Beginning with its earliest coastal communities through to the spread of Buddhism, the rise of the warlords, the promise and menace of the West and Japan''s own empire-building, Harding explores how a distinctly Japanese society and culture was forged.

      Drawing on the latest scholarship, A Short History of Japan moves beyond traditional tourist-board clichés to consider Japan''s own view of its past, values and culture, from ceramics and theatre to food and architecture. The result is a sensory, tactile history, where the reader experiences all the pleasures of a visit to Japan: a bolt of silk or a warm bowl of ramen; the feel and scent of tatami underfoot; the warmth of slipping into a hot spring bath. Harding skilfully shows how these everyday details are intimately bound up with the bigger historical picture, as an expression of the values that have been extraordinarily successful in helping the country to cope with centuries of radical change.

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