A Short History of Japan

In this enormously enjoyable introduction to a remarkable country, Christopher Harding traces Japans 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 Japans 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 Japans own view of its past, values and culture, from ceramics and theatre to food and architecture. The result is a sensory, tactile history conveying to the reader much about Japans special nature. 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.