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| The Culture of the Meiji Period (Princeton Library of Asian Translations) | 
 enlarge | Author: Daikichi Irokawa
Creator: Marius B. Jansen
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $42.50
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 389250
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 344
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0691000301
Dewey Decimal Number: 952
EAN: 9780691000305
ASIN: 0691000301
Publication Date: October 1, 1988
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Product Description
"This book, a translation of Irokawa's 1969 classic Meiji no Bunka, is best described as an analysis of popular political consciousness in the Meiji period and its corruption by the Emperor System. . . . the translation is lucid and seamless, a remarkable achievement given the number of contributors who worked on it."--L. L. Cornell, Pacific Affairs "A fascinating account of aspects of Japanese culture between 1868 and the early twentieth century. . . . Irokawa Daikichi is an indefatigable researcher, and the fruits of his own and others' labors on back roads and in old storehouses are amply represented here. Moreover, he has discovered materials untouched since the Meiji period, and he is able to interpret them in fresh, provocative ways. He makes excellent use of poetry, letters, diaries, and songs to probe the mentality of peasants and rustic intellectuals, and he interprets his findings in a way that challenges major post-World War II trends in historiography."--J. Victor Koschmann, Journal of Asian Studies
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| Customer Reviews:
History of the Masses February 21, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Meiji Period was one of intense social, political and cultural change in Japan. Most histories deal with it through the eyes of the intellectuals and prominent writers, which tends to miss out the common people, such as farmers, local village leaders and so on.
Irokawa attempts to redress the imbalance somewhat and look at the activities and thought at the local level of Japanese society, through primary sources that have been found from some interesting finds. He builds up a picture in connection with other scholars' work, as well as making some of his own conclusions based on the data he has. Irokawa also quotes extensively from the sources he uses, which adds more detail to the thoughts and ideas that were being bounced around.
Although the book is dated, (and feels it, as well), it presents a very interesting and informative overview of the outlook and culture that the majority of Japanese people were exposed to during the changes that happened in the late 19th century. It details the way they sought to find their own sense of identity and how the government responded to various elements.
At times, Irokawa seems to take an antagonistic stance with respect to what he calls "the emperor system" and the Meiji government, criticising the latter for its unjust treatment of farmers and locals, and its support of the creditors, (among other things).
Although translated, the book is easily read and flows well. The translation was well done, making it a pleasure to read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in all respects, and have come away with a much broader picture of what was going on in Japan during the aftermath of the Meiji Restoration.
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