History Of The Japanese People From The Earliest Times To The End Of The Meiji Era

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "A History of the Japanese People" (From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era) by Dairoku Kikuchi, F. Brinkley. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

IN the earliest eras of historic Japan there existed a hereditary corporation of raconteurs (Katari-be) who, from generation to generation, performed the function of reciting the exploits of the sovereigns and the deeds of heroes. They accompanied themselves on musical instruments, and naturally, as time went by, each set of raconteurs embellished the language of their predecessors, adding supernatural elements, and introducing details which belonged to the realm of romance rather than to that of ordinary history. These Katari-be would seem to have been the sole repository of their country's annals until the sixth century of the Christian era. Their repertories of recitation included records of the great families as well as of the sovereigns, and it is easy to conceive that the favour and patronage of these high personages were earned by ornamenting the traditions of their households and exalting their pedigrees. But when the art of writing was introduced towards the close of the fourth century, or at the beginning of the fifth, and it was seen that in China, then the centre of learning and civilization, the art had been applied to the compilation of a national history as well as of other volumes possessing great ethical value, the Japanese conceived the ambition of similarly utilizing their new attainment. For reasons which will be understood by and by, the application of the ideographic script to the language of Japan was a task of immense difficulty, and long years must have passed before the attainment of any degree of proficiency.

Excerpt from A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era It is trite to remark that if you wish to know really any people, it is neces sary to have a thorough knowledge of their history, including their mythology, legends and folk-lore: customs, habits and traits of character, which to a superficial observer of a different nationality or race may seem odd and strange, sometimes even utterly subversive of ordinary ideas of morality, but which can be explained and will appear quite reasonable when they are traced back to their origin. The sudden rise of the Japanese nation from an insignificant position to a foremost rank in thercomitynof nations has startled the world. Except in the case of very, few who had-studied us intimately, we were a people but little raised above barbarism trying to imitate Western civilisation without any capacity for reallyassimilating-pr adapting it. At first, it was supposed that we had somehow undergone a sudden transformation, but it was gradually perceived that such could not-be. And was not the case; and a crop of books on Japan and the Japanese, deep and superficial, serious and fantastic, interest ing and otherwise, has been put forth for the benefit of those who were curious to know the reason of this strange phenomenon. But among so many books, there has not yet been, so far as I know, a history of Japan, although a study of its history was most essential for the proper understanding of many of the problems relating to the Japanese people, such as the relation of the Imperial dynasty to the people, the family system, the position of Buddhism, the influence of the Chinese philosophy, etc. A history of Japan of moderate size has indeed long been a desideratum; that it was not forthcoming was no doubt due to the want of a proper person to undertake such a work. Now just the right man has been found in the author of the present work, who, an Englishman by birth, is almost Japanese in his understanding of, and sympathy with, the Japanese people. It would indeed be difficult to find any one better fitted for the task by no means an easy one of presenting the general features of Japanese history to Western readers, in a compact and intelligible form, and at the same time in general harmony with the Japanese feeling. The Western public and Japan are alike to be congratulated on the production of the present work. I may say this without any fear of reproach for self-praise, for although my name is men tioned in the title-page, my share is very slight, consisting merely in general advice and in a few suggestions on some special points. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The roots of corporate governance are rarely looked for in the ancient history of countries. Literature pays not enough attention to the impact of the country’s history on the relations between economic actors and owners, known today as corporate governance. Many countries are guided by centuries-old traditions and customs, which is especially true of Japan. Japan is of particular interest because history of its corporate governance is not widely known and because it has developed a unique corporate governance model. This book aims to diagnose and trace the causes and symptoms of this uniqueness, emphasizing that it is a lasting legacy of previous eras. It examines key political, social, cultural, and economic events in Japan from its dawn till the 17th century in a comprehensive way and in the cause-and-effect aspect, combining the history, economic history, and the history of corporate governance. It refers to little-known issues considered in the context of a very interesting and successful country and economy, which may arouse the desire to expand knowledge and learn about the roots of these successes. The innovative nature of the research goal and the simplicity of presentation are the advantages of this book.

Usagi Yojimbo is one of the longest running and best-loved comic adventures of all time. Running from 1984 to the present day, and showing no sign of diminishing in popularity, the rabbit ronin is now seen as a figurehead of the comic book scene, and crucial to bringing the ideas of feudal Japan to a wider western audience. Saga Volume 2 tells Sakai's story from the very beginning. The title is also available in luxurious special edition format, limited to 900 copies and signed by Stan Sakai himself (see 9781616556723)!