A History of Japan, 1615-1867

I bought this for my daughter who indicates it is really factual yet easy to read like a novel. Thank you,

George Sansom follows his previous work with this, "A History of Japan, 1615-1867" which chronicles the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the engrandeurment of Edo (Tokyo) and goes up to the Meiji Restoration (1868). This book is an excellent resource for any college student studying the Japanese culture as well as anyone with even a casual interest in the time period. Sansom's history is by no means a boring recitation of dates and names. He tells stories, and does so with the expertise of a good writer. Sansom makes history interesting aswell as highly informative and very readable. It is not essential to read "A History of Japan to 1334" and "A History of Japan, 1334-1615" to understand Sansom's work, however it does help. Sansom never looks back unless he absolutely has to, so the first time reader of his work may be a little confused as to who some of the major characters are, whats going on in Tokugawa's rebellion and some of the groundwork that led to it.

An excellent text on the pre-modern Edo-period of Japanese history, covering the events following the battle of Sekigahara, and the establishment of the Bakufu government in Edo (now Tokyo), up to the opening up of Japan by Commodore Perry, and the Meiji Restoration in 1867. Excellent book for the serious student of Japanese history, covering salient aspects of everyday life during the period of national isolation, eg. Art and Culture, the Government, the growth of cities etc. Also recommended for those with an interest in how Japan laid the foundations for becoming a global superpower, and how the Samurai lost their grip on feudal power to the (technically far inferior) mercantile class. Not as fine as the Cambridge History of Japan, but for those more interested specifically in the Edo period, this is a must-have text, if a little old-fashioned.

Pretty much every English speaker who studies Japan acquires a copy of Sansom. Consequently, if you are interested in Japan, you probably already have a set. I am giving this collection four stars instead of five simply because its scholarship is now a bit dated and it is not the Cambridge History of Japan. But, who can afford the Cambridge History? I wish I could. In terms of being affordable, this is most likely still the best introduction to Japanese history around in English.