Japanese culture and arts only grew after absorbing Chinese traditions via Korea and China from 600 to 838 AD. Absorption was the most during the…
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Tag: Japanese History (Books)
Yellow and two recent books on China
These 2 recent books were bought by me to understand how far China has progressed since 1949. China Resurrected (2025) is a political history from…
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The Empire’s Last Crime Scene
A British girl was murdered in Peiping (now Peking) around midnight next to the Tartar City walls in January 1937. Her face was brutally mutilated,…
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Hiroshige
Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road by Alfred Haft is a 2025 book by the British Museum published to accompany the exhibition at the British…
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Embracing Defeat
The title is striking. It seizes your attention. “Embrace” means to take up readily or gladly, like “embrace a cause.” In the book “Embracing Defeat”…
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China and Japan – Part 1
Emperor Hirohito’s surrender speech, delivered on August 15, 1945, over the radio, was in classical Japanese that was heavily influenced by classical Chinese, especially in…
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Escape to the East
Here are 2 books on Jewish refugees finding sanctuary in Shanghai during WW 2. Shanghai Sanctuary by Gao Bei [ 2013] narrates that when Europe…
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In the Shadow of the Rising Sun
This 2004 book is a collection of 14 essays on how the inhabitants of Shanghai lived and survived in Shanghai under Japanese occupation. An interesting…
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Hirohito’s Controversial Legacy
The Tokyo War Criminals Trial tried Tojo and 27 top Japanese wartime leaders who waged WW2. The man responsible was not indicted. Hirohito was allowed…
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Japan
These 3 books on Japan were bought at Maruzen, Kyoto last Thursday. Maruzen is the biggest English bookstore in Kyoto. Forget about Tsutaya @ Takashimaya…
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