Japanese historical references recommended by Jon Bowhay

[blades87]

Before Jon left for Japan, he gave me a list of books he recommended that discuss the history of Japan. I have bought most of them at this point from Amazon, which has some pretty good prices, even for first edition books!

 

-Blaker, Richard (1973). The Needlewatcher: The William Adams Story, British Samurai. Rutland, Vermont. Charles Tuttle Company

-Sansom, George (1958). Japanese History Trilogy ( pre-1334, 1334-1615, 1615-1867)

-Cooper, Michael S.J. (1994). Rodrigues the Interpreter: An Early Jesuit in Japan and China

-Statler, George (1969) Shimoda Story

-Satow, Sir Ernest Mason (1998) The Diaries and Letters of Sir Ernest Mason Satow

 

I have also picked up a book by Giles Milton, Samurai William - The adventurer who unlocked Japan. I am reading my way through the books when I get a free moment. Work and graduate school take up a lot of time.

 

I am a quarter of the way through the Needlewatcher and I am pretty impressed with the historical depiction of Japan under the rule of General Ieyasu.

 

 

Enjoy.

[Brian Hancock]

Hi Toby,

I have read both the books "Samurai William" and the "Needlewatcher" I thought the first was just a bit of adventure romp and found the second one much more informative and a better read. I have been told recently that four of Williams letters home to his wife are still in existance in Chatham (UK) If you do a Google search on him there is a picture of a monument to him in Japan. He became a wealthy man and had a second family in Japan though what became of them after his death I don't know

 

Cheers,

 

Brian.

[IanB]

Brian, Will Adams' original letters are in the Public Records Office. I borrowed his first one for the Shogun Exhibition I did a few years ago. All his surviving letters are published more or less verbatim (including his rather erratic rendering of Japanese) in 'More Queer Things About Japan' by Sladen & Lorimer.

Ian Bottomley

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Toby, these are cheap and interesting (IMHO) :

 

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Need-Divin ... 718&sr=8-1 (provides an interesting point of view about the reasons the two mongol invasions went so wrong)

 

http://www.amazon.com/First-Samurai-Leg ... 992&sr=8-1 (easy to read yet historically accurate description of the Taira Masakado' saga and how it has been and still IS perceived in Japan).

 

I'm not aware of any english translation of Fosco Maraini's "L' Agape Celeste" but if you can read italian or put your hands on an english version it is likely the best not-Nihongo book (or even THE best tout-curt) about Emperor's Ceremonial Entronement, something Japanese are quite jelous about, but definitively fashinating and needed to understand their culture.

 

If you want to go even more indeep in Japanese History discussions you should register here :

 

http://forums.samurai-archives.com/

 

Best.