1945: a mushroom cloud rises 20,000 feet into the sky. This is not from the bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. It is the remains of the battleship 'Yamato'. Representing the ambition and determination of Imperial Japan, the loss of the 'Yamato' in a kamikaze operation in April 1945 has become a symbol of the downfall of the Imperial Japanese ......
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Running Artist
In the context of Murakami Haruki's real-life activities that are conducive to his writing, this book sheds light on three of his early short stories. Comparable to his acclaimed novels in complexity and covert meaning, they reveal upon close analysis his distinctive literary creativity and enduring concerns with society.
Cultural Nationalism, Racism, and Multiculturalism in Japan
This book investigates the construction of Japaneseness from a transnational perspective. By analyzing a variety of communication during the first two decades of the twenty-first century, the author examines how Japaneseness is constructed in relation to discursive Others.
William Elliot Griffis (1843-1928) was unequaled in the length of his career and the breadth of his literary work as an authority on Meiji Japan. This anthology brings together the best of his writing.
This book explores the philosophies and actions of a group called Hongan no kai, comprised of mercury poisoning sufferers and their supporters in Minimata, Japan. While depicting their plights, Yuki Miyamoto unpacks the ways they wrestle with tragedy in their community as well as their vision of "a world otherwise" (janaka shaba).
The Life and Trials of Ambassador Sato Naotake, 1882-1971
This book examines Naotako Sato's remarkable and long career at the crossroads of Imperial Japan, emphasizing his role in maintaining the Neutrality Pact with the Soviet Union and in promoting the United Nations.
Pro-Japan Anti-interventionists and the FBI on the Eve of the Pacific Wa
In this first full study of pro-Japan isolationists in the United States, Roger Jeans provides a detailed history of the Committee on Pacific Relations. Drawing on previously untapped sources-the personal letters of committee members and the dossiers the FBI compiled on them-h...
What is culture? What can we learn from art, architecture, and fashion about how people relate? Can cultures embody ethical and moral ideals? These are just some of the questions addressed in this book on the cultural philosophy of three preeminent Japanese philosophers of the early twentieth century, Nishida Kitaro, Watsuji Tetsuro and Kuki ......
