Covering Japanese history, culture, and society between 1185 and 1868 C.E., this resource highlights the complexity of this society by describing the social and economic hierarchies, the power struggles, the cultural innovations and the religious worldviews of that period. It consists of well-written narratives, thematically organized into 12 categories beginning with Historical Context. Warriors and Warfare, Everyday Life, Religion, Travel and Communication, and Performing Arts are some of the other topics covered. The book is most suitable for students with some knowledge of this nation's history and culture. Features include capsule biographies; black-and-white maps, charts, and photos; line drawings from the period; and a 19-page bibliography. Given the thematic organization of the book, students will need to use the extensive index to access specific information. This title will serve both reference and circulating collections.–Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego 
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. 

From Booklist
This latest entry in the publisher's Handbook to Life series surveys Japanese life during the Kamakura (1185-1333), Muromachi (1333-1573), Azuchi-Momoyama (1573-1615), and Edo (1615-1868) periods. The Edo period, marked by some 250 years of both peace and nearly complete exclusion of foreign influences, constitutes early modern Japan. Arrangement is topical, with 12 chapters covering subjects such as "Land, Environment, and Population"; "Government"; "Warriors and Warfare"; and "Art and Architecture." Each of these is subdivided into from 3 to 12 subchapters, listed in the table of contents. Each subchapter is itself often extensively subdivided. "Religion," for example, is organized into an introduction and sections on Shinto traditions, Japanese Buddhist traditions, Christianity, the role of women, and suggestions for further reading. The section on Shinto is itself composed of 9 sections, for example, "Shinto Rituals and Festivals" and "Shinto Deities." The latter devotes a paragraph to each of 12 major deities. 
Valuable supporting features include some 85 black-and-white photographs and illustrations, 5 maps, 17 tables and charts, and a thorough bibliography and index. The bibliography of some 600 English-language publications is a single alphabetical listing, most easily approached through the topically arranged reading suggestions at the end of each chapter. The index often pairs English terms with italicized romaji (English transliteration of Japanese) equivalents. This admirable practice is repeated throughout the clearly written text. An otherwise useful two-page chart of "Syllabic Sounds in the Japanese Language" (hiragana and katakana) suffers a common fate: the small lines and circles used to indicate voicing and palatalization are difficult to see without a magnifying glass. 

This solid reference should find use not just among the anime and manga crowd but among all seeking reliable guidance to the basics of a country with an extraordinarily rich history and culture. Highly recommended for public and university libraries. Craig Bunch
Copyright © American Library Association. 

432 pages 
Publisher: Facts on file (October 3, 2007) 
Language: English