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Kyoto: A Cultural History
by
John Dougill
Kyoto, the ancient former capital of Japan, breathes history and mystery. Its temples, gardens and palaces are testimony to many centuries of aristocratic and religious grandeur. Under the veneer of modernity, the city remains filled with countless reminders of a proud past. John Dougill explores this most venerable of Japanese cities, revealing the spirit of place and the...more
Paperback, 242 pages
Published
October 1st 2005
by Oxford University Press
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A lot of my work this year deals with Kyoto, past and present, so I probably feel a closer connection to this book than I would otherwise. I never felt the need to read it until I took on this project. Now that I have, I regret not getting it earlier. Dougill has categorised the history of Kyoto interestingly. I showed it to a couple of Japanese on the same project team and they thought it original - a style that Japanese may not have considered. You don't need any great knowledge of Japan to re...more
FINALLY!
I've been here six years and I've been looking all over the place for a book in English about Kyoto's history. It's such a key part of Japanese history and culture that you would think there would be tons of work out there for the Anglophone in Japan. But no. Oh sure, there were plenty of books about walking tours, or the best places to go and see temples, or Kyoto traditional neighborhoods, but I couldn't find a general, comprehensive account of the history of Kyoto.
So finally, this yea...more
I've been here six years and I've been looking all over the place for a book in English about Kyoto's history. It's such a key part of Japanese history and culture that you would think there would be tons of work out there for the Anglophone in Japan. But no. Oh sure, there were plenty of books about walking tours, or the best places to go and see temples, or Kyoto traditional neighborhoods, but I couldn't find a general, comprehensive account of the history of Kyoto.
So finally, this yea...more
The problem with this otherwise nuanced work is that so much of Kyoto is ignored, most especially an exploration of the burakumin population and burakumin areas south of Kyoto Station and in the north between Mototanaka and Chayama. Nor is the battle over destruction of machiya areas and the debate about heritage much discussed. I would have like much more about these matters and about ordinary Kyoto-jin, rather than endless discussion of high culture.
excellent book on kyoto! Taking literature and cultural history of the city, this book explains kyoto in very interesting and fun way. It helps to understand the richness of the city. Doughill is excellent for making the book in thematic session, yet loose no sense of timeframe. you are like reading historical book but in alot better way. Highly recommended
A sprawling and often meandering cultural history of the city of Kyoto, this is a nicely personalized (as opposed to scholarly) account of the city's treasures. It's packed with interesting anecdotes about different notable figures and places, and at times serves as a loose guidebook to Kyoto's traditions and attractions. At times Dougill is too generalizing, but as a whole the book is a nice companion to a more in-depth, academic study of the city.
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A pre-travel primer offering a brief overview of Kyoto, Japanese history and culture. Perhaps too brief, unless you are getting ready to go there soon and want some background. Good, but I probably would have gotten more out of reading this if I read before I went.
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