What do you think?
Rate this book
Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues in the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan
The Japanese have long sought inspiration and legitimacy from the written record of their ancient past. The shaping of bygone eras to contemporary agendas began at least by the early eighth century, when the first court histories, namely the Kojiki and the Nihon shoki, were compiled.
Since the late nineteenth century, historians have extensively mined these texts and other written evidence and by the late 1970s had nearly exhausted their meager sources. Fortunately for all those interested in uncovering the origins of Japanese civilization, archaeologists have been hard at work. Today, thanks to this postwar "archaeology boom," Japan historians have never been closer to recreating the lives of prehistoric peasants, ancient princes, and medieval samurai.
Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures offers substantial new insights into early Japanese history (A.D. 100-800) through an integrated discussion of historical texts and archaeological artifacts. It contends that the rich archaeological discoveries of the past few decades permit scholars to develop far more satisfactory interpretations of ancient Japan than was possible when they were heavily dependent on written sources.
Since the late nineteenth century, historians have extensively mined these texts and other written evidence and by the late 1970s had nearly exhausted their meager sources. Fortunately for all those interested in uncovering the origins of Japanese civilization, archaeologists have been hard at work. Today, thanks to this postwar "archaeology boom," Japan historians have never been closer to recreating the lives of prehistoric peasants, ancient princes, and medieval samurai.
Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures offers substantial new insights into early Japanese history (A.D. 100-800) through an integrated discussion of historical texts and archaeological artifacts. It contends that the rich archaeological discoveries of the past few decades permit scholars to develop far more satisfactory interpretations of ancient Japan than was possible when they were heavily dependent on written sources.
348 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1998
51 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 26, 2018
A very detailed discussion about the historical (the 'Sacred Texts' part) and archaeological (the 'Buried Treasures') evidence concerning four issues in the study of ancient Japan:
(1) Yamatai; the land of Wa under queen Himiko, as described by the Chinese chronicler Chen Shou (in 280 CE) - was it in Kyushu or the Kinai region? & should Chen's 'Account of the Wa' be considered a description of late Yayoi or early Kofun period Japan?
(2) The Korean connection in the years ca. 300-700 CE; what was the relationship between the kingdoms of the peninsula and that/those of the archipelago? Did Japan dominate the peninsula, as the Nihon Shoki ('The Chronicles of Japan') of 720 claims it did, or were the communities of Japan Korean satellites? How much culture did Japan borrow from Korea, and how and why did this borrowing take place?
(3) The Chinese-style capital cities of Japan. What Chinese city or cities were they modeled on, & why? (I skimmed this and the last part)
(4) The wooden tablets (containing Chinese-style law codes & bureaucratic procedures &c.) found throughout Japan.
TBH I found myself a little out of depth here, as I read this book for the purpose of a general introduction to ancient Japan. As such it is a little too detailed & 'micro'. Despite that, it kept me engaged enough to read the first two parts anyway. Farris writes in such a way that any reader, even without prior knowledge of the subject, can follow him without difficulty. For instance he doesn't just start off talking about Chen Shou's 'Account of the Wa', but first introduces Chen properly & talks about the historical China in which he lived wrote and what may have motivated him. As such Farris is faithful to E.H. Carr's dictum to always 'study the historian before you study the history' (or something that boils down to that anyway).
Another plus of this book is that Farris doesn't just present the historical & archaeological evidence and gives his own interpretation of them, but also (comprehensively) recaps Japanese & Korean discussion, interpretations, controversies, and taboos surrounding them as well. Subjects that non-Japanse usually don't have (easy) access to. In that sense the book was as revealing (to me) on modern Japan as it was on ancient Japan.
Would not recommend as an introduction to ancient Japan though (it isn't intended as that), although even as such you could probably do worse.
(1) Yamatai; the land of Wa under queen Himiko, as described by the Chinese chronicler Chen Shou (in 280 CE) - was it in Kyushu or the Kinai region? & should Chen's 'Account of the Wa' be considered a description of late Yayoi or early Kofun period Japan?
(2) The Korean connection in the years ca. 300-700 CE; what was the relationship between the kingdoms of the peninsula and that/those of the archipelago? Did Japan dominate the peninsula, as the Nihon Shoki ('The Chronicles of Japan') of 720 claims it did, or were the communities of Japan Korean satellites? How much culture did Japan borrow from Korea, and how and why did this borrowing take place?
(3) The Chinese-style capital cities of Japan. What Chinese city or cities were they modeled on, & why? (I skimmed this and the last part)
(4) The wooden tablets (containing Chinese-style law codes & bureaucratic procedures &c.) found throughout Japan.
TBH I found myself a little out of depth here, as I read this book for the purpose of a general introduction to ancient Japan. As such it is a little too detailed & 'micro'. Despite that, it kept me engaged enough to read the first two parts anyway. Farris writes in such a way that any reader, even without prior knowledge of the subject, can follow him without difficulty. For instance he doesn't just start off talking about Chen Shou's 'Account of the Wa', but first introduces Chen properly & talks about the historical China in which he lived wrote and what may have motivated him. As such Farris is faithful to E.H. Carr's dictum to always 'study the historian before you study the history' (or something that boils down to that anyway).
Another plus of this book is that Farris doesn't just present the historical & archaeological evidence and gives his own interpretation of them, but also (comprehensively) recaps Japanese & Korean discussion, interpretations, controversies, and taboos surrounding them as well. Subjects that non-Japanse usually don't have (easy) access to. In that sense the book was as revealing (to me) on modern Japan as it was on ancient Japan.
Would not recommend as an introduction to ancient Japan though (it isn't intended as that), although even as such you could probably do worse.
Displaying 1 of 1 review