Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600

by William Theodore de Bary, George J. Tanabe (Editor)

A perennial best-seller, Sources of Japanese Tradition has long been a staple in classrooms and libraries, a handy and comprehensive reference for scholars and students, and an engaging introduction for general readers. Now in its long-awaited second edition, this classic volume remains unrivaled for its wide selection of source readings on history, society, politics, education, philosophy, and religion in the land of the rising sun. Search inside

Genres: Japan, History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Japanese Literature, Cultural, Asia

552 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1958

About the author

William Theodore de Bary was an East Asian studies expert at Columbia University, with the title John Mitchell Mason Professor of the University and Provost Emeritus.

De Bary graduated from Columbia College in 1941, where he was a student in the first iteration of Columbia's famed Literature Humanities course. He then briefly took up graduate studies at Harvard before the US entered the Second World War. De Bary left the academy to serve in American military intelligence in the Pacific Theatre. Upon his return, he resumed his studies at Columbia, where he earned his PhD.

He has edited numerous books of original source material relating to East Asian (primarily Japanese and Chinese) literature, history, and culture, as well as making the case, in his book Nobility and Civility, for the universality of Asian values. He is recognized as essentially creating the field of Neo-Confucian studies.

Additionally, DeBary was active in faculty intervention during the Columbia University protests of 1968 and served as the university's provost from 1971 to 1978. He has attempted to reshape the Core Curriculum of Columbia College to include Great Books classes devoted to non-Western civilizations. DeBary is additionally famous for rarely missing a Columbia Lions football game since he began teaching at the university in 1953. A recognized educator, he won Columbia's Great Teacher Award in 1969, its Lionel Trilling Book Award in 1983 and its Mark Van Doren Award for Great Teaching in 1987.

Now the director of the Heyman Center for the Humanities and still teaching, De Bary lives in Rockland County, New York.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_de_Bary

Reviews

[Smiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn’t interest me at first sight, however, I decided to read it bit by bit wherever it pleased me because it’s one of the two-volume set compiled by Ryusaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore de Bary and Donald Keene. I’m sorry I rarely know the first compiler but I’ve known Professors de Bary and Keene as the two imminent Japanologists and illustrious Japanophiles whose translated works from Japanese I always enjoy reading. Informed in its preface as “source readings” (p. v), we should take them as such, in other words, each reading being an attempt to explore the topic for in-depth understanding from the texts translated from their original Japanese sources (back cover).

Indeed, I think this book would primarily be of academic benefits to those students pursuing a degree program on Japanese Studies as their project/study/reading assignments followed by further discussions/researches/theses since there’re altogether 21 chapters covering innumerable topics on history, religion, philosophy, etc. as we can see from the first three chapters and the main topics as follows:

Chapter I: The Earliest Records of Japan
JAPAN IN THE CHINESE DYNASTIC HISTORIES
THE EARLIEST JAPANESE CHRONICLES
Chapter II: Early Shinto
LEGENDS CONCERNING SHINTO DEITIES
Chapter III: Prince Shotoku and His Constitution
CIVIL STRIFE IN THE LATE SIXTH CENTURY
THE REIGN OF SUIKO AND RULE OF SHOTOKU

Obviously, it’s quite formidable to say something in essence on every chapter since, I think, that would be so unimaginably challenging like 21 Herculean tasks themselves that we should need help or guidance from scholars or professors in Japanese Studies. Therefore, the following three excerpts should suffice and serve as its three glimpses, based on my preferences, on Prince Shotoku’s institution, Kukai and His Master, and Testament of an Old Man.

The Seventeen-Article Constitution of Prince Shotoku: (an article selected)

I. Harmony is to be valued, and an avoidance of wanton opposition to be honored. All men are influenced by partisanship, and there are few who are intelligent. Hence there are some who disobey their lords and fathers, or who maintain feuds with the neighboring villages. But when those above are harmonious and those below are friendly, and there is concord in the discussion of business, right views of things spontaneously gain acceptance. Then what is there which cannot be accomplished?
... (p. 48)

Kukai and His Master: (a paragraph selected)

During the sixth moon of 804, I, Kukai, sailed for China aboard the Number One Ship, in the party of Lord Fujiwara, ambassador to the T’ang court. We reached the coast of Fukien by the eighth moon, and four months later arrived at Ch’ang-an, the capital, where we were lodged at the official guest residence. The ambassadorial delegation started home for Japan on March 15, 805, but in obedience to an imperial edict, I alone remained behind in the Hsi-ming Temple where the abbot Yung-chung had formerly resided.
... (p. 140)

Testament of an Old Man: (a topic selected, extract incomplete)

VI. What is the Way of Truth, then, that will be practicable in present-day Japan? It is simply this: Be normal in everything you do. Consider today’s work of primary importance. Keep your mind upright. Comport yourself properly. Be careful in speech. Be respectful in manner and bearing. Care for and honor your parents.
(…)
If you have a master, serve him well. If you have children, educate them well. If you have retainers, manage them well. If you have an elder brother, show him every respect; if you have a younger brother, show him every sympathy. When associating with men, be completely sincere. Do not indulge in evil pleasures. Revere those who are superior, while not despising the ignorant. What you would not have done to yourself, do not do to others. … (p. 475)

What do you think?

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thick as fuck! A difficult, difficult book. And also a great achievement for editors and academics making complicated subjects rather more vivid and clear. A lot of this early Japanese history coincides with the development and history of Buddhism. With my Catholic background, the long and complex history of the development of Christianity is at least easily grasped thanks to my cultural understanding, my engagement and struggle with the faith and awareness of its influence over many factors of my life and the lives of my peers. Buddhism is altogether more vague, its Western application being mostly people who like to sit still for a long time, be vegetarian and encourage others to chill out. I would have a similarly vague understanding of Christianity if I were Japanese, that religion with all the crosses were people try hard to be nice and are afraid of the adverse consequences. So the depth of this world I've stumbled into went largely over my head. I think I need time and experience talking to people to get a better sense of Buddhism's immense intellectual history and the broader history of Eastern philosophy, but...what a task that is! A task for many lifetimes.

[Taylor Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating portrait of the story of those people having lived on the islands that, today, we call Japan, told, so far as we can call it, in the voices of their own documents. The tale stretches from earliest moments in which reference to the people of those islands by historians of the Later Han was made, to Hideyoshi’s invasion of the Korean peninsula (1597 by our contemporary reckoning), and is filled, colored by, and flowing with the voices of Shinto priests, Buddhist leaders, court poets, warriors, historians, barbaric warlords on civilizing missions, spiritual revolutionaries, diarists, and, amongst others weaving a plurality of human voices, critics probing the thought and actions of all of those above. Engaging— a discrete, staccato-like symphony of one nation’s story, buttressed by erudite, insightful commentary painting the historical context around the selections.

[Nash]

I got to know this book first in its glorious hard-cover edition (heavy!) when I was at Waseda doing my research last year. And, guess what, I borrowed it from the library almost the whole time I was there and still couldn't finish it! It's a heavy read, ladies and gentlemen! I mean, it is by far the best authority and most recent compilation I could find on Japanese historical account.

There are two volumes of this book, I suppose. But since my interest is more on the development that led to the Tokugawa period, I thought to myself that I would only spend time (and money) on this one (first).

So, today, (Sept 14, 2007), I just got my own paperback copy in my mailbox! I am understandably excited! It' s not very often that I decided to order the kind of book that is usually destined to be reserved for the reference shelf in the library! But, here I am! And I found myself so eager to read it as if it's a bestseller! Am I going insane or what? I guess so. I think everyone who's into Year 5 of Ph.D. study is.

Frankly, I don't think I would finish every page of the book, because that would really land me in the asylum. But I think I would probably gulp up everything they write about the warriors happily. I already look through the Table of Content again and found that Chapter 18 and 19 are something that I really look forward to because I'm writing on it now. The 18th covers the Precepts and House Rules of Muromachi Warriors and the 19th is on the life of my accidental hero, Nobunaga.

There are some writing of Japanese aesthetics which I think I would really enjoy, but that I would have to save it for later unless I could use it to complement my work. There are also a lot on Shinto, something that doesn't excite me at all, but I may have to force myself through it a bit.

Well, that's it for now. I'm really, really excited to have this book today! :-)

[Chant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this to anyone that is interested in Japanese religious traditions/philosophy and culture because this book has a nice amount of information on Buddhism and Chinese religions in Japan.

I should also note that this book goes over a lot of things in Chinese history, so if you're not familar with Chinese history/culture then it might be a bit harder to follow along but the book fills it in for the people that have little or no prior knowledge of Chinese culture.

Fantastic book!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still dumb, but I /FEEL/ smarter for having read this book. An amazing collection of primary sources and commentary.

[Jee Koh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful source book, particularly on the evolution of Buddhism in Japan.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an essential book for anyone who is studying the Japanese culture and wants to understand their way of thinking. It contains cultural primary documents that have been translated into English. The author early on states that this book is best read after gaining initial knowledge of Japan's history, and I recommend that, too! There are some concepts and important figures that may be confusing to people who pick this up as one of their first Japanese history texts.
(Just to note, I am reviewing the '56 copy of the book, and might change this review when I obtain the newer version. I'm curious what they changed and/or added in!)

The author moves along chronologically and thematically, so oftentimes all Buddhist content is grouped together as is the political and Shinto entries. I haven't made up my mind whether there is a better way of arranging the contents of the book, but that does mean that sometimes reading one section all the way through is a slog. For example, the author covered all of the new Buddhist sects in the Kamakura period in one go... That was quite a lot to read for someone who is not necessarily interested in the religious side of a culture so much. For those like me who are more interested in artistic production, reading an art history textbook or regular book might be better, as de Barry only slightly touches on artistic traditions.

Another minor but important addition would be to add a timeline. This book is intended for those who already have some sort of introduction to Japanese history, but nevertheless, a visual guide for where in time a section is would have been helpful. Along the same lines, chronological life and death dates next to authors' names would have been excellent. In my 1956 copy, there were general dates for the chapter, but not for an author, or when their works were written. Yes, sometimes de Barry mentioned the dates in the bulk of introductory paragraphs, but I am a strong proponent of easy-to-find reference materials in favor of integrating them into paragraphs.

Overall, this book is heavy on primary text; naturally, de Barry introduces the important figures before the figures' writings, but de Barry does not delve into an author's background too much. Aside from very important figures, I had to additionally look up a persona in order to understand them and their contribution to Japanese history. If you go into this book with the expectation that befits an introductory text, then I imagine you'll have an excellent time reading this book. If you are more advanced in Japanese Studies, I think this will serve as a good refresher or reference point but for finer details, it would be better off to consult an academic source or text that has a narrower focus. In the end, I enjoyed de Barry's comprehensiveness and enjoyable writing style. 'The Sources of Japanese Tradition: Volume I' has space reserved on my bookshelf already! Now, onto Volume II.

[zan man · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can you really just smash together a bunch of archive material with no context and call it a textbook

[Veronica Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un testo completo, una risorsa davvero fondamentale per chiunque sia interessato ad approfondire la storia giapponese da diversi punti di vista.

[Publius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primary source material/anthology of Japanese thought.

[James Violand · Rating 3 out of 5]

You must have a thorough knowledge of Japanese history before you pick up this work. With this precondition, I must say that it is very insightful but too focused on the evolution of all forms of Buddhism. Some parts (especially that dealing with the reactions to Western ideas) held my attention. Other sections I had to slog through.
Overall, I found the work unbalanced, but then again, perhaps the second volume will make up for the first's deficiencies.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice text book read, Some nice reference material.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to Japanese thought historically.

[Tori]

Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 1 by Ryusaku Tsunoda (1964)