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Inventing Japan: 1853-1964
In a single short book as elegant as it is wise, Ian Buruma makes sense of the most fateful span of Japan’s history, the period that saw as dramatic a transformation as any country has ever known. In the course of little more than a hundred years from the day Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in his black ships, this insular, preindustrial realm mutated into an expansive military dictatorship that essentially supplanted the British, French, Dutch, and American empires in Asia before plunging to utter ruin, eventually emerging under American tutelage as a pseudo-Western-style democracy and economic dynamo.
What explains the seismic changes that thrust this small island nation so violently onto the world stage? In part, Ian Buruma argues, the story is one of a newly united nation that felt it must play catch-up to the established Western powers, just as Germany and Italy did, a process that involved, in addition to outward colonial expansion, internal cultural consolidation and the manufacturing of a shared heritage. But Japan has always been both particularly open to the importation of good ideas and particularly prickly about keeping their influence quarantined, a bipolar disorder that would have dramatic consequences and that continues to this day. If one book is to be read in order to understand why the Japanese seem so impossibly strange to many Americans, Inventing Japan is surely it.
From the Hardcover edition.
What explains the seismic changes that thrust this small island nation so violently onto the world stage? In part, Ian Buruma argues, the story is one of a newly united nation that felt it must play catch-up to the established Western powers, just as Germany and Italy did, a process that involved, in addition to outward colonial expansion, internal cultural consolidation and the manufacturing of a shared heritage. But Japan has always been both particularly open to the importation of good ideas and particularly prickly about keeping their influence quarantined, a bipolar disorder that would have dramatic consequences and that continues to this day. If one book is to be read in order to understand why the Japanese seem so impossibly strange to many Americans, Inventing Japan is surely it.
From the Hardcover edition.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Ian Buruma
89 books252 followersIan Buruma is a British-Dutch writer and academic, much of whose work focuses on the culture of Asia, particularly that of 20th-century Japan, where he lived and worked for many years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
November 15, 2019
I've read 35 or so Japanese novels and nonfiction in translation since 2017. The more I read, the more aware I became that augmenting my knowledge of Japanese history, particularly post-1850, would inform my reading. Plus, Japanese history is fascinating, at least to me, and I had the good fortune to stumble across a copy of Inventing Japan at a used book sale in September. I read a lot for the job that pays for my books and prioritize fiction for the part of my reading life that is under my control, so Inventing Japan, at fewer than 200 pages, plus a bibliography and other helpful tools, was the careful, precise 50,000 foot view I wanted. If you already are especially familiar with the key events and themes or want to burrow in to a historian's detailed, context-laden tome with a warm blanket and beverage of your choice, this isn't the book for you. It also isn't for you unless you're keenly interested in Japanese politics, governments and political systems, Japan's relationship with China and Korea, the post-WWII US occupation, and more on Japanese political parties and the like. On the other hand, for example, if you know that japan's Constitution (as written and imposed on Japan by the US) forbids it to maintain a standing army and yet you are aware that it has a standing army - the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and you wonder how the JSDF can exist, Ian Buruma explains the mystery.
In terms of approach and tone, Buruma is challenging and direct. He calls out stupid and wrong where he sees it, delights in doing so, and his tolerance for numbskulls is close to zero. Talking about this 100-year period with any level of honesty and accuracy means challenging the stories that each of the key players tells about themselves and about their history. Many sacred cows (to someone) are taken on and dismantled efficiently. He's particularly hard on American actors, including General MacArthur, but he's not going to lose any educated readers around the world by bashing us. We make ourselves easy targets and I read nothing unfair here. Other critical events and actions -- Japan's treatment of Koreans over the decades, Japan's slaughter, mass rape and looting at Nanking, then the capital of China, of non-combatant Chinese over the 6-week period after Nanking's capture, for example -- are addressed head on, but are such hot-button and important topics to all participants that no statement can be deemed bias-free, notwithstanding Buruma's likely efforts at achieving that goal. This book is best for those whose first response to a statement that raises a reader's eyebrow is not to interpret the statement as an insult or unfair, but to further research it, who seek to recognize bias and build that recognition into their interpretation of what they read but who don't attribute everything they disagree with as bias-motivated, without more, and who are fond of the "curmudgeon with deep expertise, passionate about his topic" school of writing about history.
Also, the first chapter and the Epilogue are circular and frustrating, especially the first chapter. Read it, push through it and be assured that the remaining chapters are far more enlightening and better organize, and Buruma's presentation is compelling. He doesn't get bogged down at any point on a story he really, really wants to tell, as is the wont of some academics. Maybe he's the sort that is always the best in the middle and finds on-ramps and off-ramps difficult. Who knows. Just know not to abandon it until you've at least read half of Chapter 2.
As a start in shedding light on possible bias, note that Buruma, born and raised in the Netherlands, a graduate of Leiden University with a degree in Chinese literature and history, a (chaired) Professor at Bard College since 2003, and briefly-tenured (2017 - 2018) editor of The New York Review of Books, lived in Japan for only 6 years from 1975 - 1981 and spent that time as a photojournalist. Readers understandably may remain offended by his handling of events immediately prior to his departure from The New York Review of Books, but, if you can do so without tripping any of your own ethical wires, I highly recommend finding a copy and reading Inventing Japan.
*If you have an interest in Japanese literature, with the occasional foray into history, join us in the GR Japanese Literature group, any time. This is one of many books where my learning has been immeasurable enhanced by the comments and knowledge of fellow members.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
In terms of approach and tone, Buruma is challenging and direct. He calls out stupid and wrong where he sees it, delights in doing so, and his tolerance for numbskulls is close to zero. Talking about this 100-year period with any level of honesty and accuracy means challenging the stories that each of the key players tells about themselves and about their history. Many sacred cows (to someone) are taken on and dismantled efficiently. He's particularly hard on American actors, including General MacArthur, but he's not going to lose any educated readers around the world by bashing us. We make ourselves easy targets and I read nothing unfair here. Other critical events and actions -- Japan's treatment of Koreans over the decades, Japan's slaughter, mass rape and looting at Nanking, then the capital of China, of non-combatant Chinese over the 6-week period after Nanking's capture, for example -- are addressed head on, but are such hot-button and important topics to all participants that no statement can be deemed bias-free, notwithstanding Buruma's likely efforts at achieving that goal. This book is best for those whose first response to a statement that raises a reader's eyebrow is not to interpret the statement as an insult or unfair, but to further research it, who seek to recognize bias and build that recognition into their interpretation of what they read but who don't attribute everything they disagree with as bias-motivated, without more, and who are fond of the "curmudgeon with deep expertise, passionate about his topic" school of writing about history.
Also, the first chapter and the Epilogue are circular and frustrating, especially the first chapter. Read it, push through it and be assured that the remaining chapters are far more enlightening and better organize, and Buruma's presentation is compelling. He doesn't get bogged down at any point on a story he really, really wants to tell, as is the wont of some academics. Maybe he's the sort that is always the best in the middle and finds on-ramps and off-ramps difficult. Who knows. Just know not to abandon it until you've at least read half of Chapter 2.
As a start in shedding light on possible bias, note that Buruma, born and raised in the Netherlands, a graduate of Leiden University with a degree in Chinese literature and history, a (chaired) Professor at Bard College since 2003, and briefly-tenured (2017 - 2018) editor of The New York Review of Books, lived in Japan for only 6 years from 1975 - 1981 and spent that time as a photojournalist. Readers understandably may remain offended by his handling of events immediately prior to his departure from The New York Review of Books, but, if you can do so without tripping any of your own ethical wires, I highly recommend finding a copy and reading Inventing Japan.
*If you have an interest in Japanese literature, with the occasional foray into history, join us in the GR Japanese Literature group, any time. This is one of many books where my learning has been immeasurable enhanced by the comments and knowledge of fellow members.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
August 21, 2023
For a short book, in a small format, it does a good job of a summary, or executive summary, of Japan from 1853 to 1964.
This covers the period from when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in his black ships to the isolated country which politically wanted nothing to do with outsiders, through to the period post World War II when Japan was occupied by the American Military, and on until 1964.
Buruma moves through events in a careful and considered way, covering all the basics in what feels like a thorough explanation, but as you can imagine with a small book, it doesn't pause too long for analysis. He covers the people involved in equal detail, but makes a solid effort to describe Japanese culture and how the common people interpreted the major changes occurring around them.
While this book won't do much for those with a deep knowledge of Japan, or for academics, it provides a simple baseline of knowledge summary for the beginner like me.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
This covers the period from when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in his black ships to the isolated country which politically wanted nothing to do with outsiders, through to the period post World War II when Japan was occupied by the American Military, and on until 1964.
Buruma moves through events in a careful and considered way, covering all the basics in what feels like a thorough explanation, but as you can imagine with a small book, it doesn't pause too long for analysis. He covers the people involved in equal detail, but makes a solid effort to describe Japanese culture and how the common people interpreted the major changes occurring around them.
While this book won't do much for those with a deep knowledge of Japan, or for academics, it provides a simple baseline of knowledge summary for the beginner like me.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
March 26, 2019
Συνοπτική, πλην όμως επαρκής, εξιστόρηση της σύγχρονης ιαπωνικής ιστορίας. Ξεκινάει από την ημέρα που εμφανίστηκαν τα μαύρα καράβια του Ναύαρχου Perry στις ακτές της Ιαπωνίας, συνεχίζει στη μετέπειτα πορεία της χώρας προς τον μιλιταρισμό, έως την αναπόφευκτη ήττα και τελικά τη νεκρανάσταση από τα ερείπια.
Εξαιρετικά κατατοπιστικό, κυρίως όσον αφορά τις αιτίες που οδήγησαν αυτή τη χώρα της Ασίας να ακολουθήσει το συγκεκριμένο δρόμο. Συστήνεται ανεπιφύλακτα.
Εξαιρετικά κατατοπιστικό, κυρίως όσον αφορά τις αιτίες που οδήγησαν αυτή τη χώρα της Ασίας να ακολουθήσει το συγκεκριμένο δρόμο. Συστήνεται ανεπιφύλακτα.
December 9, 2025
A very snappy review of the essence of modern Japan. A good introduction or primer.
June 12, 2024
Ez a kötet tulajdonképpen tanmese arról, hogy ha valaki bezárja magát jó időre a vaksötét pincébe, utána ne csodálkozzon, ha megszédül a napon. Amikor ugyanis Perry sorhajókapitány megjelent a XIX. században Japán partjainál (biztos, ami biztos: a kikötőkre szegezett ágyúkkal), a szigetország már 200 éve elzárta magát a külvilágtól, és bizony csak a nem annyira szelíd erőszak tudta rávenni, hogy szellőztessen kicsit. Ami amúgy valóban ráfért az államra, mert épp Perry menő ágyúi jelezték: amíg Csipkerózsika-álmukat aludták, a nagyvilág picit elment mellettük. Úgyhogy bele is húztak a modernizációba.
És lőn: elkezdődött a Meidzsi-restauráció, ami a felülről irányított modernizációk iskolapéldája lett. És mint az ilyesmik általában, ez se ment zökkenőmentesen. A változások vesztesei - elsősorban a befolyásukat és presztízsüket féltő szamurájok - mindent megtettek, hogy a folyamatot lassítsák, többek között kialakították a bűbájos gyakorlatot, hogy megmerényeltek mindenkit, aki máshogy volt hazafi, mint ők*. A hagyomány radikális őrzői és a modernizátorok közötti polgárháborús állapot egészen addig tartott, amíg nyilvánvalóvá nem vált, valójában utóbbiak is csak azért akarnak modernizálni, hogy fölébe kerekedhessenek az őket lépten-nyomon megalázó nyugatiaknak. És hát mivel hozzájuk képest még az oroszok is Nyugat voltak, kezdték velük, és 1905-ben megalázó vereséget is mértek rájuk. Ami akkoriban köbö akkora szenzáció volt, mintha most Izland nyerné a foci EB-t. (Kijutott egyáltalán?)
(A Jaszukuni-szentély, a hős japán katonák nyughelye. Apró szépségpötty, hogy 14 db igazolt háborús bűnös is itt nyugszik, akiket a mindenkori japán kormány nem hajlandó száműzni a nemzeti panteonból.)
Csak hát az van, hogy ha egy nemzet az erőben látja a szuverenitás kulcsát, a modernizáció üzemanyaga pedig a frusztráció, amit a másik féllel szemben érez, nos, az sosem jó ómen a demokratikus gondolkodásra nézve. Itt vetnék közbe egy japán nemzeti sajátosságot: hogy tudniillik a szigetországban sosem alakult ki az olaszhoz vagy a némethez hasonló egyszemélyi fasiszta diktatúra, pedig megvolt hozzá számos adalék, például a rend iránti vágy, vagy épp a virulens rasszizmus. Ennek oka a speciális elképzelés a kormányzásról, a "Szent Államrend", a kokutai. Ennek középpontjában a császár személye áll, aki azonban nem igazán politikai aktor, inkább csak egyfajta erkölcsi non plus ultra, akire hivatkozva a többiek igazolhatják a saját hülyeségeiket. A führer posztja tehát egyfelől be volt töltve, másrészt meg el volt szakítva a politikától - a hatalmi vákumot pedig az foglalta el, akinek megvolt a kellő ereje hozzá. És egy olyan országban, ahol a szuverenitás záloga az erő, mi más lehetne ez, mint a katonaság, ami egyfajta ezerfejű diktátorként dominálta le az országot. Na de hová vezet, ha egy országot a katonák vezetnek? Nyilván a háborúba, mert aki csak a kalapácsot ismeri, annak minden szögszerűnek tűnik. Amiből először következett Pearl Harbor és az extázis, hogy most odavertünk az amcsiknak. Aztán meg Hirosima. Ahol az amcsik odavertek nekünk. Nem kicsit. Nagyon.
A vereség olyan totális volt, hogy annál totálisabb nem is lehetséges. Ami esélyt jelenthetett volna arra, hogy mindent az alapoktól kezdjenek újra - de nem éltek vele. A felelősség nem kis részben az amerikaiaké, akik úgy vélték, hiába kompromittálódott végzetesen a kokutai, még mindig leginkább rá támaszkodva lehet a demokráciához vezető sztrádát építeni. Másfelől az USA beleütközött egy tipikus hidegháborús dilemmába: azok, akik szembe akartak nézni nemzetük háborús felelősségével, jellemzően baloldaliak voltak, és az amerikai imperializmussal szemben határozták meg magukat, szövetségesüknek pedig Szovjetuniót és Kínát tekintették. Támaszkodni tehát az amerikaiak a nacionalista jobboldalra tudtak, akik viszont szívesen tabusították volna a múltról való diskurzust, ezzel pedig konzerválták a lappangó sovinizmust. A két csoport feloldatlan ellentétei pedig Japánban is megszülték azokat a szélsőbalos terrorcsoportokat, akik amúgy Olasz- és Németországban is kellemetlenné tették a létezést.
És mi a tanulság? Hm. Egyfelől az, hogy ha hagyjuk, hogy a frusztráció és az agresszió mozgassa a politikát, akkor előbb-utóbb elkenik a szánkat. Ez a kulcs a békéhez, nem az, hogy hosszan ordibáljuk a "Háború" meg a "Béke" szavakat. (Szívesen, Viktor.) A másik tanulság meg az, hogy a legtöbb társadalmi feszültség gyógyítható pénzzel. Mert a belpolitikai forrongást végtére is a japán gazdasági csoda tette kezelhetővé - és persze az, hogy a kormány ezt a csodát úgy menedzselte, hogy az alsóbb osztályoknak is jusson a haszonból. Vagyis: Viktor, adjál pénzt. Krumpli nem jó, köszi, nem eszik a gyerekek.
* Ezek a szamurájok aztán (holott zömük egyszerű gyilkos) gyakran válnak egyfajta népi hőssé, mert ugye "őszintén" cselekedtek.
És lőn: elkezdődött a Meidzsi-restauráció, ami a felülről irányított modernizációk iskolapéldája lett. És mint az ilyesmik általában, ez se ment zökkenőmentesen. A változások vesztesei - elsősorban a befolyásukat és presztízsüket féltő szamurájok - mindent megtettek, hogy a folyamatot lassítsák, többek között kialakították a bűbájos gyakorlatot, hogy megmerényeltek mindenkit, aki máshogy volt hazafi, mint ők*. A hagyomány radikális őrzői és a modernizátorok közötti polgárháborús állapot egészen addig tartott, amíg nyilvánvalóvá nem vált, valójában utóbbiak is csak azért akarnak modernizálni, hogy fölébe kerekedhessenek az őket lépten-nyomon megalázó nyugatiaknak. És hát mivel hozzájuk képest még az oroszok is Nyugat voltak, kezdték velük, és 1905-ben megalázó vereséget is mértek rájuk. Ami akkoriban köbö akkora szenzáció volt, mintha most Izland nyerné a foci EB-t. (Kijutott egyáltalán?)
(A Jaszukuni-szentély, a hős japán katonák nyughelye. Apró szépségpötty, hogy 14 db igazolt háborús bűnös is itt nyugszik, akiket a mindenkori japán kormány nem hajlandó száműzni a nemzeti panteonból.)
Csak hát az van, hogy ha egy nemzet az erőben látja a szuverenitás kulcsát, a modernizáció üzemanyaga pedig a frusztráció, amit a másik féllel szemben érez, nos, az sosem jó ómen a demokratikus gondolkodásra nézve. Itt vetnék közbe egy japán nemzeti sajátosságot: hogy tudniillik a szigetországban sosem alakult ki az olaszhoz vagy a némethez hasonló egyszemélyi fasiszta diktatúra, pedig megvolt hozzá számos adalék, például a rend iránti vágy, vagy épp a virulens rasszizmus. Ennek oka a speciális elképzelés a kormányzásról, a "Szent Államrend", a kokutai. Ennek középpontjában a császár személye áll, aki azonban nem igazán politikai aktor, inkább csak egyfajta erkölcsi non plus ultra, akire hivatkozva a többiek igazolhatják a saját hülyeségeiket. A führer posztja tehát egyfelől be volt töltve, másrészt meg el volt szakítva a politikától - a hatalmi vákumot pedig az foglalta el, akinek megvolt a kellő ereje hozzá. És egy olyan országban, ahol a szuverenitás záloga az erő, mi más lehetne ez, mint a katonaság, ami egyfajta ezerfejű diktátorként dominálta le az országot. Na de hová vezet, ha egy országot a katonák vezetnek? Nyilván a háborúba, mert aki csak a kalapácsot ismeri, annak minden szögszerűnek tűnik. Amiből először következett Pearl Harbor és az extázis, hogy most odavertünk az amcsiknak. Aztán meg Hirosima. Ahol az amcsik odavertek nekünk. Nem kicsit. Nagyon.
A vereség olyan totális volt, hogy annál totálisabb nem is lehetséges. Ami esélyt jelenthetett volna arra, hogy mindent az alapoktól kezdjenek újra - de nem éltek vele. A felelősség nem kis részben az amerikaiaké, akik úgy vélték, hiába kompromittálódott végzetesen a kokutai, még mindig leginkább rá támaszkodva lehet a demokráciához vezető sztrádát építeni. Másfelől az USA beleütközött egy tipikus hidegháborús dilemmába: azok, akik szembe akartak nézni nemzetük háborús felelősségével, jellemzően baloldaliak voltak, és az amerikai imperializmussal szemben határozták meg magukat, szövetségesüknek pedig Szovjetuniót és Kínát tekintették. Támaszkodni tehát az amerikaiak a nacionalista jobboldalra tudtak, akik viszont szívesen tabusították volna a múltról való diskurzust, ezzel pedig konzerválták a lappangó sovinizmust. A két csoport feloldatlan ellentétei pedig Japánban is megszülték azokat a szélsőbalos terrorcsoportokat, akik amúgy Olasz- és Németországban is kellemetlenné tették a létezést.
És mi a tanulság? Hm. Egyfelől az, hogy ha hagyjuk, hogy a frusztráció és az agresszió mozgassa a politikát, akkor előbb-utóbb elkenik a szánkat. Ez a kulcs a békéhez, nem az, hogy hosszan ordibáljuk a "Háború" meg a "Béke" szavakat. (Szívesen, Viktor.) A másik tanulság meg az, hogy a legtöbb társadalmi feszültség gyógyítható pénzzel. Mert a belpolitikai forrongást végtére is a japán gazdasági csoda tette kezelhetővé - és persze az, hogy a kormány ezt a csodát úgy menedzselte, hogy az alsóbb osztályoknak is jusson a haszonból. Vagyis: Viktor, adjál pénzt. Krumpli nem jó, köszi, nem eszik a gyerekek.
* Ezek a szamurájok aztán (holott zömük egyszerű gyilkos) gyakran válnak egyfajta népi hőssé, mert ugye "őszintén" cselekedtek.
March 19, 2010
This overview of a large swatch of Japanese history was too much an outline without substance. The late Edo and early Taisho periods were written as a gloss of names and single facts without any real cohesion. The narrative was sprinkled with some interesting anecdotes, but overall, the book was unsatisfying. It felt that Baruma was looking down upon Japan and its cultural traditions in the way that many Westerners who think the world should reflect them.
May 10, 2018
This slender volume manages to get a lot of history into a very small package. This was the perfect refresher for me on Japanese history. In about 150 pages, the author manages to be insightful, focused, and yet somehow, comprehensive enough.
January 27, 2018
At 177 pages plus glossary and bibliography, Ian Buruma’s Inventing Japan; 1853-1964 is barely a survey history. A great deal of information is presented with a minimum of discussion. Likely this is also a very personal assessment, but I prefer to think the author has a central theme and uses it to keep the narrative tighter than had it been strenuously academic. The style is very easy to follow. My only hesitate in recommending it to the general reader is the necessary flow of names and words that are foreign in American ears. I was never an accomplished student of foreign languages but that is my fault. At most Inventing Japan can be a starting point.
What little I know of Japanese’s history tends to be biased by the Western analysis of Japan in World War II and some shallow reads of events and conditions starting with the great earthquake of 1923 and the beginning of the Showa Era. Buruma begins with the arrival of the Black Ships, the American Fleet under Commodore Perry in 1853.
The usual telling of this story is that the two countries mostly failed to learn much about each other and that the major effect was that Japan began a rush to modernize. This is not a bad short version but Burma makes clear that little in Japanese thought, culture or politics was that simple. For example in all but the most liberal of the thinking was that Japan'spurpose for modernization was less about Japan becoming one of the modern nations and more about regaining a position whereby Japan could again keep out barbarian influences.
Among the apparent Japanese cultural shibboleths I grew up with was the notion that traditional Japanese culture had always held to the sacred origins and status of the Emperor and the universal belief in very militant Bushido code. Burma solidly refutes both; demonstrating that at the time of Perry’s arrival (The Tokugawa bakufu period) the Emperor was a symbolic potion, respected but not revered. As for the Bushido code, what I had previously read of it there was little insistence on a duty to be cruel towards the defeated and the non-combatants. Burma makes the case that this version of the code of the Samurai and the sacred person of the Emperor arose with modern nationalism and the modern development in (early 20th century Japan), of a standing army.
Inventing Japan is a small book. The audience is the informal student rather than a graduate student. This is one of those books I wish I had read a long time ago.
My copy was bought at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. A fine institution with a very good book store.
What little I know of Japanese’s history tends to be biased by the Western analysis of Japan in World War II and some shallow reads of events and conditions starting with the great earthquake of 1923 and the beginning of the Showa Era. Buruma begins with the arrival of the Black Ships, the American Fleet under Commodore Perry in 1853.
The usual telling of this story is that the two countries mostly failed to learn much about each other and that the major effect was that Japan began a rush to modernize. This is not a bad short version but Burma makes clear that little in Japanese thought, culture or politics was that simple. For example in all but the most liberal of the thinking was that Japan'spurpose for modernization was less about Japan becoming one of the modern nations and more about regaining a position whereby Japan could again keep out barbarian influences.
Among the apparent Japanese cultural shibboleths I grew up with was the notion that traditional Japanese culture had always held to the sacred origins and status of the Emperor and the universal belief in very militant Bushido code. Burma solidly refutes both; demonstrating that at the time of Perry’s arrival (The Tokugawa bakufu period) the Emperor was a symbolic potion, respected but not revered. As for the Bushido code, what I had previously read of it there was little insistence on a duty to be cruel towards the defeated and the non-combatants. Burma makes the case that this version of the code of the Samurai and the sacred person of the Emperor arose with modern nationalism and the modern development in (early 20th century Japan), of a standing army.
Inventing Japan is a small book. The audience is the informal student rather than a graduate student. This is one of those books I wish I had read a long time ago.
My copy was bought at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. A fine institution with a very good book store.
October 29, 2019
This pocket history of Japan will probably not offer much to those who have already read more extensive histories, though it makes an ideal introduction. I was very amused by the anecdote of Commodore Perry being invited to punch the bellies of Sumo wrestlers by his Japanese hosts after first landing ashore with his "Black Ships" in the 19th century. It was one of many weird historical episodes that really happened. There were also some relevant quotes from individual Japanese about their perception of the Pacific War as a racial conflict against whites, as well as a war against Anglophone-style liberalism. One painful reflection from a Japanese man stuck with me. A Western-educated poet named Takamura Kataro, was struck by an image of himself in a mirror in Paris and feeling despair and revulsion at his "Mongol" appearance. It was a sad episode in the annals of racial self-hatred, one which, like many others around the world, he later compensated for by becoming an ultranationalist.
As I've noted before Imperial Japan with its military authoritarianism as well as its melangé of invented local tradition and German Romantic-inspired fascism reminds me a lot of ISIS. It makes sense since the Japanese were fellow Asians long recognized as having entered the labyrinths of modernity before the rest of us. The writing in this book is fine, as it goes. But Buruma manages the ignominious feat of maintaining a tone of utter condescension throughout the entire length of the book. This is really quite an achievement and not necessarily a pleasant one for the reader.
As I've noted before Imperial Japan with its military authoritarianism as well as its melangé of invented local tradition and German Romantic-inspired fascism reminds me a lot of ISIS. It makes sense since the Japanese were fellow Asians long recognized as having entered the labyrinths of modernity before the rest of us. The writing in this book is fine, as it goes. But Buruma manages the ignominious feat of maintaining a tone of utter condescension throughout the entire length of the book. This is really quite an achievement and not necessarily a pleasant one for the reader.
April 21, 2014
'Inventing Japan' is the shortest history book I've ever read, and it clearly only scrapes the surface of its topic. Nevertheless, it's a great introduction to the modern history of Japan. Buruma is an excellent narrator, who mixes political and cultural history to explain how Japan changed radically from mid-19th century till the 1960's. Buruma's own views are reflected in his writing: being pro-democracy, anti-militarism, and anti-war, Buruma criticizes his topic frequently. Yet, he's very able to show that Japan has never been a one-sided monolithic state, but that there was discourse even during its lowest episode (World War II). Buruma's book may be rather shallow, it's a great read. After finishing the reader is hungry for more, and that's not bad, at all.
November 6, 2019
A good and easy read.
This would be a great beginner read for anyone trying to understand Japan from its reopening to WWII and its aftermath.
If I had one complaint, it would be that with so very many names flying past on the pages, the simplicity unravels with any attempt to follow each character. Thus is history, I suppose, but with such a short work I would have preferred at least some of the politicians to have been grouped into their parties and seen as groups working towards certain goals rather than individuals. Just a thought.
Full review coming soon in blog:
This would be a great beginner read for anyone trying to understand Japan from its reopening to WWII and its aftermath.
If I had one complaint, it would be that with so very many names flying past on the pages, the simplicity unravels with any attempt to follow each character. Thus is history, I suppose, but with such a short work I would have preferred at least some of the politicians to have been grouped into their parties and seen as groups working towards certain goals rather than individuals. Just a thought.
Full review coming soon in blog:
May 3, 2024
Een korte inleiding op een ingewikkelde geschiedenis
May 23, 2016
One can easily get the impression that the goal of this volume is to present a brief overview of Japan's modern history, starting with the arrival of Perry's 'black ships' and ending at the somewhat arbitrarily chosen time of Tokyo Olympics of 1964. I would however hesitate to call it a history book in traditional meaning of the term. Instead, I'd say that the author attempts in this volume to identify, for the lack of better word, Japan's national spirit and uses its history as primary tool in this task. Or, maybe even more precisely, he searches for the answer to the question where and why that spirit went wrong and why it got corrupted.
Indeed, there is a good reason for asking this question - after all Japan's modern history is rather peculiar and quite ugly, especially when regarded from Western perspective. But asking the questions is one thing, providing the answers is another. In a short space of slightly over two hunderd pages there is, in my opinion at least, not enough room to provide balanced overview of the political and social challenges that faced Japan and shaped its fate during the period in question. Thus, while the topic is in itself truely fascinating, Buruma's analysis strikes me as somewhat shallow and simplistic.
Indeed, there is a good reason for asking this question - after all Japan's modern history is rather peculiar and quite ugly, especially when regarded from Western perspective. But asking the questions is one thing, providing the answers is another. In a short space of slightly over two hunderd pages there is, in my opinion at least, not enough room to provide balanced overview of the political and social challenges that faced Japan and shaped its fate during the period in question. Thus, while the topic is in itself truely fascinating, Buruma's analysis strikes me as somewhat shallow and simplistic.
January 21, 2015
I generally enjoy Buruma's writing. This book is brief and smoothly written, it contains a lot of information, and I guess it is adequate... I'm not sure how comprehensible it would be to someone who doesn't know much about Japan... No great insights, or memorable passages, or new perspectives... It's not really a "primer" on 20th century Japan... It's kind of like a breezily written "executive summary" of a much larger, much more substantial work of scholarship, which Buruma has yet to write.
April 13, 2019
What a poor attempt at history. Full of condescending attitude and irrelevant sidenotes. Don't waste your time. It'd be better to read the Wikipedia page for History of Japan instead of this.
July 10, 2014
Odd combination of shallow and opinionated. Still, a good start for a history of modern Japan.
February 8, 2025
Great book to read during my visit to Japan. Learned so much about Japan’s modern history and how it rose to become such a major player on the world stage.
Reading this book really put together puzzle pieces of history I knew about the region: the Opium Wars in China, the Sino-Japanese wars in Korea, and Japan’s colonization of Taiwan.
Some notable quotes (particularly with a focus on Japan/USA relations):
- “So when did the Japanese war begin? Was it in 1931 with the “Manchurian incident,” or was it “the China incident” of 1937, or Pearl Harbor in 1941? There is no consensus on this matter in Japan.”
- “Manchuria, with Korea, Taiwan, and other Japanese possessions, would be bound together in a giant yen bloc, not to exploit the people, as happened in the capitalist West, but to bring prosperity to all the emperor’s subjects.”
- “All those years of being told one was the victim of the arrogant West, all the snubs and slights, real or not, the humiliations of trying to catch up with the material superiority, not to mention the “Civilization and Enlightenment,” of the Occident by acting as the best pupils in the class of Westernization/ the shame of all that had been wiped out in one blow by those dive bombers swooping down on Pearl Harbor.”
- “The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck’s novel about American poverty, was banned, as were books and films about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
- “During the 1960s, Japan’s GNP grew at an annual rate of 10.6 percent in real terms. In 1964, the first bullet train whooshed from Tokyo to Osaka in three and a half hours.”
- “[Sato Eisaku’s] approach to foreign policy was simple. History, he said, “whenever Japan took a path counter to the United States, the country suffered; and whenever the two countries worked together closely, Japan prospered. My policy therefore, was to cooperate fully with the United States to ensure peace in the world.” Sato promised peace, and more peace. And for this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1972.”
Reading this book really put together puzzle pieces of history I knew about the region: the Opium Wars in China, the Sino-Japanese wars in Korea, and Japan’s colonization of Taiwan.
Some notable quotes (particularly with a focus on Japan/USA relations):
- “So when did the Japanese war begin? Was it in 1931 with the “Manchurian incident,” or was it “the China incident” of 1937, or Pearl Harbor in 1941? There is no consensus on this matter in Japan.”
- “Manchuria, with Korea, Taiwan, and other Japanese possessions, would be bound together in a giant yen bloc, not to exploit the people, as happened in the capitalist West, but to bring prosperity to all the emperor’s subjects.”
- “All those years of being told one was the victim of the arrogant West, all the snubs and slights, real or not, the humiliations of trying to catch up with the material superiority, not to mention the “Civilization and Enlightenment,” of the Occident by acting as the best pupils in the class of Westernization/ the shame of all that had been wiped out in one blow by those dive bombers swooping down on Pearl Harbor.”
- “The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck’s novel about American poverty, was banned, as were books and films about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
- “During the 1960s, Japan’s GNP grew at an annual rate of 10.6 percent in real terms. In 1964, the first bullet train whooshed from Tokyo to Osaka in three and a half hours.”
- “[Sato Eisaku’s] approach to foreign policy was simple. History, he said, “whenever Japan took a path counter to the United States, the country suffered; and whenever the two countries worked together closely, Japan prospered. My policy therefore, was to cooperate fully with the United States to ensure peace in the world.” Sato promised peace, and more peace. And for this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1972.”
February 3, 2025
Reading this felt like reading the sparknotes version of a dense history book, but with wry humor and unflinching criticism spread throughout.
I can see why Buruma chose not to write a Japan World War II book, but instead to contextualize the war between bookends of the fall of Tokugawa period and the post-war occupation. The section on the Nanking Massacre was written with the gravity that atrocity merited. Pearl Harbor was described as a result of several factors: a flawed command chain where a small group could push for the attack without push-back ("systemic irresponsibility" p. 117), the US placing economic sanctions on Japan that jeopardized their military campaign in China, and the need for some kind of victory or landing blow against the West when feeling backed against a corner. The reader can see the beginnings of tensions between Japan and the West dating back to Commadore Perry's Black Ships of Chapter 1.
The best part about this book is that it made me want to pick up where the end left off:
-Japan's miracle economic boom (and bubble burst)
-The history of the Liberal Democratic Party to understand current politics in Japan
-Japan's Self-Defense Force from the 1990s-present.
“Overconfidence, fanaticism, a shrill sense of inferiority, and a sometimes obsessive preoccupation with national status–these have all played their parts in the history of modern Japan, as we shall see. But one quality has stood out to serve Japan better than any other: the grace to make the best of defeat.” p. 7, PrologueI picked up my paperback used version of this book from a small, US college town for $2.98. It has pink highlighter throughout, clearly used by a student for some kind of Japanese history class. In the quote above, the last sentence was highlighted. I probably would have highlighted it too when I was a student, but at this point in time I’m more interested in the former sentence.
I can see why Buruma chose not to write a Japan World War II book, but instead to contextualize the war between bookends of the fall of Tokugawa period and the post-war occupation. The section on the Nanking Massacre was written with the gravity that atrocity merited. Pearl Harbor was described as a result of several factors: a flawed command chain where a small group could push for the attack without push-back ("systemic irresponsibility" p. 117), the US placing economic sanctions on Japan that jeopardized their military campaign in China, and the need for some kind of victory or landing blow against the West when feeling backed against a corner. The reader can see the beginnings of tensions between Japan and the West dating back to Commadore Perry's Black Ships of Chapter 1.
The best part about this book is that it made me want to pick up where the end left off:
-Japan's miracle economic boom (and bubble burst)
-The history of the Liberal Democratic Party to understand current politics in Japan
-Japan's Self-Defense Force from the 1990s-present.
October 20, 2020
What a terrific little book!
From the arrival of Commodore Perry's Black Ships at Edo Bay on July 8, 1853 to the "end" of the post-war period and the U.S. occupation in 1964, Ian Buruma tells the story of the invention of modern Japan, and the highs and lows accompanying that invention, with an incredible narrative strength. Only someone who has thought intensely and deliberately about a complex period of history can tell that story with such accessibility in under 200 pages.
In it, you get to meet many of the important actors of the Meiji Restoration; the country's encounter with, and bid for, modernity; the period leading up to and beyond the Second World War; and many thinkers and political activists who vied for competing trajectories for their new-yet-old home, Japan. Not only do you leave with a good understanding of that period, but you realize how Japan, not unlike other modern states, had to contend with the dialectic of tradition and modernity, and you can appreciate better the strengths and weaknesses of current-day Japan.
February 7, 2020
I should have been tipped off by the title, but I soon realized my mistake when the introduction listed the author’s Japanese wife among his accolades as a cultural ambassador. This book is laughably ethnocentric. There is not a trace of cultural nuance, and the tone is gratingly condescending. I downloaded this book because I have been reading a lot of literature with subtle or overt references to Japanese imperialism and I wanted to learn more about it. All I’ve learned is that Almighty Western Culture is the Bestern Culture yeehaw. At least it was short.
March 8, 2018
Burma manages to fit a surprising amount of interesting and relevant information into a slim package. I'm a novice as far as Japanese history goes, and I was enthralled by the vivid history of Japan's encounters with western powers and the (hold onto your hats, I'm going to say "zeitgeist") zeitgeist of the second World War. Further than being informative, the author weaves everything together extremely well, sprinkling anecdotes all over the place to keep things interesting. Great read!
September 18, 2022
3.5
A very interesting approach to a difficult period in Japanese history. Sometimes the book wishes to do too much in too little pages, resulting in the lack of depth. Especially shallow considering Japan's actions in Indonesia, focusing more on China. Overall a good book to get to understand Japan and how it got to be what it is today.
A very interesting approach to a difficult period in Japanese history. Sometimes the book wishes to do too much in too little pages, resulting in the lack of depth. Especially shallow considering Japan's actions in Indonesia, focusing more on China. Overall a good book to get to understand Japan and how it got to be what it is today.
May 18, 2020
Very short. A barely adequate introduction to Meiji-era Japan, almost useless for Shōwa, etc. Strong when describing the intellectual currents that motivated Meiji intellectuals, and in describing the political machines that dominated post-war Japanese politics.
Earnestly looking for better histories of modern Japan as this was simply not sufficient to scratch the itch.
Earnestly looking for better histories of modern Japan as this was simply not sufficient to scratch the itch.
September 9, 2021
Wow... this is a master class in academic-wannabe bitchiness. Informative but sooooooo catty. Kinda loved that though, even if it smacks of axe-grinding rather than authority on the subject.
April 6, 2014
A very interesting history of Japan from when the Americans forced Japan to open to the rest of the world to the 1960s. I knew little about the rise of modern Japan or Japan's rationale for Pearl Harbor. Mr. Buruma provides a good introduction to both, plus a nice introduction to the post-war reconstruction of Japan. This is the second book I have read by Mr. Buruma and he is a very good writer, with an easy-going style that relates historical facts and anecdotes and weaves them into overall themes. In this case, Mr. Buruma relates how envy and admiration of the West combined to launch modern Japan and how the theme of the "peaceful" nation fuels much of the conflict in modern day Japanese politics. While I consider this book an excellent introduction for the novice like me, the book is short and covers a lot of ground. Many of the periods discussed in this book could have their own multi-volume detailed histories.
June 15, 2014
Decent enough if you would like a get a general idea of the political and philosophical underpinnings of Japanese imperialism, but the main flaw of Buruma's writing remains that ideas seem to exist and evolve in a material vacuum. Also, his analysis of the Japanese state could have done with a bit more in-depth analysis. Still, interesting to get a general overview of the evolution of Japanese imperial thought up to WW 2.
Read
October 4, 2015This is essentially an extremely succinct look at the changes and developments Japan went through, and its metamorphosis as a nation as it moved from the 19th century into the 20th. This book is seriously tiny, a slip of a book and you could breeze through it in one sitting but its depth of content is surprising for its deceptively small size. I highly recommend this book as a solid introduction, a way to get your foot in the door of the maze that is early modern Japanese history.
May 10, 2016
Inventing Japan: 1853-1964 is a fantastic guide for newcomers wishing to get started with a brief summation of this period in Japanese history and also people familiar with the subject but looking for a quick refresher. Buruma fulfilled the criteria for me of being objective and fair to the people and ideas represented. A good jumping off point to further study Japanese history!
December 15, 2013
Interesting look at what made Japan the country it is (was at the time he wrote it). Something new for me was the influence of Dutch thought early on. From Chinese influence to German influence, etc, you see Japan's interactions with the world as well as that of political groups within Japan.
March 7, 2014
Opinionated but eminently readable, this short history of modern Japan's roots is a great place for the uninitiated to begin. Very useful, clear and concise. The author's Dutch roots give his view a different perspective from an Americans, which is both engaging and refreshing.
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