Warrior Rule in Japan

by Marius B. Jansen

Japan was ruled by warriors for the better part of a millennium. From the twelfth to the nineteenth century its political history was dominated by the struggle of competing leagues of fighting men. This volume, comprised of chapters taken from Volumes 3 and 4 of The Cambridge History of Japan, traces the institutional development of warrior rule and dominance. Although samurai influence waned with the development of constitutional government, warrior values remained central to the ethical code of modern Japan.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Marius Berthus Jansen was Emeritus Professor of Japanese History at Princeton University. Jansen graduated from Princeton in 1943, having majored in European history of the Renaissance and Reformation. After serving in the United States Army, during which time he studied Japanese and working in the Occupation of Japan, Jansen returned to the United States and completed his PhD in history at Harvard in 1950, studying Japan with Edwin O. Reischauer and China with John K. Fairbank. Jansen began his teaching career at the University of Washington in 1950 and moved to Princeton in 1959 as professor in the departments of history and Oriental studies, where he taught until his retirement in 1992.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writers have managed to take one of the most exciting and dynamic eras in Japanese history and create a dull and plodding book. The articles are taken from the Cambridge History of Japan, so if you are, say, a graduate student in pre-modern Japanese history, this book might come in useful, but you won't enjoy reading it. The book explores the various types of organization used by the military governments (bukafu), their interactions with the imperial court in Kyoko and how they financed their domains, but the narrative is lifeless and dry.