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Japan: Its History and Culture | 
 enlarge | Authors: W. Scott Morton, J. Kenneth Olenik, W. Scott Morton, Charlton Lewis
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
Buy Used: $5.00
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 74849
Media: Paperback
Edition: 4
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6
ISBN: 0071412808
Dewey Decimal Number: 952
EAN: 9780071412803
ASIN: 0071412808
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: used-remainder mark- some pages have folds and creases-cover and some pages are dirtied
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Product Description
Once a star of postwar industrial production and methods, Japan has encountered serious trouble with market forces in recent years. Social changes and departures from tradition are becoming more common in this conservative country. The revised edition of the popular work, Japan: Its History and Culture, Fourth Edition, documents and explains these changes. Seamlessly blending current events, politics, and cultural elements, the authors provide a riveting account of a nation often misunderstood by the West.
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| Customer Reviews:
 corruption of information August 27, 2006
Mary Sears (Salina, Ks. USA)
23 out of 44 found this review helpful
This book was written by W. Scott Morton and J. Kenneth Olenik.
I never want to purchase anything from these authors again. The
material in the book contains very incorrect and slanderous information, as well as a failure to provide relevant information, concerning Nichiren Daishonin and Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. I know this for a fact because I am a member of the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, which is True Mahayana Buddhism, with the Head Temple based in Japan. I have been to the Head Temple twice before, and to the temples in the United States, several times since joining in 1984. The Nichiren Shoshu is NOT political, as the authors present in their book. And Nichiren Daishonin was not political, either, as the authors present. Nor do the authors present the material in a responsible and informative manner, which would be the only suitable manner, especially for persons of their standing in the educational field. To understand the times and the culture of the country at the time, and the circumstances that Nichiren Daishonin was contending with, and to obtain CORRECT information on the actual beliefs and practice, the only reliable source would be the Nichiren Shoshu temples themselves.
Considering the interwoven relationships of religion and politics, and their supportive or non-supportive roles in research, science, medical, etc., fields and their overrall effect on influencing societal behaviors, this is an extremely serious error of the authors.
Not only am I so very dissatisfied with the information they presented, I am also very dissatisfied with their presentation of it. Based on this, I cannot trust their other information either, especially in reference to comments concerning the corruption of U.S. contractors, and the Japanese government, and similiar topics. Even if the information presented on those topics were correct, my question then becomes "Who is the corruptive force behind it all?". I refuse to provide support of any kind to the authors.
 does pretty much what it sets out to do January 4, 2000
J. K. Kelley (Eastern WA, United States)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Morton has made an effort to impart understanding of Japanese heritage and culture. For the most part, he succeeds; the historical survey has about the right amount of depth for this type of book, and cultural issues are discussed.What would have made it better would have been a section on specifically Japanese concepts that are hard for non-Japanese to grasp accurately. Many are touched on throughout the book, but words such as 'wa' and 'giri' really deserve a page or two each to go into full descriptiveness, and that doesn't happen. It is clear that Morton has the understanding of them to share; I wish he'd done so.
A short introduction to Japanese History April 28, 2001
Aaron Brown (Portland, OR USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book is perfect for anyone who knows nothing about Japanese history (as I did). It is short and easily readable (less than 250 pages for Japanese history to WWII). As an introduction to Japanese history it does just what it should.....inspire you to learn more....
A Short Cultural History January 14, 2006
L. F. White (Providence, RI)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This books seeks to give the reader a broad grasp of the space of Japan's cultural history. Important names and dates are mentioned in connection with their cultural accomplishments. More than simply telling who killed whom in what war and when, this book gives the reader a vague understanding of how Japan's customs, architecture, art, and prose evolved into the form they are today.
This book is best for those who know next to nothing about the history of Japan and would like an outline with which to proceed to learn more.
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