The Censorship of the Church of Rome and Its Influence Upon the Production and Distribution ... Book

This book was informative for two distinct reasons. The first was from the book's original purpose as a broad (and thorough) overview of Japanese history up to the Meiji era. The second was as a document of its own time. A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era was originally published in 1912. The author, Frank Brinkley, was an upper class irishman who spent time in the military and in diplomatic service. As you might expect from someone from that class in the British Isles in the early twentieth century, Brinkley is generally positively predisposed towards imperialism. While I'm certain there is no malice in his writing, it is hard not to be a little taken aback by his views on Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910 (which I am almost positive Korean readers will find offensive), or to note the thudding irony when he suggests that the peace treaties signed by Japan and Great Britain in 1905 and by Japan and Russia in 1906 are "two steady-points on the horizon".

As an introductory text to Japanese history, a reader could do much, much worse than this. Brinkley flies through centuries of historical events starting from the mythological, or maybe semi-mythological, origins of Japan until Japan's emergence as a modern power in the Meiji era. For someone looking for a grand sweep of the development of Japan and Japanese culture, this is an ideal text. Brinkley does a good job of identifying the principal actions and actors and the trends that have shaped the nation. Brinkley's wide scope means that many important events are dealt with a little hastily and that details are stream-lined to show simply causes and effects. Readers looking for a more specific description of events such as the Satsuma Rebellion or information on the Sengoku Jidai would do better to find texts which focus solely on those subjects.

My one complaint is that my Kindle edition did not contain the illustrations referred to in the text. However, as this is a public domain freebie, I don't feel too put out.