Product Description
This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on August 1, 1994. The length of the article is 1020 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Cambridge History of Japan, vol. 1, Ancient Japan. (book reviews)
Author: Sinh Vinh
Publication: Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 1994
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: v29Issue: n2Page: p435(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
IN THIS ISSUEINSIGHTRethinking the "Halls of Hades"by James WisemanMULTIMEDIAAlexander's Epic Marchby Eugene N. BorzaAT THE MUSEUMSPlayground for the Human Spiritby Ellen HerscherBOOKSYahoos in Arabiaby Neil Asher SilbermanFORUMAlas, Poor Ramsesby Dale M. BrownNEWSBRIEFSMirrors to Japanese History, Statue Snatched from the Sea, Twilight of the Clans, First Mariners, Ancient Cityscape, Thessaloniki Brothel, Remapping Angkor, Cahokia Surprise, Gold Goes Home, Iceman Returns to Italy, Copán Tomb Looted, Ghoulish BoutiqueLIFE AND DEATH IN A MAYA WAR ZONEWithin a Yucatán pyramid lie the grim traces of a violent change in rulership--the remains of a slaughtered royal family.by Charles Suhler and David FreidelTHE BURNING OF HAZORThe charred ruins of a Late Bronze Age palace may yield the historical truth behind the biblical account of the conquest of the Promised Land.by Abraham Rabinovich and Neil Asher SilbermanCASE OF THE GOLDEN PHIALEHow a million-dollar bowl, spirited out of Italy, ended up in a packing case at U.S. Customsby Andrew L. SlaymanITALY FIGHTS BACKAggressive efforts to staunch the flow of stolen antiquities ... Read more

Product Description
Describes early life in ancient civilizations, for young readers to understand why these cultures were so important in the unfolding of time. ... Read more

Product Description
Ages 8 to 14 years.This fascinating new book describes how Japan grew from rule by local chieftains to an emperor-led nation with many noble families competing for prominence. Beautiful spreads and full-colour photographs unveil Japan's rich history and the people who struggled to make it their own.Topics include: wet rice cultivation; trade with other cultures, their influence, and isolation in the 17th century; from early pit dwellings to the development of castle towns; nature worship, the rise of Shinto, and Buddhism and Confucianism; life as a samurai warrior; sword making and pottery; herbal medicine. ... Read more

Product Description
Despite an incredibly rich prehistory covering nearly ten thousand years, modern coverage of complex hunter-gatherer societies has tended to overlook the Jomon of Japan.This text presents an overview of the archaeology of the Jomon Period between 10,000 and 300 BC within the context of more recent complex hunter-gatherer societies. It bridges the gap between academic traditions in Japanese and Anglo-American archaeology and represents an invaluable source of reflection on the development of human complexity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good book, but...
This book provides a very good survey of the work that has been done in the study of the Jomon period and provides interesting theories based on the author's reading of the research and her own work.The "but" has to do with Amazon, not the book.The photo shown in the Amazon listing shows the hardcover book with a dust jacket.The picture shown on the jacket is the only photograph of a Jomon pot used in the book.(There are only sketches and photographs of pot shards in the book proper.)The dust jacket also provides the only color image and the image on the cover is referred to several times in the text.The problem is that the book Amazon actually ships does not include the dust jacket.Therefore, the reader is left without this resource while reading the book.I contacted Amazon regarding this and requested that they send the duct cover.They said they could not send the cover but would exchange the book for one with a cover.I agreed with this.Of course, when I received the second book it too was missing the dust cover.

Stunning book on a little known culture
I bought this book because I am doing some research into the history of weaving -- and this book has some extremely good information on that topic. But what kept me reading half of the night was not just the information I was looking for, but a glimse into a culture little known in the Western world. The author does researchers and just-plain-interested readers a big favor: excerpts from other research originally written in Japanese have been well translated and interspersed with Habu's own research in a style not usually seen in Western books.

And that information covers a really amazing range of topics, from the stunning Jomon pottery (such as the one on the cover), to basketry, weaving, lacquerware, textiles, and other art forms from this culture dating back to nearly 10,000 BCE. Interesting little tidbits (such as the black lacquer was made from the sap of the poison oak tree) are juxtapositioned with stunning assessments of arts you can hardly believe are as old as they are.

Assessible for those just interested in history as well as serious researchers, I'm thrilled to have this book on my shelves!

Not enough photography
I was a disappointed in the fact that all the illustrations in the book were sketched rather than photographed. In an art form such as pottery illustrations are very important!

A Great Starter For Most
Junko Habu's "Ancient Jomon of Japan" is a heavily archeaological book, in that it really focuses on the archaeology of the period. This really is a book to avoid of those details really do not interest you. If you can wade through them, or that is what you are looking for, then this book is for you.

There are broad sections, such as mortuary practices, subsistence strategies and trade networks that all contribute to build up a comprehensive introduction to the Jomon people and culture, (which flourished c. 14,500 - 300 B.C.).

As mentioned, Habu does discuss actual sites in detail, and it is here that she builds up a remarkable picture of what people have found and what they have understood it to mean or indicate. In this sense, I found the book to be very interesting and informative.

It is the first book I have read on the Jomon Period, and I found it to be very readable and very understandable. I enjoyed reading it, and I would imagine anyone curious about the Jomon Period would also find it a fascinating book. I can certainly recommend it to you. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume explores the culture and beliefs of Ancient Japan, with fifteen projects that enable readers to recreate some of Japanese history, discovering the civilisation and people. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

EXCELLENT....look for "Sword and Samurai"
This book is part of an excellent series of non-fiction books for children on cultures from the past.While the title of this edition states "ancient", the focus seems to be on the period of the bushido and samurai (it does briefly cover the Jomon period).Fiona Macdonald did a great job, as usual.

There is an abundance of beautiful, full-color pictures (mostly photographs, but a few illustrations) of famous art, buildings, and maps on every page.Each two page spread covers a specific topic and is organized with a paragraph or so of text surrounded by the photographs with interesting facts or expanations. It does not appear too cluttered and again, these pictures are almost entirely real examples of the culture, not just illustrations.A descriptive timeline with is also included on the preliminary pages.The glossary and index are useful too.

Fifteen do-able activities/crafts/recipes are found throughout the book: samurai helmet, shell game, rice balls, carp streamer, screen painting, homemade paper, Noh mask, votive dolls, ikebana flower arrangement, fan, fox netsuke, origami box, calligraphy, kite, and clay tea bowl.

NOW FOR THE IMPORTANT PART...this is out of print, but apparently the publisher joined this title by Fiona Macdonald with Step into the Chinese Empire Chinese Empire (Step Into Series) by Philip Steele to forge a 128 page book called SWORDS AND SAMURAI.I've ordered it Swords and Samurai: The Ancient Warrior Culture of the East and hopefully my information is accurate!

I also highly recommend Exploration into Japan (Exploration Into) for a more in-depth, yet still interesting history of Japan for kids.If you're looking for more crafts and some info, tryJapan (Make it Work! History).Also, The Japanese (Ancient World) has some good information about the culture of Japan as well.

Beautiful book- Great ideas for kids w/Japanese crafts & art
This book is an amazing resource book for a teaching unit onJapan.It is written with consultants from the Japanese Festival Society.They have arts and crafts ideas that are easily made by children. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

A one of a kind book...
This book is not for the adrenaline crazed person, who just came of a movie theater hoping to become a ninja over the weekend. This is a serious book with an interesting research in the ninja and ninjutsu history. I have two kinds of books. Ones I read, and pass along (or throw away). Other I keep as reference. This one, I will keep for a long, long time.

Reader beware, it has a very heavy bujinkan slant to it, and it does not apologies for it. Actually, it is very opened about it. If this is ok with you, you'll love this book. If you have an anti-bujinkan feeling, The first section of the book is still valuable to you. But you may find the second part boring.

My personal view on this? Even if you don't like the Bujinkan, this gives a good view in the hearth of what the Bujinkan was meant to be and why. An excellent study book, a must for any serious student of the art.

Insightful
This book was thoroughly researched. The first few chapters are dense with names, dates, and obscure but documented details. It is a little dry at the start, but is well worth the read. Dr. Zhougarhi offers some very keen philosophical insights on the mind and heart of the ninja. I believe this work represents his doctoral dissertation. If you are involved in the art, you may find it a fascinating read.

Good History Book of Bu Jutsu
A good book about the history of Shinobi Ryu Ha. Also, I found interesting information about other Bu Jutsu & Budo schools.

Great reference
This is a great book.It tells facts even though some people might not want to hear them.
It helps explain the changes from the original martial (facing death) arts to the modern versions.So if you want to get a more in depth understanding of martial arts and especially Ninjutsu it is a must study.
Kacem is an exquisite teacher and his understanding both theoretical and practical is something to see and try in order to believe.
Thanks Kacem.

Head and shoulders above the rest
This book has been in my cart for quite a while.

It is one of the most researched books on the ninja I have come across. The end notes take up almost a quarter of the book. Indeed, this work comes across as a dissertation. Dr. Zoughari demonstrates the depth of his scholarship.

The first four chapters are outstanding. He compares the histories of several arts in Japan, into the present day.He addresses some common misconceptions -
that ninjutsu came from foreigners, that it was solely the practice of the Iga and Koga regions, that it was primarily occupied with assassinations, etc. There is discussion of spiritual matters, yamabushi, warrior monks, weaponry, dress, and the ultimate fate of the ninja clans.

Dr. Zoughari can speak and read the language, which sets him apart from the author of another frequently read book on the subject. He had access to some privately owned scrolls which have not been touched upon previously, to my knowledge.

Now for the down side. The last two chapters are in-depth pieces on Takamatsu Toshitsugu and his student, Hatsumi Masaaki. There is some new light shed on Takamatsu's life. I feel, though, that these two chapters are the weakest. There isn't too much material that hasn't been covered elsewhere. The real flaw, in my humble opinion, is that Dr. Zoughari begins speculating on what may have happened.

The endnotes start to get further and further apart, and the reader drifts away from a solid foundation into the void. I understand that that author was probably given unprecedented access to Dr. Hatsumi's papers, and that Dr. Hatsumi maintains some continuity with the old traditions. Certainly this work does not follow the path of Stephen Hayes in that regard, and Dr. Zoughari deserves kudos for that. But I feel that he has compromised an otherwise profound work with supposition. For this reason I gave it four stars instead of five.

Otherwise I recommend this book to serious students. I urge you to compare it to other books on this subject, especially those of Anthony Cummins ( a critic of Dr. Zoughari's on Youtube ).
... Read more