Japanese History Stories - (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Wang Gongji
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
The Upper Antiquity volume discusses the legendary founding emperor Jimmu Tenno and the rise of the Minamoto clan in Kanto. Chronologically, it spans from 660 BC to the late 11th century. From various signs, Jimmu Tenno is contemporaneous with Xu Fu, or even the same person. One of the most important emperors during this period is Empress Saikou, who reigned around the same time as China's Sui Dynasty. Under the regency of Prince Shotoku, she established the title of "Emperor" and the name "Japan," formulated the calendar, and began compiling history.
The Middle Antiquity volume covers more than four hundred years from the Kamakura Shogunate to the Sengoku period, spanning the 12th to the 16th centuries. After the rivalry between the Taira and Minamoto clans, the Minamoto's Kamakura Shogunate replaced the emperor as the center of Japan's governance. The power of the shogun later fell into the hands of the Hojo clan, who were maternal relatives of the shogunate. Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to restore imperial authority by launching the Kenmu Restoration, but this ultimately led Japan into a period of Northern and Southern Court conflict.
The Near Antiquity volume covers only about half a century, from the late 16th to the early 17th century. This was a period when Japan reunified after the Sengoku era, with the main figures being Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The Modern volume begins with the decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate and narrates until Japan surrendered to the Allied forces after World War II.