Japanese History Stories (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Wang Gongji
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
The Upper Antiquity volume discusses the legendary founding emperor Jimmu Tenno and the rise of the Minamoto family's power in Kanto. Chronologically, it spans from 660 BC to the late 11th century. From various signs, Jimmu Tenno is roughly contemporary with Xu Fu, or even Xu Fu himself. One of the most important emperors during this period is Empress Saiko, 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 political power. The power of the Shogun later fell into the hands of the Hojo clan, the Emperor's in-laws. Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to restore imperial authority by launching the Kenmu Restoration, but the result was Japan entering a period of Northern and Southern Court confrontation.
The Near Antiquity volume covers a period of only fifty to sixty years, from the late 16th century to the early 17th century. This was the era when Japan reunified after the Sengoku period, 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.