Japan and the Japanese

The 1874 English translation of a Swiss diplomat's well-illustrated description of life under the Tokugawa shogunate in its final years.

Aimé Humbert (Author), Frances Cashel Hoey (Translated by), Henry Walter Bates (Edited by)

9781108081078, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 27 April 2015

404 pages, 202 b/w illus.
30 x 21 x 2.2 cm, 1.1 kg

Taking advantage of his diplomatic privilege in Japan to travel further and inquire deeper than other foreigners, Swiss envoy Aimé Humbert (1819–1900) brought back stories of life under the Tokugawa shogunate in its final years. First published in the journal Le Tour du monde in 1866, his account of Japanese history and daily life was republished as Le Japon illustré in 1870. This 1874 English translation brought readers up to date by including additional chapters on the 1868 revolution and its aftermath. Humbert focused his narrative on the history and culture of four locations: Benten, the foreign settlement at Yokohama; Kyoto, where emperors had resided for centuries; Kamakura, the old centre of political power; and Yeddo, now Tokyo, the new capital of Japan. Featuring almost 200 illustrations taken from Humbert's collection of prints and photographs, this book captures descriptively and pictorially a country on the verge of dramatic political and social change.

Preface
Part I. Benten: 1. The inland sea
2. Our neighbours
3. The country and the people
4. Domestic life
Part II. Kioto: 1. The origin of the Japanese people
2. The genesis of Japan
3. The early sovereigns of Japan
4. Art and fashion in Kioto
5. The decadence of Mikado
Part III. Kamakoura: 1. The residences of the Siogouns
2. The temples of Kamakoura
3. Buddhism in Japan
4. Taikosama and the Tokaido
Part IV. Yeddo: 1. The great city
2. The Taikouns
3. The political system of the Taikouns
4. The Hondjo
5. Asaksa-Tera
6. Education and literature at Yeddo
7. Domestic solemnities
8. Social institutions in Yeddo
9. Sin-Yosiwara
10. Religious festivals
11. The Sibaia, or national drama of Japan
12. Inaka
13. The new order of things in Japan
14. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Asian history [HBJF]