Download or read book The Emergence of Japanese Kingship written by Joan R. Piggott and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first comprehensive study of the sources and nature of classical Japanese kingship and state formation. To draw new insights from the rich body of extant documents and artifacts from early Japan, the author employs the analytical tools of recent Western historiography and anthropology, constructing an "archeology of kingship” that begins by exposing the roots of Japanese monarchy in third-century chieftaincy. The book then traces sovereignty and polity through a series of temporal cross sections, analogous to an archaeologist’s trenches, to reveal artifacts from seven historical epochs, including an array of chieftains, kings, and sovereigns variously styled as Son of Heaven, Polestar Monarch, and Heavenly Sovereign. These sacral and increasingly courtly rulers (both men and women) first presided over confederate chieftaincies, then expansive coalescent polities, and eventually the archipelago’s earliest state formation, Nihon. The book culminates in an account of the reign of the mid-eighth-century monarch Shomu, who represented the zenith of classical Japanese kingship and was supported by a bureaucracy of more than 7,000 people. Shomu’s opulent Chinese-style palace and the unprecedented, monumental Temple of the Great Buddha at Todaiji were replicated in smaller scale by provincial headquarters and temples, all of which functioned as ritual stages for articulating Shomu’s cultural hegemony. Although the forms of classical Japanese kingship--court, fisc, dynasty, and realm--continued to develop in subsequent centuries, all assumed their basic form in the age of Shomu. The author has sought to counter the ahistoricity that characterizes much scholarship concerning early Japanese kingship and to broaden the geographical and disciplinary contexts within which Japanese kingship has been examined. As long as evidence was limited to certain myth-histories compiled in the eighth century, which traced the rule of Heavenly Sovereigns and their realm of Nihon back to prehistory, ahistoricity was inevitable. The author suggests that only when such narratives are reread in the light of evidence from archaeology, continental history, and comparative ethnohistorical research can new scenarios be formulated to trace the emergence of paramount rule.
Download or read book The Character of Kingship written by Declan Quigley and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-05-31 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why has monarchy been such a prevalent institution throughout history and in such a diverse range of societies? Kingship is at the heart of both ritual and politics and has major implications for the theory of social and cultural anthropology. Yet, despite the contemporary fascination with royalty, anthropologists have sorely neglected the subject in recent decades. This book combines a strong theoretical argument with a wealth of ethnography from kingships in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Quigley gives a timely and much-needed overview of the anthropology of kingship and a crucial reassessment of the contributions of Frazer and Hocart to debates about the nature and function of royal ritual. From diverse fieldwork sites, a number of eminent anthropologists demonstrate how ritual and power intertwine to produce a series of variations around myth, tragedy and historical realities. However, underneath this diversity, two common themes invariably emerge: the attempt to portray kingship as timeless and perfect, and the dual nature of the king as sacred being and scapegoat.
Download or read book Kingship written by Francis Oakley and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From despots to powerless figureheads, and from the Neolithic era to the present, this book traces the history of kingship around the world and the tenacity of its connection with the sacred. Considers the many forms that kingship took during this period, including: the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt; the emperors of Japan; the Maya rulers of Mesoamerica; the medieval popes and emperors; and the English and French monarchs of early modern Europe Explores the panoply of governing roles that kingship involved – administrative, military, judicial, economic, religious and symbolic – but focussing on its connection with the sacred. Draws on the insights of cultural anthropology and comparative religion, as well as the on the resources provided by historians.
Download or read book Sons of Heaven written by Jerrold M. Packard and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Splendid Monarchy written by Takashi Fujitani and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1998-02-12 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fujitani focuses on public ceremonials and the construction of ritual spaces in the Meiji Period (1868-1912). His work is based on extensive research in Japanese archives and libraries, including the archives of the Imperial Household Agency. To explore the modern transformations of what is often portrayed as the longest continuously reigning monarchy in the world, he focuses on the monarchy's location within a modern regime of power, city planning, the media, and the gendering of politics. Throughout, he presents rare photographs and woodblock prints to trace the image of the emperor from a mysterious figure secluded inside a palanquin to a grand public personage riding in an open carriage in Western military regalia.
Download or read book Sacred Kingship in Early Japan written by Manabu Waida and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 1102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Japanese Kingship written by Harold Bolitho and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The People s Emperor written by Kenneth James Ruoff and published by Harvard Univ Asia Center. This book was released on 2001 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few institutions are as well suited as the monarchy to provide a window on postwar Japan. The monarchy, which is also a family, has been significant both as a political and as a cultural institution. Ruoff analyzes numerous issues, stressing the monarchy's "postwarness" rather than its traditionality.
Download or read book Sacred Kingship in World History written by A. Azfar Moin and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2022-05-10 with total page 653 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sacred kingship has been the core political form, in small-scale societies and in vast empires, for much of world history. This collaborative and interdisciplinary book recasts the relationship between religion and politics by exploring this institution in long-term and global comparative perspective. Editors A. Azfar Moin and Alan Strathern present a theoretical framework for understanding sacred kingship, which leading scholars reflect on and respond to in a series of essays. They distinguish between two separate but complementary religious tendencies, immanentism and transcendentalism, which mold kings into divinized or righteous rulers, respectively. Whereas immanence demands priestly and cosmic rites from kings to sustain the flourishing of life, transcendence turns the focus to salvation and subordinates rulers to higher ethical objectives. Secular modernity does not end the struggle between immanence and transcendence—flourishing and righteousness—but only displaces it from kings onto nations and individuals. After an essay by Marshall Sahlins that ranges from the Pacific to the Arctic, the book contains chapters on religion and kingship in settings as far-flung as ancient Egypt, classical Greece, medieval Islam, Mughal India, modern European drama, and ISIS. Sacred Kingship in World History sheds new light on how religion has constructed rulership, with implications spanning global history, religious studies, political theory, and anthropology.
Download or read book Enigma of the Emperors written by Ben-Ami Shillony and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-10-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important new and original study on the institution of the Japanese emperors focuses on the enigma of the institution itself, namely, the extraordinary continuity of the Japanese dynasty, which is unknown anywhere else in the world, yet which is now at risk on account of more recent laws of succession.
Download or read book The Feast of Kingship written by Robert S. Ellwood and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Japanese Mythology and the Primeval World written by Peter Metevelis and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 618 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Japanese have faithfully preserved their ancient myths as a connected and well ordered system. And as a system, Japanese myths say much about the human condition in the cosmos and about the human place in the cosmic order. Not until now has a book-length, English-language study been released on Japanese mythology. Drawing on his meticulous research, Asianist Peter Metevelis presents this selection of analytic essays that form a mosaic of themes on the primordial world of Japanese myth, adding a rewarding voice to cultural history and the history of ideas around the world. Metevelis shows that, contrary to popular belief, Japanese myths have much in common with other myths around the globe, and are mythically, logically, and symbolically equivalent. This suggests that Japanese culture has always resonated with the rest of the world and provides a valuable touchstone for comparative mythologists. The mythic themes Metevelis explores include: Linkage of birth with death Loss of immortality Containment of souls Effect of time on mortals Creation of the cosmos And many more This incomparable volume also includes detailed notes, bibliographies, and appendices to help further your knowledge of Japanese myth. Under Metevelis's expert guidance, you can expand your understanding of the Japanese myth system, its structure, and its principal actors, and immerse yourself in the ancient Japanese mysteries of the cosmos.
Download or read book Splendid Monarchy written by Takashi Fujitani and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-04-28 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using ceremonials such as imperial weddings and funerals as models, T. Fujitani illustrates what visual symbols and rituals reveal about monarchy, nationalism, city planning, discipline, gender, memory, and modernity. Focusing on the Meiji Period (1868-1912), Fujitani brings recent methods of cultural history to a study of modern Japanese nationalism for the first time. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1997. Using ceremonials such as imperial weddings and funerals as models, T. Fujitani illustrates what visual symbols and rituals reveal about monarchy, nationalism, city planning, discipline, gender, memory, and modernity. Focusing on the Meiji Period (1868-19
Download or read book A Cultural History of Japanese Buddhism written by William E. Deal and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-03-31 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Japanese Buddhism offers a comprehensive, nuanced, and chronological account of the evolution of Buddhist religion in Japan from the sixth century to the present day. Traces each period of Japanese history to reveal the complex and often controversial histories of Japanese Buddhists and their unfolding narratives Examines relevant social, political, and transcultural contexts, and places an emphasis on Japanese Buddhist discourses and material culture Addresses the increasing competition between Buddhist, Shinto, and Neo-Confucian world-views through to the mid-nineteenth century Informed by the most recent research, including the latest Japanese and Western scholarship Illustrates the richness and complexity of Japanese Buddhism as a lived religion, offering readers a glimpse into the development of this complex and often misunderstood tradition
Download or read book Visions of the Holy written by Marvin A. Sweeney and published by SBL Press. This book was released on 2023-12-01 with total page 821 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Visions of the Holy is a collection of essays by Marvin A. Sweeney on the study of biblical and postbiblical theology and literature. The volume includes previously published and unpublished essays related to the developing field of Jewish biblical theology; historical, comparative, and reception-critical studies; and the reading of texts from the Pentateuch, Former Prophets, Latter Prophets, and Ketuvim. Additional essays examine Asian biblical theology, the understanding of Shabbat, intertextuality in Exodus–Numbers, Samuel, Isaiah, and the Twelve in intertextual perspective, and the democratization of messianism in modern Jewish thought. The volume is an excellent resource for scholars, students, and clergy interested in theological readings of the Hebrew Bible.
Download or read book State Formation in Japan written by Gina Barnes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-03-12 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together for the first time a significant body of Professor Barnes' scholarly writing on Japanese early state formation. The writings are, in some cases, the only studies of these topics available in English.
Download or read book Kyushu Gateway to Japan written by Andrew Cobbing and published by Global Oriental. This book was released on 2008-12-18 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this first major study of the region in English, the author examines the key themes of Kyushu’s history from earliest times – the cultural interaction with the continental mainland, settlement, location and infrastructure as well as trade and commerce, – arguing that it was the principal stepping-stone in terms of Japan’s cultural, social and economic advance through history up to the present day. Although an integral part of Japan, Kyushu is culturally distinct in that its location on the East China Sea has exposed the region to an unusually high degree of influence from overseas. There was diplomatic exchange between this island and China, for example, even before the political entity of Japan came into existence. Kyushu, in fact, has been the setting for many of the major cultural encounters in Japan’s history, from the introduction of Buddhism, Confucianism and Christianity to gunpowder, coffee and tea. The volume also includes a colour plate section containing 60 images which support the text and provide the reader/researcher with invaluable pictorial references to Kyushu’s history from earliest times to the present day.
