Voices of Early Modern Japan

Constantine Nomikos Vaporis, PhD, is professor of history and founding director of the Asian Studies program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

High school and postsecondary teachers of Japan and Asia will find this book valuable for their teaching. The introductory essay in and of itself is an excellent explanation of the complexities and developments of the 268-year period of early modern Japanese history. Of course, the most important component of the book is the primary documents, and because of the intelligent selection of the 60 documents, Vaporis has made the Tokugawa period more accessible for students.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Shogun's JapanEvaluating and Interpreting Primary DocumentsTimeline of Japanese History from the Mid-Sixteenth Century through the Tokugawa Period, 1543–1868Documents of the Shogun's JapanThe Domestic Sphere1. Getting Married: "Agreement Regarding a Dowry" (1815)2. Obtaining a Divorce: An Appeal for Assistance (1850) and Letters of Divorce (1857, undated)3. The Consequences of Adultery: "The Eavesdropper Whose Ears Were Burned" (1686)4. A Woman's Place: Onna Daigaku (The Greater Learning for Women, 1716) and Tadano Makuzu's Hitori Kangae (Solitary Thoughts, 1818)Material Life5. Regulating Fashion and Consumption: Ihara Saikaku's The Japanese Family Storehouse (Nippon eitai gura, 1688); List of Prohibitions Concerning Clothing for Edo Townsmen (1719)6. Samurai Dress and Grooming Standards: Prohibitions of 1615 and 16457. Lunisolar Calendar: Calendar for Seventh Year of Kaei (1854): Samurai in Armor8. Japanese Foodways and Diet: The Accounts of Joao Rodrigues (1620–1621), Yamakawa Kikue (1943), and Edo hanjôki (1832–1836)9. The Communal Bath: Shikitei Sanba's "The Women's Bath" (Ukiyoburo, 1810)10. The Japanese Home: Carl Peter Thunberg's Travels in Europe, Asia and Africa Made during the Years 1770 and 1779 (1791)The Political Sphere11. A Foreigner's View of the Battle of Osaka: Richard Cocks's Account of the Fall of Osaka Castle (1615)12. Forging Political Order: "Laws for the Military Houses" (1615, 1635)13. The Emperor and the Kyoto Aristocracy: "Regulations for the Imperial Palace and the Court Nobility" (1615)14. Weapons Control in Japanese Society: Toyotomi Hideyoshi's "Sword Hunt" (1588) and "A Local Edo Ordinance Regarding Swords" (1648)15. Self-Governance in Villages: Goningumi (Five-Household Group) Laws (1640)16. Regulating Townspeople in Two Cities: City Code from Kanazawa (1642) and Notice Board in Edo (1711)Foreign Relations17. Regulating Foreign Relations: The "Closed Country Edicts" (sakoku rei, 1635, 1639)18. Tokugawa Japan and Choson Korea: "The Diary of Shin Yu-han" (1719)19. Leaving a Window Open to the Western World: Letter from a Nagasaki Official to the Dutch Governor General (1642)20. A Dutch Audience with the Shogun: Englebert Kaempfer's The History of Japan (1692)21. Sizing Up the Foreign Threat: Aizawa Seishisai's Shinron (New Theses, 1825)Social and Economic Life22. The Social Estates: Yamaga Sokô on "The Way of the Samurai" (shidô)23. Trying to Get by on a Fixed Income: The Economic Problems Facing the Samurai, as Seen in a Letter from Tani Tannai to Saitaniya Hachirôbei Naomasu (1751) and a Statement from Three Village Leaders to a Tokugawa Bannerman (1856)24. The Samurai and Death: An Account of Junshi from Francois Caron's A True Description of the Mighty Kingdoms of Japan and Siam (1636)25. Private Vengeance among Samurai: "A Letter from a Daimyo's Official in Echigo Province to an Official of the Tokugawa Shogunate" and "A Letter of Authorization" (1828)26. Rules of Merchant Houses: "The Testament of Shimai Sôshitsu" (1610) and "The Code of the Okaya House" (1836)27. Dealing with Deviant Behavior: "A Letter of Apology" (1866)28. Loans among the Peasantry: "Rice Borrowed" (1702)29. Unrest in the Countryside: A Song in Memory of a Protest (1786) and Petition to the Lord of Sendai from the Peasants of the Sanhei (1853)30. Outcastes in Tokugawa Society: A Report from the Head of All Eta and Hinin (undated) and an Inquiry by the Edo City Magistrates to the Tokugawa Council of State Regarding the Forfeiture of the Property of an Eta Who Assumed the Status of a Commoner (1799)Recreational Life31. Advice to Travelers in the Edo Period: Ryokô Yôjinshû (Precautions for Travelers, 1810)32. Documentation for Travel: "Sekisho Transit Permit" (1706) and "A Passport" (1782)33. Children and Their Amusements: The Journal of Francis Hall (1859)34. The Tea Ceremony: Chikamatsu Shigenori's Stories from a Tearoom Window (1804)35. Archery and the Martial Arts: Hinatsu Shirôzaemon Shigetaka's Honchô Bugei Shôden (A Short Tale of the Martial Arts in Our Country, 1714)36. Courtesans and the Sex Trade: Ihara Saikaku's The Life of an Amorous Man (Koshoku ichidai otoko, 1682) and Buyô Ishi's An Account of Worldly Affairs (Seji kenmonroku, 1816)37. A Hero for the Masses: The Kabuki Play Sukeroku: Flower of Edo (1713)Religion and Morality38. Preaching to the People: A Sermon by Hosoi Heishû (1783)39. Anti-Christian Propaganda: Kirishitan monogatari (1639)40. Controlling the Populace: Registers of Religious Affiliation (1804)41. Religious Views of the Japanese: Sir Rutherford Alcock's The Capital of the Tycoon (1863)42. The Teachings of Zen Buddhism: Suzuki Shôsan's Roankyô (Donkey-Saddle Bridge, 1648) and Hakuin Ekaku's Sokkô-roku Kaien-fusetsu (Talks Given Introductory to Zen Lectures on the Records of Sokkô, 1740)Appendix 1: Biographical Sketches of Important Individuals Mentioned in TextAppendix 2: Glossary of Terms Mentioned in TextBibliographyIndex