Warrior Rule In Japan Summary

Review of Warrior Rule in Japan by Marius B. Jansen

In Warrior Rule in Japan Marius B. Jansen gives a very detailed overview of the rise of warrior rule in Japan from the end of the failing Heian Period through the rise of the Shogunate Period. This book not only gives a precise and historically accurate account of these events, but further explains how each event in this period influences the other leading to the drastic change in culture seen in medieval Japan. The writer takes the entire period of conflict and restoration seen in this exciting period and gives a beautifully clear look at how these battles were fought and won, and about the champions that led these armies into battle. With this book the reader is able to gain extensive knowledge about this time period directly that gives them a very clear picture of what happened during this warrior driven period of time in Japan.

The writer begins the book with his description of the rise of the Kamakura Bakufu, in which he describes the Gempei War and its consequences.

The writer closes the Kamakura Bakufu with describing the Jokyu disturbances and its end results. The next section begins with the issue of the growing decline and eventual downfall of the Kamakura bakufu, which was caused by the various invasions from the Mongolian dynasty of China known as the Yuan Dynasty. In the third section, the writer then addresses the Muromachi bakufu, which began with the rise of the Ashikaga house and explains their rule over Japan and how they influenced the distribution of power, justice, and resources. In the fourth section of his book, the writer explains the bakuhan system, which began with the rise of the Tokugawa house and the formation of the Edo bakufu and Edo Shogunate. He concludes his book with the final section, which was the description of the various Han domains which covered a vast amount of the Japanese islands, and in this section he covers the various aspects of control, finances, and

politics.

There were multiple areas in the book where the writer gave a very detailed analysis of the different types of military warfare, economic situations, and political intrigue that gave a tremendously clear picture of what Japan looked like during this time period. The writer is able to do an excellent job of describing and explaining many of these various aspects of interest of this period of time in Japan. The level of detail and description the writer used in explaining these various concepts and ideas greatly increased the strength of the writer’s analyses about this significant period of Japan’s history.
The writer used very detailed descriptions of the various types of weaponry and methods of combat tactics used during this period, which was a very important piece of the book’s effectiveness in explaining the style of warfare seen in this period. One example of this level of description was when the Japanese shugo are defending from the Mongolian invasion the level of ferocity and cunning displayed by the Mongolians is explained by the use of poisoned arrows and exploding devices during the battle of Hakozaki Bay.
Another use of the writer’s proficiency was in explaining the various details of the economic situations throughout this period of Japan. An example of the way that supply shortages and economic distress was displayed in during the Muromachi Bakufu, where the military land stewards collected nationwide taxes from areas of cultivated land that would help support the warriors with the required resources. The writer was also able to explain how the economy evolved during the reigns of the various bakufu, one example of this type of information is shown when the writer explains how Iemitsu dealt with the financial expenses after Ieyasu died and left many special expense unpaid.
The accuracy of the writer’s description of the events that took place in this time period was very precise concerning the amount of information available from this period of time in Japan. The writer took his information from the other very authentic and respected sources, including historical documents and works of credible historians. While reading this book the reader can definitely see the level of detail in the writing. There are many historical books that fail to teach every piece of information due to a lack of flow or pertinent information, but the writer is able to keep both of these weaknesses from diminishing the strength of this book.
The ideas and concepts expressed in this book give the reader a full and concise depiction of what they are reading. There is a clear flow of one topic and subject to the next, and the reader has organized each section of this time period in a way that does not confuse the reader or give them the wrong idea of what is being depicted. If there is one point that will be elaborated on in the next section the writer makes sure to note any and all such instances. Whenever there were any possible gaps the writer made sure to bridge these gaps together, so that they would flow evenly from one period of time to the next. This is seen clearly towards the beginning of the book where the writer is explaining the beginning of feudalism, and that the term jito originated in the ninth century, but would not be used as an official land office-ship until the middle of the twelfth century.
The analysis of the material that the writer is pulling from in the book is very thorough, and he makes sure that every detail possible is included in explaining the events. The reader can use the information taken from this book and use it to increase the reader’s knowledge of the events that took place during this period of Japan’s history. For example, it is very clear to understand the Bakuhan power structure from the explanation the writer shows, which was the maintenance of a favorable balance of power between the inner or house power and the outer or outside power.
Whenever the writer is faced with a lack of knowledge that would be considered a weakness the writer addresses such issues. An example of the writer addressing a lack of knowledge is when the writer is discussing the last hundred years of the Muromachi Bakufu, which many historians are unclear on, and addresses the issues of interpretive problems. However, the writer continues to the next area without falsifying information to appear to have a more complete idea of the current topic or idea even if it means leaving a topic now wholly covered.
The bibliography at the end of this book is filled with many sources that the writer used to help support the foundation of his writing. He makes sure to make any necessary citations whenever he is pulling from one of these sources, and uses footnotes many times throughout the book whenever he is referring to these certain details and topics. The sources that the writer is pulling information from are all very proficient writers and they all give very important and accurate information that helps support the overall strength of this book.
The writer of this book is clearly a narrative historian that is explaining each important event and battle that occurred throughout this period of Japan. He is presenting the information in a historically accurate and professional manner that does not lead one to assume he is biased in anyway, because he is simply explaining what happened throughout this time period, and how it has influenced the nation of Japan. The writer makes sure to add in any and all detail that he is able to find from his broad pool of information in an accurate and professional manner, and does not neglect any piece of information due to bias or a lack of expertise.
There are many examples of how the writer was able to use information from the historical events detailed throughout this book and express them in a way that gives the reader and complete and clear picture of this period in Japan’s history. The most important thing that this book accomplishes is the fact that is shows us an extensive image of what this era of Japan really looked like, and from it we are able to have a more complete understanding of Japan and how the warrior class dominated the culture of this time period. This book is an invaluable tool that could and should be used in any history class, discussion, or thesis regarding the period of warrior rule in Japan.