Early Japan is one of twenty-one volumes in the Time-Life Book series Great Ages of Man. This series was published in the 1960s and is an overview of world history. This volume describes Japanese history from around A.D. 500 to 1600. Author Jonathan Norton Leonard strikes a good balance of cultural, political, military, and religious history. Topics covered include Japanese literature (The Tale of Genji and Tales of the Heike), architecture, the samurai, feudalism, society, Zen Buddhism, and the introduction of Christianity by the Jesuits in the 1500s. Each chapter is supplemented by wonderful picture essays. The picture essay depicting the process of a samurai warrior donning his armor is especially interesting. The book includes several maps, a time line, bibliography, and index. In summary, Early Japan is a great, easy-to-read introduction to a fascinating and distinctive culture.

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