It has an older writing style (it was published in the 1950s) but it is such a fantastic overview. Some of the court intrigue I found boring to read, but it flowed nicely for me during the sections of the end of the Heian era and the Gempei War. I also found the early sections on religious developments most fascinating. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume.

Sansom's three volume history of Japan begins in fine form with this book, covering the early beginnings of Japan down to 1334. The book first covers the geography, both physical and political, of the Japanese Islands and then proceeds through the mythological beginnings of the empire down to just after the Mongol invasions and prior to the attempts of emperor Go-Daigo to wrest power back from the Hojo regents.

The elegance of Sansom's writing style makes this an exciting read. He states in the preface that he at first wished to produce an interpretative history but decided in the end to focus on political and social aspects. He certainly does this but not in the dry way of a textbook. Sansom's writings are spiced with snatches of poetry, lengthy quotations and paraphrases from contemporary writings and stirring retellings of the lives and encounters of well known Japanese figures. Thus, his tales of Yoritomo and how the Minamoto defeated the Taira in the Gempei war read in a most dramatic way. He succeeds in holding the balance between titillating detail and overarching scope in a way that few writers of history can equal.

The first book discusses the Yamato state and the move of the Emperor's court from Nara to Kyoto. The development of Buddhism is discussed at considerable length along with the influence of Chinese thought on the customs and laws of the land. The process by which cloistered emperors ruled, while reigning emperors carried out ceremonial duties is examined and the gradual drift of the government into a state of permanent regency under the Fujiwaras is detailed. Courtly life is examined closely (this was the era of the Tale of Genji). The overthrow of the Fujiwara regents by Yoritomo is told in great detail and the book closes with a description of the rise and decline of the Hojo regents (confusingly regents not of the emperor but of the Shogun). The decline coincides with the attempted Mongol invasions, which Sansom blames for stressing the finances of the government to the point where it collapsed in the Succession disputes over the emperor's throne.

I enjoyed reading this history immensely and it carried me along with its narrative. At the same time, it is chock full of facts. Decent maps, appropriately placed, family trees and timelines, as well as black and white illustrations engage the reader's imagination and supply needed supplementary information. A set of appendices and an extensive annotated bibliography make this a valuable book for the aspiring scholar. It is likely somewhat dated, published in 1958, but most of the facts mentioned seem on a solid historical basis and are unlikely to change. Some might take issue with Sansom's analysis and tendency to use analogies to western history, however, he is careful to warn the reader away from any but the most general of comparisons. I would recommend this book highly to the interested reader in Japanese history, either as a first read or as an in depth survey. ( )

Good, if somewhat dated: First published in the late 1950s and early 1960s, George Sansom's three-volume history of Japan is still a valuable English-language introduction, though it does show its age in a few ways. This first volume surveys the history of Japan from its earliest prehistory to the Kemmu Restoration of 1334. Sansom focuses largely on political and military history, but also spends considerable time on high culture, especially as related to Buddhism. Sansom includes a lot of detail, which makes his history especially useful as a reference, though sometimes tough to read straight through.

Sansom, typically for historians of his generation (he was born in 1883), focuses almost exclusively on the elite and upper classes. Though his discussions of cultural matters expand his account beyond the proverbial 'princes and battles', they are still in line with the elite focus; it often seems as though Sansom doesn't actually recognize any culture at all among the lower classes. For instance, he dismisses Japan's indigenous "pagan cult" as a collection of "rudimentary beliefs": "simple", "illogical", "weak and primitive", without theological, cultural or intellectual merit and of interest chiefly in its relations with the civilized Buddhism imported from the continent (23, 228 - 233). According to Sansom, it was not until the ninth century that Japanese culture even began to take shape, based on the example of China (129).

China plays a major role in Sansom's interpretation of Japanese history: the general story he tells is one of importation of political and cultural ideas from China, and their gradual adaptation to Japanese circumstances (132). This interpretation is not necessarily wrong, but Sansom weakens his argument by swearing off any interpretive treatment in his preface and promising to restrict his work to "the mere collection and arrangement of facts." The result is that even though he presents an interpretation of Japanese history, he doesn't argue for it effectively, making some of his conclusions seem more like sweeping generalizations with insufficient support than they might otherwise have been. This unfortunately detracts from the generally high quality of his history.

Another annoying habit of Sansom's is to explain features of Japanese history by analogy to Europe. Christianity and European paganism stand in for Buddhism and indigenous Japanese religious practices; the Fujiwara regency is explained through reference to the Merovingian Mayors of the Palace in seventh and eighth century Frankish kingdoms; literary accomplishments of Japan and Europe are put alongside each other. Sansom assumes extensive familiarity with European history. I, for example, was put in the ironic position of trying to understand the roles of the Merovingian Mayors of the Palace by using my prior knowledge of the Fujiwara regency, where Sansom had intended precisely the opposite.

Even though I've been somewhat critical in this review, I don't want to give the wrong impression. Despite its age, Sansom's history remains a good comprehensive (and affordable) English-language introduction to Japanese history. Indeed, the fact that it remains such a popular and respected study so long after its creation speaks volumes about its overall quality and worth. The high level of detail makes it especially valuable as a reference or supplement to other works that assume familiarity with the basic facts. ( )