Includes bibliographical references (pages 367-371) and index

The emergence of Japanese civilization -- The introduction of Buddhism -- The court at its zenith -- The advent of a new age -- The canons of medieval taste -- The country unified -- The flourishing of a bourgeois culture -- Heterodox trends -- Encounter with the West -- The fruits of modernity -- Culture in the present age

Presents a comprehensive study of Japanese history and culture surveying over two thousand years of art, religion, and ceremonies and includes topics such as samurai values, Zen Buddhism, Confucianism, and Mito scholarship