Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues in the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan - Couverture souple

Farris, William Wayne

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0824820304 ISBN 13 : 9780824820305

Editeur : University of Hawai'i Press, 1998

Synopsis

The Japanese have long sought inspiration and legitimacy from the written record of their ancient past. The shaping of bygone eras to contemporary agendas began at least by the early eighth century, when the first court histories, namely the Kojiki and the Nihon shoki, were compiled.

Since the late nineteenth century, historians have extensively mined these texts and other written evidence and by the late 1970s had nearly exhausted their meager sources. Fortunately for all those interested in uncovering the origins of Japanese civilization, archaeologists have been hard at work. Today, thanks to this postwar "archaeology boom," Japan historians have never been closer to recreating the lives of prehistoric peasants, ancient princes, and medieval samurai.

Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures offers substantial new insights into early Japanese history (A.D. 100-800) through an integrated discussion of historical texts and archaeological artifacts. It contends that the rich archaeological discoveries of the past few decades permit scholars to develop far more satisfactory interpretations of ancient Japan than was possible when they were heavily dependent on written sources.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

William Wayne Farris is professor emeritus of Japanese history at the University of Hawai'i, where he served for twelve years as the Sen Sōshitsu XV Distinguished Chair of Traditional Japanese History and Culture.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: University of Hawai'i Press
• Date d'édition: 1998
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0824820304
• ISBN 13: 9780824820305
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 416
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible