Anyone have any recommendations on any introductory books to learn more about medieval japan? I'm particularly interested in the creation of the state and the military history of the country. However most of the stuff that I've found doesn't seem to be well suited for a beginner, such as authors like Thomas Conlan or Karl Friday. Thanks.
The main problem is that there aren't many GOOD sources in English academia, especially if you're thinking about Sengoku-Jidai when referring to "Medieval." Absolutely do not read Stephen Turnbull. His books are riddled with problems and inaccuracies and are also repetitive. He often regurgitates the same things from book to book.
Some books I'd suggest are Hideyoshi by Mary Elizabeth Berry and Sekigahara 1600 by Antony J. Bryan. I don't know if they are the best for beginners but they do give you a lot of information.
samurai-archives.com is not a bad site for some background/basic information on certain notable figures like Nobunaga, Shingen, Kenshin, etc.
>>1091209
The two you named are probably the best, something like a college textbook would be a good intro,
>>1091254
I've been warned about Turnbull being a bad source. I've seen that George Sansom has some texts that are recommended for beginners, but are by no means ultimate sources on the subject. What do you think of his work? I'll look into Berry and Bryan although I know that Hideyoshi is another book that may require some pre-requisite knowledge.
I'd be more interested in learning about Japan/China in the bronze age. What were the very early civilizations like?
>>1091598
Alien.
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>>1091667
Clearly aliens visited the Jomon people and gave them advanced technology like... um pottery
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>>1091674
And mechas
>>1091674
I wasn't talking about literal aliens. I was just pointing out how strange and exotic prehistoric Asian art was.
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>>1091704
And I was making a joke
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>>1091797
These are some Ayy-tier art posted here.
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>>1091802
AESTHETIC
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>>1091209
cambridge history of japan, books 3, 4 or 5 depending on which period your talking about. they're long as hell but you don't need to have any previous knowledge and you can pick and choose chapters that interest you, considering that each is written by different scholars
http://bookzz.org/s/?q=cambridge+history+of+japan&yearFrom=&yearTo=&language=&extension=&t=0
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>>1091869
I can't get over the bronze tree personally.
Even the size of it is baffling.
And these have all been created by city states/chiefdoms of 20,000 - 80,000 people.
>>1091853
I think I'll pick that up. Thanks. I would have to get it from the library so hopefully I can read it quick enough.
>>1092113
you can download it for free straight from that site
>>1091897
It reminds me a lot of Mesoamerican aesthetics. Is this all jomon or is it more varied?
>>1091853
I can second this, it was the best and most useful on the subject for the few eras I read and is loaded with bibliographies for more book hunting goodness.
>>1093457
It's mostly Shang Chinese and neighboring Bronze Age northeast asian cultures.
Jomon art doesn't have the mesoamerican motifs and they were basically neolithic.
