Yoshihiko Amino, 'A History of Japanese Society, Vol. 1'
How was modern Japan and the Japanese state formed? This book re-examines the history of the struggle between the 'state' and the diverse, regionally rich societies that developed on the archipelago—societies that were inextricably linked to surrounding regions through the sea—from the perspective of society itself. This is a full-scale general history that represents the culmination of over a decade of the author's scholarly work. The first volume covers the period from the formation of the archipelago to the 9th century.
Although I have had an interest in ancient history in my own way and have skimmed through several books, I re-read this one because I wanted to grasp Japanese ancient society as a whole.
I enjoyed reading the parts from the Kofun period to the establishment of the Ritsuryo system, as they link to my current interests. I would like to re-read the books on ancient history I have read so far while keeping the outline of Japanese ancient history from this book in mind.
The point that diverse cultures already coexisted on the archipelago from the Neolithic (Jomon) period—a point that is obvious yet important—is also a hallmark of Professor Amino's work.
However, from the Nara period onwards, there is a slight imbalance between the subjects described and the amount of explanation provided; while it touches on detailed historical events, it lacks explanations for highly specialized terms and figures, which leaves a somewhat dry impression.
As we move into periods where there are more materials and more is known in detail, I think it is a difficult balance to decide how far to delve into explanations.
If it were written in too much detail, it would likely exceed the scope of an introductory general history, and there were probably constraints in having it be three paperback volumes.
Since highly specialized books inevitably focus on debates over fine details, books that allow for an overall bird's-eye view are valuable.
I would like to summarize the movements of ancient Japan in a chronological table later.