Holme, Ringer & Company, The Rise and Fall of a British Enterprise in Japan 1868-1940
By Brian Burke-Gaffney The dominant British firm in Nagasaki in the Meiji period was Holme, Ringer & Company which was controlled by Frederick Ringer (1838-1907). Burke-Gaffney in this book tells the story of [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Hard Times in the Hometown, A History of Community Survival in Modern Japan
By Martin Dusinberre Martin Dusinberre first went to Kaminoseki as an English language teacher. He found the town of great interest and returned there to undertake sociological research. In this well researched book he traces the [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Memoires of Japan, 1946 (A People Bowed But Not Broken)
By Bernard T. Smith Bernard Smith describes in this memoir his life as an RAF officer on the staff of the British Commonwealth Air Force (BCAIR) Headquarters at Iwakuni in 1946. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Japoniæ insulæ, The mapping of Japan: Historical Introduction and Cartobibliograhy of European Maps
By Jason C. Hubbard Jason Hubbard has identified 125 main maps of Japan and includes illustrations of every one. He also lists their subsequent issues and notes any alterations made. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
All the Emperor’s Men
By Hiroshi Tasogawa During the two years of Kurosawa’s involvement in Tora Tora Tora Tasogawa worked as an interpreter for Kurosawa. In this book he details the events of those years and attempts to [...] Review by Michael Sullivan
Matsumoto Shigeharu: Bearing Witness
By Kaimai Jun Matsumoto came to prominence in 1936 as the journalist who broke the news of Chiang Kai-shek’s detention. Japan as it grapples with globalization and ‘diversity’ has much to learn from Shigeharu Matsumoto. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
People Who Eat Darkness
By Richard Lloyd Parry In People Who Eat Darkness we get to see a new perspective of the events surrounding the disappearance and murder of Lucie Blackman as we follow the author's investigation into what had occurred to her. Review by Michael Sullivan
Asia for the Asians: China in the Lives of Five Meiji Japanese
By Paula S. Harrell In this interesting study of five Japanese personalities of the Meiji era, who were closely involved with Chinese modernisation, Dr Harrell shows that the relationship between Japan and China was [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Otaku Spaces
By Patrick Galbraith Otaku Spaces is a book that attempts to dispel some misconceptions by allowing these people who are considered to have otaku interests, to discuss their hobbies and the rationale behind them. Review by Lucy Searles
Vessels of Influence: China and the Birth of Porcelain in Medieval and Early Modern Japan
By Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere The book is a scholarly study based on Professor Rousmaniere’s experiences in Japan working with Japanese scholars of ceramics. It will be a valuable source for all interested in Japanese ceramics. Review Sir Hugh Cortazzi