Originally published in 1952, this account of the growth and uses of Western learning in Japan has been enlarged by two new chapters that extend the story from 1798 to 1830. The author has incorporated the results of recent research by scholars in Japan and the West and made corrections in the text.
1. The Dutch in Japan. 2 The Rise of Barbarian Learning. 3 Strange Tales from Muscovy. 4 The Call of the West 5 Honda Toshiaki’s Economic Theories. 6 Explorers of the North 7 Hirata Atsutane and Western Learning. Appendix: Excerpts from the Writings of Honda Toshiaki. Notes. Bibliography. Index.
Biography
Donald Keene
‘A readable, illustrated account...of general interest to students of Far Eastern history and of particular importance to those investigating the modernization of Japan and the foundations of Japanese imperialism.’ Far Eastern Quarterly
‘The wisdom of Dr Keen’s inclusion...of a translation of selections from Honda Toshiaki’s writings becomes manifest as we see the impact of the ‘new learning’ on the mind of an able Japanese scholar of the period..an interesting and thought provoking book.’ Pacific Affairs
