Japanese Buddhist literature is filled with the struggle to overcome the pain of transience.
The Hōjōki, written in 1212 by the Buddhist monk Kamo no Chōmei, is one of the most beloved works of medieval literature in Japan.
Asian intellectuals fighting western colonialism in the 19th and early 20th centuries offer points that we can learn from today
Pankaj Mishra delivers a sweeping account of the intellectual history of anti-colonial thought in the early years of Western colonialism. He builds this narrative through mini-biographies of two lesser-known intellectuals: Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī and Liang Qichao. These early thinkers diagnosed the challenge of Western imperialism…
A well-known ethnographer in Japan reveals voluminous details about countryside living before WWII.
Miyamoto Tsuneichi, is author of many ethnographical books on Japanese society, but this is the only one I know of that has been translated into English (transl. Jeffrey Irish). Miyamoto is a well-known scholar and author in Japan. The Forgotten Japanese is a necessary read for anyone interested in Japanese lifestyles in the countryside from More…
An invaluable book for anyone interested in Japanese culture as well as poetry. — Amy Chavez
Japanese Death Poems is one of those invaluable books for anyone interested in Japanese culture as well as poetry. The lengthy introduction alone is important for the plethora of information on the history of Japanese poetry and in particular, the death poem. From tanka to haiku, written by princes, court nobles, samurai, Buddhist monks and More…
We read lots of books here at Books on Asia, so we asked our reviewers to give you their picks for the best books they’ve read this year! For more information on a particular book, click on the book cover. Chad Kohalyk‘s Top Picks Biography The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade More…
Three Poems from Robert MacLean’s new book Waking to Snow (Isobar Press, Oct. 2020) My First Guide to Kyoto Next-door neighbour’s pug-nosed Sakura tied up all day whimpering beneath the stairwell: no way to treat the earliest cherry blossoms in Kyoto. So I take him for a walk – rather he takes me, charging More…
Tanaka Akihiko suggests it may be possible to say that a common culture—what might be called an ‘East Asian way of life’—is emerging, especially among the East Asian urban middle class.
Powerful, mystical and concise, the Heart Sutra is believed to contain the condensed essence of all Buddhist wisdom.
Kerr has proven an excellent student of friendship and fellowship and has himself become a vessel of wisdom which he now passes on to us readers.
Todd Wassel walks the 750-Mile, 88-Temple Pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan and finds some surprising things along the way.
Stanley introduces the vibrant social and cultural life of early nineteenth-century Japan and one woman who lived it.
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