Book recommendations for two periods of Japan's history: the Edo period and the post-war Economic Miracle?

by thealkaizer

Hi!

As stated, I'm interested to dive into two different periods of Japan's history:

  • First, I want to read more about the Edo Period. I'm interested in the changes in the social structure, the social classes, the impacts of the isolationism and how Japan changed through this period. This Youtube video analyzing a piece of art from the period is the source of my interest, if anyone is curious.
  • Secondly, I'm really interested in reading on post WW2 Japan and the economic miracle. So I guess that means the period from the 1950s to the late 1980s.

The Edo period section is still empty in the book recommendations page, and for the modern period I saw no recommendations post-WW2.

Thank you!

Kolytsin

Disclaimer: this is a personal recommendation based on how I judge the right match given the context you outlined in your question.

There are three almost fundamental books on this topic written by western authors aimed at exactly your kind of audience if you are looking for an overview on the periods you are interested in. They could be considered dated in terms of the source material they were brought up on, but I find it hard to think of authors that have replaced them in this niche, as more recent publications can be too focused on one topic or another to be very interesting to casual readers just getting started.

George Samson: A History of Japan, 1615-1867 (For Edo)

  • This is last book of a trilogy

Edward Siedensticker: Tokyo Rising: The City Since the Great Earthquake (society focused).

  • This is the second book of two books. You can also just buy the combined book: Tokyo from Edo to Showa: 1867-1989 which adds the post-Edo, pre-earthquake era.

Chalmers Johnson: MITI and the Japanese miracle : the growth of industrial policy, 1925-1975 -

  • More about the economic/policy aspect, less readable but no less fundamental