- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (29 Aug 1985)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140074988
- ISBN-13: 978-0140074987
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,123,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A fascinating study of the way the Japanese portray themselves in their popular culture.
About the Author
Ian Buruma was born in the Netherlands. He studied Chinese literature in Leyden, and Japanese cinema in Tokyo. He is a regular contributor to the New York Review of Books. He lives in London.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
Man has always created gods in his own image. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Man has always created gods in his own image. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was living in Japan as few years back and read this book by Ian Buruma, The Japanese Mirror. It was the only book I read out there that ranged across time and history so easily, from the wonderful and bizarre mythical tales of the creation of the island, with their various Shinto Gods, each representing an isolated human characteristic, onto his analysis of the modern film genres that became popular. Excellent
Format:Paperback
I picked this up as I have an interest in Japanese culture but know very little about its cinema. Ian Buruma, a film scholar, covers a wide range of interesting (and occasionally shocking!) material looking at what Japanese cinema, literature and TV tells us about its people. There's a lot of useful background material on Japanese myth and religion. Unfortunately it all to often uses a particular scene in a film or a particular novel to illustrate some pretty dodgy national stereotypes.
The book did made make me laugh however when it claimed that the national obsession with hygiene means all you can smell on a packed commuter train is a "faint hint of soap". I suspect Mr Buruma hasn't spent much time commuting on the Tozai line!
The book did made make me laugh however when it claimed that the national obsession with hygiene means all you can smell on a packed commuter train is a "faint hint of soap". I suspect Mr Buruma hasn't spent much time commuting on the Tozai line!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Slightly dated, but still interesting look at Japan's cultural myths and stereotypes
31 July 2008
Format:Paperback
Buruma, a Dutch Englishman, a seasoned Asia hand as journalist, essayist and lecturer, writing mainly about Japan and China, with a Japanese wife as motivator, explores the common cliches about Japan's uniqueness in a series of essays on popular culture from the decades prior to the early 80s, when the book came out. Still interesting after all those years, but not up to date.
It seems Buruma couldn't quite make up his mind: are they unique, these odd people from the separate islands East of Asia, or is that only their own wishful thinking about themselves? (Is there any merit in a comparison to the odd people living on the islands West of Europe?)
While Buruma says early on that deep down the Japanese are really not that much different, he spends most of the rest of the book showing us that they are quite odd indeed. He writes always with sympathy, never mocking, but at times headshaking about all these little quirks that one finds in the daily life of the very Far East.
So we meet the mother (who rules by appeasement and keeps dominating the male for life), the female demon (the woman who irritatingly discovers sexuality), the prostitute (who serves as surrogate mother to the poor man who suffers withdrawal syndrome), the cross-dresser in show business, the hard man (how do you stand out when society wants you to conform?), the gangster (in the movie version a hero like the bull in the Spanish corrida) and some more.
The basis for all the things that we find contradictory seems to lie in the co-existence of a popular and sometimes vulgar culture based on Shinto with the more sophisticated cultural rules derived from the imported and adapted doctrines of Buddhism and Confucianism.
I can't pretend that I am an expert in Japanese civilisation, nor even in Japanese movies, so I will not attempt to evaluate the contents of Buruma's diagnosis beyond confirming that this is an interesting collection of essays.
It seems Buruma couldn't quite make up his mind: are they unique, these odd people from the separate islands East of Asia, or is that only their own wishful thinking about themselves? (Is there any merit in a comparison to the odd people living on the islands West of Europe?)
While Buruma says early on that deep down the Japanese are really not that much different, he spends most of the rest of the book showing us that they are quite odd indeed. He writes always with sympathy, never mocking, but at times headshaking about all these little quirks that one finds in the daily life of the very Far East.
So we meet the mother (who rules by appeasement and keeps dominating the male for life), the female demon (the woman who irritatingly discovers sexuality), the prostitute (who serves as surrogate mother to the poor man who suffers withdrawal syndrome), the cross-dresser in show business, the hard man (how do you stand out when society wants you to conform?), the gangster (in the movie version a hero like the bull in the Spanish corrida) and some more.
The basis for all the things that we find contradictory seems to lie in the co-existence of a popular and sometimes vulgar culture based on Shinto with the more sophisticated cultural rules derived from the imported and adapted doctrines of Buddhism and Confucianism.
I can't pretend that I am an expert in Japanese civilisation, nor even in Japanese movies, so I will not attempt to evaluate the contents of Buruma's diagnosis beyond confirming that this is an interesting collection of essays.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Heroes and Villains in Japanese Culture
31 Jan 2004
Format:Paperback
"A Japanese Mirror" is an excellent book. Ian Buruma has gathered together a host of Japanese storytelling, from theater, film, comics and books, and sifted through them all to divine the core elements of the Japanese hero. What traits do the Japanese respect? What do their heroes embody? What are their stereotypes, their Dirty Harrys and Al Capones?
The book is split into two sections, the first section dealing with women and the second section with men, as well as a bridging chapter on cross-dressers. The section on women show the long suffering, devoted mother, the innocent schoolgirls, the vile demon-women seducers and the art of prostitution. The section on men show the loyal retainer, the hard school and nihilism of the yakuza, and the idiocy of fathers. Each stereotype is supported with a host of evidence from many different media types.
The most repeating storyline, and the most important lesson for the Japanese, is that he who acts outside society is doomed. Like all culture's storytelling, Japanese books, films and theater seem to reinforce a comfortable lesson, allowing people to vicariously watch rebels get their just due.
Also of interest in this book is the lack of core good/evil myths in Japanese religion, and how this affects their storytelling and how this disturbs and confuses Western viewers. Violence for violence's sake, without a moral lesson, is often found in Japanese storytelling. After reading this book, you will have a better idea of why.
The weakness of this book is that, regardless of the title, the focus is on heroes. There are not really any villains mentioned. Also, as the book was written in the 1980's, many of the current "hot" stars and stories mentioned by the author have faded into obscurity, which dates the book somewhat.
"The Japanese Mirror" is a great book for anyone interested in Japanese culture and/or film. It is scholarly without being dry, and intelligent.
Interesting, but dated
17 April 2004
Format:Paperback
In this book, Buruma tries to get down to the basic character of the Japanese people by examining their attitude toward sex and violence. He takes a look at their heros--ancient gods, samurais, kamikaze pilots, and yakuza. He presents the idea that Japanese are free from a sense of morality and are governed by a sense of social obligations. This, he explains, is the reason that we find sex and violence so openly in Japanese entertainment. He also states that these act as a sort of release for people who are burdened with overwhelming social obligations.
I found this book interesting, but this book was published in 1984 orginally, so when Buruma refers to popular culture, it is quite outdated. When talking about movies, he refers primarily to movies from the 60's. For other forms of entertainment, the references come from the late 70's and early 80's. His references don't reflect the current impact that Japanese pop culture is having on the world today. Also the strong cultural institutions, such as lifetime employment, that he talks about have been breaking down since the Japanese economy collapsed in the late 80's and early 90's. Presently, Japanese society is in a state of flux. Despite this, you'll still find lots of interesting observations in this book.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
