Sons of Heaven: A Portrait of the Japanese Monarchy - Hardcover

Packard, Jerrold M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684186330 ISBN 13: 9780684186337

Publisher: Scribner, 1987

Synopsis

Traces the history of the Japanese monarchy, discusses the role of the emperor in Japanese society, and describes court life and the caste system

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

The Japanese monarchy is the oldest and most mystery-enshrouded in existence, and this social history of it, the first comprehensive modern one to be published, is engrossing. Writing in a style at once scholarly and entertaining, Packard (Peter's Kingdom: Inside the Papal City) traces the monarchy from its legendary origins 2000 years ago to the early emperors who wielded temporal as well as spiritual power, and from the puppet emperors under the shoguns, to the Emperor Meiji who, with momentous consequences, hauled the nation into the 20th century. We're shown his grandson Hirohito124th direct descendant of the Sun Goddess, a virtual puppet himself at the time of World War II, but now an internationally respected marine biologist who, though shorn of his divinity, is his people's most revered living link to the past. Packard provides a mass of interesting information about the austerities, rituals and daily routine of a Japanese monarch's life. Photos.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

The religious and political roles of the emperors of Japan, from historic origins to the present day, is presented in fascinating and sympathetic detail in this semipopular work. Packard has previously written on the British monarchy ( The Queen and Her Court) and the Vatican (Peter's Kingdom) , and he provides similar kinds of information here, e . g., on the functioning of the imperial household, court life, etc. Packard deftly combines a historical narrative with a depiction of the evolving imperial institution in a book that general readers and specialists will find accessible and interesting. Evelyn S. Rawski, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scribner
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0684186330
• ISBN 13: 9780684186337
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400