A History of Writing in Japan - Softcover

Seeley, Christopher

Softcover

ISBN 10: 082482217X ISBN 13: 9780824822170

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press, 2000

Synopsis

This book deals chronologically with the history of writing in Japan, a subject which spans a period of 2,000 years, beginning with the transmission of writing from China in about the first or second century AD, and concluding with the use of written Japanese with computers. Topics dealt with include the adoption of Chinese writing and its subsequent adaptation in Japan, forms of writing employed in works such as the "Kojiki" and "Man'yoshu," development of the "kana" syllabaries, evolution of mixed character-"kana" orthography, historical "kana" usage, the rise of literacy during the Edo period, and the main changes that have taken place in written Japanese in the modern period (ca. 1868 onwards). This is the first full-length work in a European language to provide the Western reader with an overall account of the subject concerned, based on extensive examination of both primary and secondary materials.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Seeley is senior lecturer in Japanese at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Review:

"An aptly illustrated, up-to-date overview of the development of the Japanese writing system.... Sure to be a standard reference." -- Monumenta Nipponica

"Well-written and annotated.... A reliable reference for those wanting an overview." -- Journal of Japanese Studies

"[Seeley] makes the field of the history of writing in Japan, much more accessible for many of us." --Journal of Asian Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 082482217X
• ISBN 13: 9780824822170
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 306