Grossberg: Japans Renaissance : the Politics of T He Muromachi Bakufu

First published in 1981, Japan's Renaissance is a detailed and exhaustively researched account of the regime of Japan's second shogunate, and also an agile comparative analysis of the political economy of the period with other Renaissance systems. The book argues that the development of shogunal power in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Japan was similar to the evolution of monarchic power in France and England during the same period. Contrary to the received wisdom that the government of the Ashikaga shoguns was the low point of premodern Japan, this book demonstrates that it was the incubator for many developments and the administrative technology which reached their maturity in the Tokugawa period. Applying the ideas of political economy to medieval Japanese history makes this book an essential companion for all Japan and East Asia specialists, students of comparative feudalism and monarchical development, as well as educated generalists who are interested in premodern Japan. The book is illustrated with antique maps and Japanese paintings of the period which add to the reader's understanding of this dramatic age in Japan's history. Contents Figures Preface 1 The Muromachi Period in] apanese History 2 The Ashikaga Shogun In Muromachi Japan 3 Muromachi Economy And Bakufu Income 4 The Bakufu System: Bureaucracy and Administration 5 The Bakufu System: Military Organization 6 The Muromachi Bakufu in Comparative Perspective A Concluding Noteon Feudalism and Decentralization Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Abbreviations Used in the Notes Bibliography Glossary Index Kenneth Alan Grossberg. Maps On End Papers. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [177]-196.