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Volume XI Number 1 CONTENTS Spring 2003 From the Editors' Desk 編纂者から 2 Articles 論文 The Political and Institutional History of Early Modern Japan Philip C. Brown 3 The People of Tokugawa Japan: The State of the Field in Early Modern Social/Economic History Selcuk Esenbel 31 Summary of Discussions: The State of the Field in Early Modern Japanese Studies Philip C. Brown 54 Book Reviews. 書評 Howard Hibbett, The Chrysanthemum and the Fish: Japanese Humor Since the Age of the Shoguns Cheryl Crowley 64 Lee Butler, Emperor and Aristocracy in Japan, 1467-1680: Resilience and Renewal Carol Richmond Tsang 66 Bibliographies 参考文献 The Political and Institutional History of Early Modern Japan: A Bibliography Philip C. Brown 69 The People of Tokugawa Japan: The State of the Field in Early Modern Social/Economic History Selcuk Esenbel 83 Basic Style Guidelines for Final Manuscripts: Early Modern Japan: An Interdisciplinary Journal 88 EARLY MODERN JAPAN SPRING, 2003 From the Editor the editors and outside referees) must conform to 編纂者のメッセージ these guidelines. In addition, we are actively looking for colleagues to help with copy editing In this issue we present the final set of essays and preparation of files for posting on the from the State of the Field conference held in the EMJNet web site. spring of 2000 at The Ohio State University. Finally, EMJNet was originally created based The two substantive appraisals focus on politi- on the idea that it would give us extra opportuni- cal/institutional history and socio-economic his- ties to do interesting and innovative things, either tory. These are followed by a summary of con- on our own or in conjunction with the annual cerns reflected throughout the discussions at the meetings of the AAS. In the past two years, conference. EMJNet has sponsored regular panels at the AAS The essays we have published through this and and has also held independent round table discus- the last two issues of EMJ represent our most sions at each of the last two annual meetings, one ambitious effort to date. Response from readers, on bunjin culture and society organized by Cheryl in the form of requests for additional copies, has Crowley and the other on the theme of Blood in been impressive and very rewarding for all of us Tokugawa culture, organized by Bettina Gram- who have been a part of this effort. Several of lich-Oka. A panel for the EMJNet meeting in these essays have been translated and/or reprinted association with the 2004 AAS annual meeting in already. San Diego is now largely complete (more in the The magnitude of this effort raises two impor- fall issue of EMJ), but proposals for additional tant questions. The first concerns what might be EMJNet activities for the next AAS meeting done in future issues that will be of similar inter- can still be considered. est to readers. One possible approach would be Readers with an interest in proposing a the- to plan future issues in whole or in part around matic issue of the journal, activities for the forth- clearly identified themes. To this end, the edi- coming AAS, or volunteering to assist with edit- tors issue a CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR ing and manuscript preparation (both printed and THEMATIC ISSUES OF EMJ. Proposals internet) should contact Philip Brown at Depart- should 1) indentify a well-defined theme and po- ment of History, 230 West 17th Avenue, Colum- tential contributors, and 2) a guest editor who will bus OH 43210 or at [email protected]. Pro- be in charge of soliciting contributions, assuring posals for EMJNet’s meeting in conjunction with their submission to referees and for publication the AAS annual meeting need to be submitted by on time, and who will take a substantial role in September 15, 2003. copy editing. As always, we continue to encourage subscrib- A second concern has become clear during ers and readers to submit materials for publica- preparation of the three State of the Field issues: tion with EMJ. Scholarly articles are routinely There are parts of our work that deserve more sent out to colleagues to be refereed, but in addi- attention than the current staff involved in pro- tion, we have published a variety of other kinds duction of EMJ – Lawrence Marceau and Philip of work in the past: translations of documents, Brown – have been able to devote to them. In essays on early modern Japan studies in different particular, this involves copy editing in prepara- countries (France and Russia, with others recently tion of the journal for print and preparation of solicited), articles on teaching and the use of files (e.g., bibliographies from the State of the computers in Japanese studies and research. We Field series) for posting on our web site. continue to seek a broad array of materials that go As part of efforts to deal with the first issue, beyond what scholarly journals ordinarily publish we have established a basic style sheet for the but which clearly serve the development of early journal that will appear in the back matter of modern Japanese studies. every issue and on our web site. Final submis- sions (after revisions based on comments from 2 EARLY MODERN JAPAN SPRING, 2003 The Political and Institutional connections between the late Tokugawa era and post-Meiji developments, they found it attractive * History of Early Modern Japan to characterize Tokugawa Japan as “early mod- ©Philip C. Brown, Ohio State University ern”, but there is much of Japanese history prior to the very late eighteenth century that has never 1 Introduction comfortably fit this mold. Some recent works Western studies of late sixteenth to mid- begin to evoke characterizations associated with nineteenth century political and institutional his- feudalism rather than early modernity. Given tory have increased greatly in number and sophis- further study of the era, we might conceivably tication over the past quarter century. Scholars recast the political and institutional history of late now explore domain and village politics as well sixteenth to mid-nineteenth century Japan as as those associated with the Emperor and Shogun. something less than “early modern,” something They employ an array of documentary evidence more traditional even if we are not favorably dis- that increasingly extends beyond the records of posed to use words like “feudal.” great figures and Shogunal administration (the Before exploring this issue and others, it is im- bakufu) into the realms of village archives and portant to define the basic parameters of this es- handwritten manuscript materials. Analytical say and to define some key terms as employed frameworks now encompass those of anthropol- here. ogy, sociology, and political science. The num- Defining Terms: I discuss materials that fo- ber of scholars has increased substantially and cus on the “early modern” period rather broadly there may now be something close to a critical defined, and I use the term here solely as the cur- mass that encourages an increased diversity of rent, conventional shorthand for this era. I do interpretation and level of debate within the field. not employ it with any presumption that it entails Despite such advances, there are significant is- a specific set of characteristics such as those that sues that remain. The field is still relatively were associated with the “modernization theory” small and that means that much work, some of it of the nineteen-sixties or any other paradigm. It very basic, remains. Most notably, studies of is not the purpose of this essay to take sides on the mid-seventeenth to early nineteenth century this conceptual issue, but to encompass the range 2 are relatively few in number. Most studies focus of positions taken in published work in the field. on the formation of a stable central authority or, more typically, the end of the Tokugawa Sho- gunate. While there are some very good recent 2 My usage here is not unusual. For the most studies that may lay a foundation for filling this part, scholars do not explicitly confront potential void, in the political histories there is little sense substantive use of the term “early modern” in their of some substantive tie between the ends of the writings. While the term implies links with “the era that lends it some sense of unity. In the modern,” seldom does either term find explicit defi- realm of political history the center of gravity is nition and informal discussions with Japan scholars clearly located at the interstices of the Tokugawa reveals a range of definitions, from those that would (1600-1868) to Meiji (1868-1912) transformation. encompass the Kamakura era to those that would Since post-World War II scholars often identified treat Japan’s history into the twentieth century as “feudal” rather than anything approaching “modern.” Even where scholarly publication directly * I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers addresses operational definitions, there is not clear for comments that helped sharpen this essay and consensus on how to define the term or the era and also thank Patricia Graham and James McMullen its characteristics. Shmuel N. Eisenstadt is one of for their very helpful suggestions. the few social scientists of the “modernization” 1 In the citations below, the following abbrevia- school who have continued to develop these theo- tions are employed: Harvard Journal of Asiatic ries, explicitly rendering them less unidirectional Studies HJAS, Journal of Asian Studies JAS, Jour- and taking ultimate outcomes of the process as nal of Japanese Studies JJS, Monumenta Nipponica problematic rather than presumed. His work now MN. clearly allows for cultural variation based on a vari- 3 EARLY MODERN JAPAN SPRING, 2003 Into the nineteen-sixties scholars tended to treat end of the era as typically defined, there is some the Tokugawa hegemony as defining the bounda- recognition that the old ways did not fade as rap- ries of early modern political history, more recent idly as early scholarly emphasis on the reforms of work has shown affinities between its organiza- the Meiji Restoration (1868) suggested.5 tional patterns and those of earlier years, extend- Reflecting these developments, I focus on ma- ing back into the mid-sixteenth century.

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