Summary
Summary of A Handbook of Modern Japan
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Japan seen through a resident's eyes
Ernest W. Clement presents Japan at the turn of the twentieth century as a nation rebuilding itself. An American teacher and Christian missionary who lived and worked there, he writes from the position of a foreign resident rather than a passing visitor.
His guide brings geography, history, government, religion, schooling, language, art and customs together. These subjects form a picture of Japanese life during rapid change, while also showing how a well-informed outsider understood the country around him.
Key idea 2
The land shapes everyday choices
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Key idea 3
Imperial loyalty holds rapid change together
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Key idea 4
Modern learning meets older moral habits
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Key idea 5
Daily customs reveal continuity amid change
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Key idea 6
Borrowing abroad while holding to tradition
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About 6 h 50 min to read.Who it’s for
For readers who love history and travel, students of the Meiji era, and anyone curious about how Japan was seen from outside in 1903.
What this book is
A Handbook of Modern Japan is a guide to Japan at the turn of the twentieth century. It was written by Ernest W. Clement, an American who lived and worked in Japan as a teacher and a Christian missionary. It first appeared in 1903, when readers in the West were curious about a country that had changed with startling speed.
Clement gathers geography, history, government, religion, schooling, language, art and daily customs into one volume. You get a clear picture of how Japanese life looked to a well-informed foreign resident of that time. It is a snapshot of a nation in the middle of rebuilding itself. Let us begin with the land and its people.
In this summary
- 1The land and people shape Japanese lifeFree
- 2Old Japan gave way to a new state
- 3Faith and schooling form the national mind
- 4Daily customs show a nation in transition
Key point 1 of 4
The land and people shape Japanese life
A handbook of this kind starts with the ground under the reader's feet. Japan is a chain of islands, and the four main ones are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. Mountains cover much of the land, so farmland is scarce and people live close together.
The islands also carry the marks of a restless earth. Volcanoes rise across the country, and Mount Fuji is the best known of them. Earthquakes are a fact of life, and this helps explain why traditional houses were built of wood and light materials. A reader learns that the geography touches the diet, the housing, the trade and even the habits of mind of the people.
Clement presents the Japanese as a people with a strong sense of common identity. He writes as an observer who has lived among them for years, not as a passing tourist. That gives the opening chapters a practical tone, with attention to what a newcomer would need to understand. For you, the lesson is simple: to follow a nation's choices, begin with the place where it lives.
That’s 1 of 4 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
What helped hold Japan's rapid political changes together in Clement's account?
Right. “His interest lies in how fast this change came and how it was held together by loyalty to the throne.”Not quite. “His interest lies in how fast this change came and how it was held together by loyalty to the throne.”
How does Clement describe the relationship between modern learning and older moral habits?
Right. “The point he returns to is that the new Japan was trying to join modern learning to older moral habits.”Not quite. “The point he returns to is that the new Japan was trying to join modern learning to older moral habits.”
What broad picture of Japan emerges from Clement's guide?
Right. “What you keep is a picture of a nation that borrowed boldly from abroad while holding to loyalty and tradition.”Not quite. “What you keep is a picture of a nation that borrowed boldly from abroad while holding to loyalty and tradition.”
Go deeper: the whole of A Handbook of Modern Japan
About 6 h 50 min to read.Questions about A Handbook of Modern Japan
What is A Handbook of Modern Japan about?
It is a guide to Japan around 1903. Clement covers the land, history, government, religion, education, language, art and everyday customs, giving Western readers a broad picture of a country that was modernizing fast.
Who was Ernest W. Clement?
Clement was an American educator and Baptist missionary who lived and worked in Japan for many years. His long residence gave him close knowledge of the country, which he shared in books and articles for English-speaking readers.
When was A Handbook of Modern Japan written?
It first appeared in 1903, during the Meiji era. It is nonfiction, written by a foreign resident, and it records Japan as it looked just as the country was becoming a rising power.
Is A Handbook of Modern Japan hard to read?
No. It is written in clear, plain prose organized by topic, so you can read it chapter by chapter.
Is A Handbook of Modern Japan still worth reading?
Yes, as a historical source. It shows how Meiji Japan appeared to an informed outsider, with useful detail on government, schools and customs.
