The Coming of the Barbarians concerns the western invasion of Japan in the second half of the nineteenth century. Employing...

READ REVIEW

THE COMING OF THE BARBARIANS

The Coming of the Barbarians concerns the western invasion of Japan in the second half of the nineteenth century. Employing letters, diaries and Journals left by early travellers, Pat Barr tells how Japan was forced to close its doors on feudal isolation and open them to trade-hungry mercantile nations. With a civilized wit she now recreates the period from the arrival of Commodore Perry's ships in 1853 to the Meiji restoration some twenty years later, emphasizing the experiences of the Western intruders. Japanese reactions to the ""barbarians"" are sketched in contemporary portraits. Pat Barr writes from the vantage point of a former resident teacher in Yokohama and Tokyo and is the author of a number of articles about Japan. A sequel is how in preparation and will continue the story of the western settlements up to the early twentieth century. Illustrated with reproductions of rare contemporaneous Japanese prints and paintings. Engaging social history.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1967

Close Quickview