Encyclopedias and Handbooks
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JapanKnowledge This link opens in a new windowJapanKnowledge is an extensive database, mostly in Japanese, with information about Japanese language, culture, history, and more. It Includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, ebooks, news articles, and multimedia.
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Oxford Reference This link opens in a new windowPublished by Oxford University Press, it is a fully-indexed, cross-searchable database containing dictionaries, language reference and subject reference works.
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Grove Art Online This link opens in a new windowGrove Art Online is an encyclopedia covering both Western and non-Western art and all aspects of visual culture. Articles include bibliographies and searchable images. As part of Oxford Art Online, keywords also are simultaneously searched in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Oxford Companion to Western Art.
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Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan by This nine-volume reference contains over 10,000 articles exploring every aspect of Japanese society, history, politics, economy, thought and culture. The 50,000-item index is cross-referenced for easy location of facts.Location: Mugar Reference X DS805 .K633 1983Publication Date: 1983
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Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia by This 2-vol., A-Z reference addresses contemporary Japanese life and society.Location: Mugar Reference X DS805 .J263 1993Publication Date: 1993 -
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan by The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan is the essential reference to all facets of Japan past and present. Up-to-date, authoritative and wide-ranging in scope, it covers all the general reader, student, business person, journalist, researcher, tourist or armchair traveller would want to know. A highly absorbing read, the Encyclopedia is also filled with the facts, figures and general data on Japan that make it an indispensable source of information: for example, that the safest place to be during an earthquake in Japan is in a bamboo grove; or that one of the greatest delicacies of Japanese cuisine, the fugu, is deadly poisonous in the hands of an unskilled chef. It gives the latest statistics too, from Japan's dramatically ageing population, to a complete listing of its prime ministers, to valuable data on the powerful Japanese advertising industry. Throughout, full-colour photographs, maps and graphics generously illustrate the book and additional boxed features highlight important topics or issues relevant to the text. This, in a single volume, is a complete and fascinating picture of Japan and its people: its rich inherited traditions and culture, its modern complexities and its tantalising future role in the world.Location: Mugar Reference X DS805 .C36 1993Publication Date: 1993 -
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture by Offering extensive coverage, this Encyclopedia is a new reference that reflects the vibrant, diverse and evolving culture of modern Japan, spanning from the end of the Japanese Imperialist period in 1945 to the present day. Entries cover areas such as literature, film, architecture, food, health, political economy, religion and technology and they range from shorter definitions, histories or biographies to longer overview essays giving an in-depth treatment of major issues. With over 700 alphabetically arranged entries, this Encyclopedia will be an invaluable reference tool for students of Japanese and Asian Studies, as well as providing a fascinating insight into Japanese culture for the general reader. Suggestions for further reading, a comprehensive system of cross-referencing, a thematic contents list and an extensive index all help navigate the reader around the Encyclopedia and on to further study.Location: Mugar Reference X DS822.5 .E516 2002Publication Date: 2001 -
Historical Dictionary of Tokyo by Tokyo is Japan's largest city and its capital. It is also one of the largest cities in the world and a major center of global economic influence. The origins of human settlement in what is today Tokyo are lost in prehistory. The city started out quite modestly as a small castle town of Edo in 1457, then the center of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1603-1868, the rapidly modernizing and Westernizing capital of the nation during the Meiji Period (1868-1912), and the capital of a prosperous nation and growing empire thereafter. Tokyo was utterly devastated during World War II, but this was not the first time Tokyo had to start seemingly from new. Due to many fires and earthquakes, the city has constantly rebuilt itself and today it outdoes all its previous emanations by far. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Tokyo is a much-needed reference source on the city. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 600 cross-referenced dictionary entries on people, places, events, and other terminology about the city of Tokyo. This book is a must for anyone interested in Japan and Tokyo.Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2011-02-18 -
Routledge Handbook of Japanese Culture and Society by An interdisciplinary resource on contemporary Japan and the social and cultural trends that are important at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Surveys significant phenomena, institutions, and directions on such issues as gender and family, the environment, race and ethnicity, urban life, popular culture and electronic media.Location: Online -
Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese Literature by The Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese Literature provides a comprehensive overview of how we study Japanese literature today. Rather than taking a purely chronological approach to the content, the chapters survey the state of the field through a number of pressing issues and themes, examining the ways in which it is possible to read modern Japanese literature and situate it in relation to critical theory. The Handbook examines various modes of literary production (such as fiction, poetry, and critical essays) as distinct forms of expression that nonetheless are closely interrelated. Attention is drawn to the idea of the bunjin as a #65533;person of letters#65533; and a more realistic assessment is provided of how writers have engaged with ideas #65533; not labelled a #65533;novelist#65533; or #65533;poet#65533;, but a #65533;writer#65533; who may at one time or another choose to write in various forms. The book provides an overview of major authors and genres by situating them within broader themes that have defined the way writers have produced literature in modern Japan, as well as how those works have been read and understood by different readers in different time periods. The Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese Literature draws from an international array of established experts in the field as well as promising young researchers. It represents a wide variety of critical approaches, giving the study a broad range of perspectives. This handbook will be of interest to students and scholars of Asian Studies, Literature, Sociology, Critical Theory, and History.Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2016 -
Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction by Japan is arguably today's most successful industrial economy, combining almost unprecedented affluence with social stability and apparent harmony. Japanese goods and cultural products are consumed all over the world, ranging from animated movies and computer games all the way through to cars,semiconductors, and management techniques. In many ways, Japan is an icon of the modern world, and yet it remains something of an enigma to many, who see it as a confusing montage of the alien and the familiar, the ancient and modern. The aim of this Very Short Introduction is to explode the mythsand explore the reality of modern Japan - by taking a concise look at its history, economy, politics, and culture.Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2009 -
Tokyo: a Biography by The history of Tokyo is as eventful as it is long. A concise yet detailed overview of this fascinating, centuries-old city,Tokyo: A Biography is a perfect companion volume for history buffs or Tokyo-bound travelers looking to learn more about their destination. In a whirlwind journey through Tokyo's past from its earliest beginnings up to the present day, this Japanese history book demonstrates how the city's response to everything from natural disasters to regime change has been to reinvent itself time and again. A calamitous fire results in a massive expansion of the city's territory. A debate over the Samurai code creates far-reaching social change. A malleable boy becomes the figurehead for powerful forces which change an ancient feudal societyinto a modern industrialized power within a generation. Utter destruction wipes the slate clean again so Tokyoites may start all over. And so it goes. Tokyo's story is riveting, and by the end ofTokyo: A Biography, readers see a city almost unrivaled in its uniqueness, a place that--despite its often tragic history--still shimmers as it prepares to face the future.Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2016
Guides to the Literature
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The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature by This extraordinary one-volume guide to the modern literatures of China, Japan, and Korea is the definitive reference work on the subject in the English language. With more than one hundred articles that show how a host of authors and literary movements have contributed to the general literary development of their respective countries, this companion is an essential starting point for the study of East Asian literatures.Location: Available at Mugar Reference X PL493 .C55 2003 and OnlinePublication Date: 2003 -
The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture by This Companion provides a comprehensive overview of the influences that have shaped modern-day Japan. Spanning one and a half centuries from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 to the beginning of the twenty-first century, this volume covers topics such as technology, food, nationalism and rise of anime and manga in the visual arts.Location: Online -
A Companion to Asian Art and Architecture by A Companion to Asian Art and Architecture presents a collection of 26 original essays from top scholars in the field that explore and critically examine various aspects of Asian art and architectural history. Brings together top international scholars of Asian art and architecture Represents the current state of the field while highlighting the wide range of scholarly approaches to Asian Art Features work on Korea and Southeast Asia, two regions often overlooked in a field that is often defined as India-China-Japan Explores the influences on Asian art of global and colonial interactions and of the diasporic communities in the US and UK Showcases a wide range of topics including imperial commissions, ancient tombs, gardens, monastic spaces, performances, and pilgrimages.Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2012
Literary Biography
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Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new windowThe Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is the national record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century." Does not include living people or those recently deceased.
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Biography (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new windowBiography In Context offers biographical information about historically significant figures as well as present-day newsmakers. It includes reference content alongside magazine and journal articles, primary sources, videos, audio podcasts, and images.
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Literature Online (LION) This link opens in a new windowLION includes texts, criticism, and reference material, including thousands of literary articles, essays, biographies and encyclopedia entries on over 350,000 works of poetry, prose, and drama from the 8th to the 21st century.
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SÅseki: Modern Japan's Greatest Novelist by John Nathan provides a lucid and vivid account of Natsume Sōseki, the father of the modern novel in Japan. This biography elevates Sōseki to his rightful place as a great synthesizer of literary traditions and a brilliant chronicler of universal experience who, no less than his Western contemporaries, anticipated twentieth-century modernism.Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2018 -
Modern Japanese Writers by This is the first encyclopedia in the Scribner Writers Series to focus on Asian writers and genres. It highlights 25 of the most widely translated Japanese authors, such as Yukio Mishima, Kobo Abe, Junichiro Tanizaki and Fumiko Enchi.Location: Mugar Reference X PL723 .M563 2001Publication Date: 2001 -
The A to Z of Modern Japanese Literature and Theater by With the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan opened its doors to the West and underwent remarkable changes as it sought to become a modern nation. Accompanying the political changes that Western trade ushered in were widespread social and cultural changes. Newspapers, novels, poems, and plays from the Western world were soon adapted and translated into Japanese. The combination of the rich storytelling tradition of Japan with the realism and modernism of the West produced some of the greatest literature of the modern age. The A to Z of Modern Japanese Literature and Theater presents a broad perspective on the development and history of literature-narrative, poetry, and drama-in modern Japan. This book offers a chronology, introduction, bibliography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on authors, literary and historical developments, trends, genres, and concepts that played a central role in the evolution of modern Japanese literature.Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2010
Librarian
Barbara Maratos
Contact:
Boston University Libraries
bkmarato@bu.edu
bkmarato@bu.edu
Subjects: Language & Linguistics, Literature