JAPANESE CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Allison, Anne. 1994. Nightwork: Sexuality, pleasure, and corporate masculinity in a Tokyo hostess club. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Befu, Harumi. 1971. Japan: An anthropological introduction. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.

Befu, Harumi. 2001. Hegemony of homogeneity. Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press

In spite of rapid changes taking place in Japan, the dominant identity discourse of Japan - Nihonjinron - has maintained its hegemonic position in the ideological landscape. Japanese intellectuals have been producing and continue to produce a massive and ever increasing literature on the subject with no end in sight. In Hegemony of Homogeneity, Harumi Befu, a bilingual anthropologist who has dedicated the past 40 years to studying Japan, dissects, analyzes, and interprets this discourse by consulting hundreds of original Japanese sources. Befu argues that Nihonjinron is, among others, a civil religion for the Japanese and a creature responding to Japan's changing geo-political and geo-economic environment."

Benedict, Ruth. 2005. The chrysanthemum and the sword: Patterns of Japanese culture. New York, NY: Mariner Books.

Bernstein, Gail Lee. 1983. Haruko’s World: A Japanese Farm Woman and Her Community. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Chambers, Veronica. 2007. Kickboxing geishas: How modern Japanese women are changing their nation. New York, NY: Free Press.

Forget the stereotypes. Today's Japanese women are shattering them -- breaking the bonds of tradition and dramatically transforming their culture. Shopping-crazed schoolgirls in Hello Kitty costumes and the Harajuku girls Gwen Stefani helped make so popular have grabbed the media's attention. But as critically acclaimed author Veronica Chambers has discovered through years of returning to Japan and interviewing Japanese women, the more interesting story is that of the legions of everyday women -- from the office suites to radio and TV studios to the worlds of art and fashion and on to the halls of government -- who have kicked off a revolution in their country. Japanese men hardly know what has hit them. In a single generation, women in Japan have rewritten the rules in both the bedroom and the boardroom. Not a day goes by in Japan that a powerful woman doesn't make the front page of the newspapers. In the face of still-fierce sexism, a new breed of women is breaking through the "rice paper ceiling" of Japan's salary-man dominated corporate culture. The women are traveling the world -- while the men stay at home -- and returning with a cosmopolitan sophistication that is injecting an edgy, stylish internationalism into Japanese life. So many women are happily delaying marriage into their thirties -- labeled "losing dogs" and yet loving their liberated lives -- that the country's birth rate is in crisis. With her keen eye for all facets of Japanese life, Veronica Chambers travels through the exciting world of Japan's new modern women to introduce these "kickboxing geishas" and the stories of their lives: the wildly popular young hip-hop DJ; the TV chef who is also a government minister; the entrepreneur who founded a market research firm specializing in charting the tastes of the teenage girls driving the country's GNC -- "gross national cool"; and the Osaka assembly-woman who came out publicly as a lesbian -- the first openly gay politician in the country. Taking readers deep into these women's lives and giving the lie to the condescending stereotypes, Chambers reveals the vibrant, dynamic, and fascinating true story of the Japanese women we've never met. Kickboxing Geishas is an entrancing journey into the exciting, bold, stylish new Japan these women are making.

Davies, Roger J. and Osamu Ikeno, eds. 2002. The Japanese mind: Understanding contemporary Japanese culture. Boston, MA: Tuttle.

In The Japanese Mind, Roger Davies offers Westerners an invaluable key to the unique aspects of Japanese culture. Readers of this book will gain a clear understanding of what really makes the Japanese, and their society, tick. Among the topics explored: aimai (ambiguity), amae (dependence upon others'' benevolence), amakudari (the nation''s descent from heaven), chinmoku (silence in communication), gambari (perseverence), giri (social obligation), haragei (literally, "belly art"; implicit, unspoken communication), kenkyo (the appearance of modesty), sempai-kohai (seniority), wabi-sabi (simplicity and elegance), and zoto (gift giving), as well as discussions of childrearing, personal space, and the roles of women in Japanese society. Includes discussion topics and questions after each chapter.

De Mente, Boyé Lafayette. 2004. Japan’s cultural code words. Boston, MA: Tuttle.

Western perceptions of Japanese attitudes and behavior range from cute, quaint, and seductive to strange and sometimes savage. The best and fastest way to understand the dual nature of Japanese attitudes and behavior is through their business and cultural code words--key terms that reveal, in-depth, Japanese psychology and philosophy. In 234 essays, Japan culture expert, Boye Lafayette De Mente offers personal insights into the extremes of Japanese behavior and into the dynamics of one of the world's most fascinating societies.. An excellent book for missionary study.

Doi, Takeo. 1981. The anatomy of dependence. Translated by John Bester.

leading psychiatrist offers not only the most satisfying explanation of Japanese behavior yet written, but a key to a new understanding of all basic human needs. This is a seminal work for those interested in Japanese psychology and sociology.

Rev. ed. Tokyo: Kodansha

Edwards, Walter. 1989. Modern Japan through its weddings: Gender, person, and society in ritual portrayal. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Hendry, Joy. 1986. Becoming Japanese: The world of the preschool Child. Honolulu, IL: University of Hawai’i Press.

Kondo, Dorrine K. 1990. Crafting selves: Power, gender, and discourses of identity in a Japanese workplace. Chicago,IL: University of Chicago Press.

Lie, John. 2001. Multiethnic Japan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Long, Susan Orpett. 2005. Final days: Japanese culture and choice at the end of life. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai‘i Press.

Nakamura, Hajime. 1964. Ways of thinking of Eastern peoples: India, China, Tibet, Japan. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai'i Press.

Napier, Susan J. 2005. Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle: Experiencing contemporary Japanese animation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ogasawara Yuko. 1998. Office ladies and salaried men: Power, gender, and work in Japanese companies. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. 1993. Rice as self: Japanese identities through time. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Are we what we eat? What does food reveal about how we live and how we think of ourselves in relation to others? Why do people have a strong attachment to their own cuisine and an aversion to the foodways of others? In this engaging account of the crucial significance rice has for the Japanese, Rice as Self examines how people use the metaphor of a principal food in conceptualizing themselves in relation to other peoples. Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney traces the changing contours that the Japanese notion of the self has taken as different historical Others--whether Chinese or Westerner--have emerged, and shows how rice and rice paddies have served as the vehicle for this deliberation. Using Japan as an example, she proposes a new cross-cultural model for the interpretation of the self and other.

Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. 2002. Kamikaze, cherry blossoms, and nationalisms: The militarization of aesthetics in Japanese history. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Robertson, James. 1998. Japanese working class lives: An ethnographic study of factory workers. New York, NY: Routledge.

Schilling, Mark. 1997. The encyclopedia of Japanese pop culture. Trumbull, CT: Weatherhill.

Varley, H. Paul. 1984. Japanese culture. 3rd ed. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai’i Press.

Zielenziger, Michael. 2006. Shutting out the sun: How Japan created its own lost generation. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

JAPANESE RELIGION

Berentsen, Jan-Martin. 1985. Grave and gospel: A missiological study in Japanese worship and the theological implications of its encounter with the Christian faith. Leiden: Brill.

Bloom, Alfred. 1965. Shinran’s gospel of pure grace. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press.

Davis, Winston. 1992. Japanese religion and society: Paradigms of structure and change. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Earhart, H. Byron. 1974. Japanese religion: Unity and diversity. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Hardacre, Helen. 1986. Kurozumikyō and the new religions of Japan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Kasahara, Kazuo. 2001. A history of Japanese religion. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing.

LaFleur, William R. 1992. Liquid life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lim, David and Spaulding Steve, eds. 2003. Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist world. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

Lim, David and Spaulding Steve, eds. 2005. Sharing Jesus holistically in the Buddhist world. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library

Lim, David, Steve Spaulding and Paul De Neui, eds. 2005. Sharing Jesus effectively in the Buddhist world. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library

Description: This is the final book in the three-volume 'Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World' series. The works have been written by a group of Evangelical mission 'reflective practitioners,' who are committed to developing more effective ways to win the Buddhist peoples to the Lord Jesus Christ. The chapters in this volume were first presented as papers at a missiological forum held at the start of the sixth assembly of SEANET in January 2004 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The opening chapter is a 'situationer' of where the Buddhist people groups are, and the next six describe some of the best models of mission approaches to reaching Buddhists. The last four chapters depict some of the past and present attempts at effective 'people movements' or 'church planting movements' in Thailand and Japan. We invite our readers to access the previous volumes, Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World and Sharing Jesus Holistically with the Buddhist World, also edited by David Lim and Steve Spaulding. These works provide concrete models of contextualized witness to adherents of various Buddhist faiths, which number one billion today. All three books are rich resources for those committed to effective evangelization and transformation of nations in our generation.

Reader, Ian. 1991. Religion in contemporary Japan. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai’i Press.

Reader, Ian and George J. Tanabe, Jr. 1998. Practically religious: Worldly benefits and the common religion of Japan. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai’i Press.

Smith, Robert J. 1974. Ancestor worship in contemporary Japan. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

A seminal work. Traces the historical evolution of ancestor worship from its putative beginnings as an indigenous tradition. This book is the basis of up-to-date work on Japanese Ancestor Practices. Some of the trends he noticed are now common practice.

Spae, Joseph J. 1971. Japanese religiosity. Tokyo: Oriens Institute of Religious Research.

Wakabayashi, Satsuki and John Terry. 1989. Buddhist priests choose Christ. Wilmington, DE: Dawn Press

CHRISTIAN ENCOUNTER WITH JAPANESE CULTURE

Breen, John and Mark Williams, eds. 1996. Japan and Christianity: Impacts and responses. New York, NY: St Martin’s Press.

Corwin, Charles. 1967. Biblical encounter with Japanese culture. Tokyo: Christian Literature Crusade.

Harrington, Ann M. 1993. Japan’s hidden Christians. Chicago, IL: Loyola University Press.

Lee, Robert. 1999. The clash of civilizations: An intrusive gospel in Japanese civilization. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International.

To help explain the current slow growth of Christianity in Japan, Robert Lee provides a fascinating overview and analysis of the historical, political, social, literal, and religious development of Japanese civilizations. This book is very insightful, coming from someone with an intimate knowledge of Japanese culture and solid evangelical theological beliefs.

Lewis, David C. 1993. The unseen face of Japan. Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Monarch.

Mullins, Mark R. 1998. Christianity made in Japan: A study of indigenous movements. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai‘i Press.

For centuries the accommodation between Japan and Christianity has been an uneasy one. Compared with others of its Asian neighbors, the churches in Japan have never counted more than a small minority of believers more or less resigned to patterns of ritual and belief transplanted from the West. But there is another side to the story, one little known and rarely told: the rise of indigenous movements aimed at a Christianity that is at once made in Japan and faithful to the scriptures and apostolic tradition. Christianity Made in Japan draws on extensive field research to give an intriguing and sympathetic look behind the scenes and into the lives of the leaders and followers of several indigenous movements in Japan. Focusing on the "native" response rather than Western missionary efforts and intentions, it presents varieties of new interpretations of the Christian tradition. It gives voice to the unheard perceptions and views of many Japanese Christians, while raising questions vital to the self-understanding of Christianity as a truly "world religion."

Mullins, Mark R., ed. 2003. Handbook of Christianity in Japan. Leiden: Brill.

Inazo, Nitobe. 1998. Bushido: The soul of Japan. Tokyo: Kodansha Bilingual Books.

Phillips James M. 1981. From the rising of the sun: Christians and society in contemporary Japan. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.

Reid, David. 1991. New wine: The cultural shaping of Japanese Christianity. Berkeley, CA: Asian Humanities Press.

A ground breaking work, this book begins with a chronology of Japanese Socioreligious history, Japanese religions, Japanese Christians and their ancestors. It then looks into the relationship between religion and politics in contemporary Japan and the current state of Christianity in Japan. Lucidly written and generously illustrated.

Sheppard, Lowell. 2001. Chasing the cherry blossom: A spiritual journey through Japan. Oxford: Lion Publishing.

JAPANESE THEOLOGY AND THEOLOGIANS

Furuya, Yasuo, ed. 1997. A history of Japanese theology. Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans.

This is the first book on the history of Japanese theology written by Japanese theologians. Editor Yasuo Furuya and four other eminent Japanese theologians - Akio Dohi, Toshio Sato, Seiichi Yagi, and Masaya Odagaki - clarify the tumultuous history of Japanese Christianity and describe the context, methodology, and goals shaping Japanese theology today.

Germany, Charles H. 1965. Protestant theologies in modern Japan: A history of dominant theological currents from 1920 to 1960. Tokyo: International Institute for the Study of Religions Press.

Howes, John F. 2005. Japan’s modern prophet: Uchimura Kanzō: 1861-1930. Vancouver, B.C.: University of British Columbia Press.

Inagaki, Hisakazu and J. Nelson Jennings. 2000. Philosophical theology and East-West dialogue. Amsterdam: Rodopi.

Philosophical Theology and East-West Dialogue is a unique philosophical and theological analysis of certain key interactions between Eastern and Western thinkers. The book on the one hand contrasts general traits of Eastern, Buddhist thought and Western, Greek thought. However, in doing so it focuses on influential philosophers and theologians who manifest particular instances of wider issues. The result is a careful examination of basic questions that offers both broad implications and concrete specificity in its approach. The book itself is an instance of East-West dialogue. Independently of each other both authors had previously engaged in serious cross-cultural studies. The Japanese Inagaki had researched Western science and philosophy, then written in Japanese comparative studies of Japanese thought. The North American Jennings had researched Japanese theology. They brought these backgrounds together, dialoguing with each other until the present study emerged. Several creative Japanese thinkers, as well as important Westerners, are taken up. The study follows the lead of many Eastern impulses, but it also critically utilizes Western methods. Contemporary thinking on religious plurality is carefully examined. This new study is a must for those interested in philosophy and theology in general, and East-West interaction in particular.

Inoue, Yoji. 1994. The face of Jesus in Japan. Translated by Hisako Akamatsu. Tokyo: Kindai Bungeisha.

Jennings, L. Nelson. 2005. Theology in Japan: Takakura Tokutaro (1885-1934). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Kagawa, Toyohiko. 1931. The religion of Jesus and love the law of life. Translated by Helen F. Topping and J. Fullerton Gressitt. Chicago: John C. Winston.

Kagawa, Toyohiko. 1934. Christ and Japan. Translated by William Axling. New York: Friendship Press.

Kagawa, Toyohiko. 1935. Meditations on the cross. Translated by Helen F. Topping and Marion R. Draper. Chicago: Willett, Clark & Co.

Kitamori, Kazoh. 2005. Theology of the pain of God. Translator not listed. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock.

Koyama, Kosuke. 1976. No handle on the cross: An Asian meditation on the crucified mind. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Koyama, Kosuke. 1985. Mount Fuji and Mount Sinai: A critique of idols. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Koyama, Kosuke. 1999. Water buffalo theology. 25th ann. ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Water Buffalo Theology marked the emergence of a self-conscious Asian Christian theology on the world scene when it was published in 1974. In this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, Koyama thoroughly updates the original, adding a retrospective introduction that records how he has changed his mind on many topics but maintained his position on others. In addition to eliminating several chapters, Koyama also adds one on his "pilgrimage in mission." Water Buffalo Theology urges readers to abide by the first calling of Christianity - to become an incarnation of God's love.

Michalson, Carl. 1960. Japanese contributions to Christian theology. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster.

Miura, Hiroshi. 1996. The life and thought of Kanzo Uchimura, 1861-1930. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Uchimura claimed that Japan adopted Western civilization at the reopening of the country in the late nineteenth century but did not adopt Christianity itself - the very cause, spirit, and life of Western civilization. This was the origin of all the difficulties Japan had been experiencing. There is no question that Uchimura believed Christianity would save Japan and the Japanese; the real question was "What kind of Christianity?" In his view Christian faith entails a radical dependence on the gospel; baptism, communion, and the other sacraments are not necessary. He also believed that God's truth can be revealed directly to each individual, so that an intermediary between God and people, such as a minister, priest, or pope, is not required. This argument led Uchimura to start the Mukyokai-shugi (Non-church), a denial of the institutional church. Miura here explores in depth this theme in Uchimura's thought as well as Uchimura's particular vision of Japan's mission to the world. This study not only offers Western readers new information about Kanzo Uchimura and the Japanese Non-church Movement; it also provides important insights into the way Christianity can be indigenized in a new culture, such as that of modern Japan.

Miyahira, Nozomu. 2000. Towards a theology of the concord of God: A Japanese perspective on the Trinity. Carlisle, Cumbria: Paternoster.

Parker, Calvin F. 2003. Christ in a kimono: Christian beliefs in Japanese dress. Winnipeg, MB: Word Alive Press.

This book discusses ten Christian beliefs against the backdrop of Japanese culture. These are: 1.The Incarnation 2.The deity of Christ 3.The Trinity 4.The image of God in humankind 5.The meaning of the cross 6.The way of salvation 7.The conversion experience 8.The meaning of suffering 9.The nature of the church 10.The nature of Scripture. Very interesting, creative theology.

Takenaka, Masao. 1988. God is rice: Asian culture and Christian faith. Geneva: World Council of Churches.

Takenaka, Masao. 2002. When the bamboo bends: Christ and culture in Japan. Geneva: World Council of Churches.

Uchimura, Kanzo. 1895. How I became a Christian: Out of my diary. Tokyo: Keiseisha.

Uchimura, Kanzō. 1973. The complete works of Kanzo Uchimura. Vols I-7. Tokyo: Kyobunkwan.

JAPANESE CHRISTIAN HISTORY

Boxer, C. R. 1967. The Christian century in Japan, 1549-1650. 2nd printing, corrected. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

This scarce title on Japan's Christian century following the landing of Francis Xavier at Kagoshima in August 1549. The book tells of the first Europeans (Portuguese) reaching Japan and discusses the organizing of the first Jesuit missions in Japan. It tells also of the early overseas expansion of the Japanese, of the prohibition of Christaianity by the Japanese, and of the savage persecution of the missionaries and converts. Much new material is presented, some from the original Jesuit secret and confidential reports, some from the Marsden manuscripts in the British Museum and some from the Aduja Library at Lisbon

Cary, Otis. 1976. A history of Christianity in Japan: Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Protestant missions. 2nd ed. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle.

Drummond, Richard Henry. 1971. A history of Christianity in Japan. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Fuchida, Mitsuo. 1953. From Pearl Harbor to Golgotha. San Jose, CA: Sky Pilots Press.

Fujita, Neil S. 1991. Japan’s encounter with Christianity: The Catholic Mission in pre-modern Japan. New York, NY: Paulist Press.

Hitt, Russell T. 1965. Sensei: The life story of Irene Webster-Smith. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Milton, Giles. 2002. Samurai William: The Englishman who opened Japan. New York, NY: Penguin.

Moran, J. F. 1993. The Japanese and the Jesuits: Alessandro Valignano in sixteenth-century Japan. London: Routledge.

Natori, Junichi. 1957. Historical stories of Christianity in Japan. Tokyo: Hokuseido.

Prang, Margaret. 1995. A heart at leisure from itself: Caroline Macdonald of Japan. Vancouver, B.C.: University of British Columbia Press.

Ross, Andrew C. 1994. A vision betrayed: The Jesuits in Japan and China, 1542-1742. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Yamamori, Tetsunao. 1974. Church growth in Japan: A study in the development of eight denominations, 1859-1939. South Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

JAPANESE LITERATURE WITH CHRISTIAN THEMES

Endo, Shusaku. 1974. Wonderful fool. Translated by Francis Mathy. Tokyo: Tuttle.

Endo, Shusaku. 1978. A life of Jesus. Translated by Richard Schuchert. New York: Paulist Press.

Endo, Shusaku. 1982. Silence. Translated by William Johnstone. Tokyo: Kodansha.

Endo, Shusaku. 1982. The samurai. Translated by Van C. Gessel. London: Peter Owen.

Endo, Shusaku. 1988. Scandal. Translated by Van C. Gessel. Tokyo: Shinchōsha.

Endo, Shusaku. 1993. The final martyrs. Translated by Van C. Gessel. London: Peter Owen.

Endo, Shusaku. 1994. Deep river. Translated by Van C. Gessel. New York, NY: New Directions.

Miura, Ayako. 1987. Shiokari Pass. Translated by Bill and Sheila Fearnehough. Boston, MA: Tuttle.

Miura, Ayako. 1990. The wind is howling. Translated by Valerie Griffiths. Singapore: OMF Books.

Miura, Ayako. 2004. Lady Gracia: A samurai wife’s love, strife and faith. Translated by Susan Tsumura. Tokyo: IBC Publishing.

Sono, Ayako. 1990. Watcher from the shore. Translated by Edward Putzar. Tokyo: Kodansha.

Williams, Mark B. 1999. Endō Shūsaku: A literature of reconciliation. London: Routledge.