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The first European description of Japan, 1585 : a critical English-language edition of striking contrasts in the customs of Europe and Japan by Luis Frois, S.J. / translated from the Portuguese original and edited and annotated by Richard K. Danford, Robin D. Gill, and Daniel T. Reff ; with a critical introduction by Daniel T. Reff
Bib ID 6452749
Format BookBook [text, volume]
Author
Fróis, Luís, -1597, author
 
Uniform Title Tratado em que se contêm muito susinta- e abreviadamente algumas contradições e diferenças de custumes entre a gente de Europa e esta provincía de Japão. English
Description Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2014 
xi, 299 pages ; 24 cm. 
ISBN 041572757X
9780415727570
Invalid ISBN 9781315852140
Series

Japan anthropology workshop series ; 25.

Summary

"In 1585, at the height of the Jesuit missionary activity in Japan, which was begun by Francis Xavier in 1549, Luis Frois, a long-time missionary in Japan, drafted the earliest systematic comparison of Western and Japanese cultures. This book constitutes the first critical English-language edition of the 1585 work, the original of which was discovered in the Royal Academy of History in Madrid after the Second World War. The book provides a translation of the text, which is not a continuous narrative, but rather more than 600 distichs or brief couplets on subjects such as gender, child rearing, religion, medicine, eating, horses, writing, ships and seafaring, architecture, and music and drama. In addition, the book includes a substantive introduction and other editorial material to explain the background and also to make comparisons with present-day Japanese life. Overall, the book represents an important primary source for understanding a particularly challenging period of Japanese history and culture. "--

Notes

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Translated from the Portuguese.

Subjects Europe -- Civilization -- 16th century -- Early works to 1800.  |  Europe -- Social life and customs -- 16th century -- Early works to 1800.  |  Japan -- Civilization -- 1568-1600 -- Early works to 1800.  |  Japan -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800.  |  Japan -- Social life and customs -- 1185-1600 -- Early works to 1800.
Other authors/contributors Danford, Richard K., 1964-, editor, translator  |  Gill, Robin, 1951-, editor, translator  |  Reff, Daniel T., 1949-, editor, translator

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