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In this book, historians Morgan Pitelka and Reiko Tanimura teamed up with one of the premier experts in calligraphy in Japan, Takashi Masuda, to translate, analyze, and explain twenty-three letters from one of the most fascinating periods in Japanese history: the transition from medieval to early modern.

The book includes attention to:

The etiquette and protocols of writing, sending, receiving, and responding to letters
Elite food culture and gift exchange
The social and political power of participation in tea culture
The often hidden influence and roles of elite women in a hierarchical society dominated by warriors
The social life of the samurai
Political and cultural change in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

BLURBS

"Letters from Japan's Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries offers vivid and varied glimpses into elite life and cultural practices in early modern Japan. With its careful translations, detailed contextualization, and expert guidance, it is sure to be an invaluable classroom resource."

—Erin Brightwell, University of Michigan

"This is just the sort of (not so little) handbook I wish had been around when I was an undergraduate or even a brand new grad student. With hefty introductions to the subject matter, reproduced originals, glosses, translations, and extensive commentaries, it should make a great many students and instructors happy."

—David Spafford, University of Pennsylvania

"The combination of scholarly introductory essays and documents with transcription, translation, and accompanying commentary-not to mention photographs of the original documents-make this an invaluable book with multiple uses for undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholarly audiences alike."

—Constantine Vaporis, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Letters from Japan’s Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: The Correspondence of Warlords, Tea Masters, Zen Priests, and Aristocrats