| NOTA |
(★)(Yet, in this fast-paced age of global communication, how many Japanese can most westerners name? Three? Four? Japan has an economy twice as large as the rest of Asia put together and is home to almost a quarter of the world´s five hundred largest corporations. For better or worse, Japan and the West are deeply interdependent. To succeed in the twenty-first century, westerners need to have a basic knowledge of the great men and women who have shaped Japan. ´Giants of Japan´ is the first book to inform readers about Asia´s powerhouse through the lives of Japan´s most important people. The book compresses centuries of history and economic growth by telling the stories --enterprising, adventurous, inspiring-- of some remarkable men and women. Here are more than forty fascinating biographies of people who have shaped Japan´s industry, history, and culture, individuals who have given their society its unique emphasis on both success and serenity. The men and women featured here include the founders of Honda and Sony ; the actress and dancer who created Kabuki theater ; the grand master who perfected the Japanese tea ceremony ; the prince who brought Buddhism from China ; the founder of Aikido ; the samurai warrior who united half of Japan ; the admiral who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor ; modern Japan´s most corrupt and influential politician ; and many, many more. The book includes eight founders of multinational corporations, a dozen historical figures, and six pathbreaking women in a variety of fields. Through their lives and achievements, Japanese history comes alive. Giants of Japan is a compelling study of the lives of great individuals and great moments in world history. ◆Mark Weston has worked as a journalist for ABC News and has written for The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. He is the author of ´The Land and People of Pakistan´, and a one-man play about George Orwell,´The Last Man in Europe´. He lives in Armonk, New York. Walter Mondale, who wrote the foreword, is a former vice president of the United States and Ambassador to Japan. ▼CONTENTS／PART ONE : INDUSTRY／1.The House of Mitsui : Merchants for Four Centuries／2.Iwasaki Yataro and the Growth of Mitsubishi／3.Matsushita Konosuke : Founder of Matsushita Electric (Panasonic)／4.Tashima Kazuo : Founder of Minolta／5.Honda Soichiro : Founder of Honda／6.Kobayashi Koji : The Man Who Turned NEC into a Global Computer Giant／7.Toyoda Eiji : The Man Behind Toyota´s Spectacular Growth／8.Morita Akio : Co-founder of Sony／ PART TWO : TRADITIONAL CULTURE／9.Lady Murasaki : Author of ´The Tale of Genji´, the World´s First Great Novel／10.Sen no Rikyu : Grand Master of the Japanese Tea Ceremony／11.Izumo no Okuni : The Actress and Dancer Who Created Kabuki Theater／12.Matsuo Basho : Japan´s Great Haiku Poet／13.Chikamatsu Monzaemon : Japan´s Great Playwright／14.Katsushika Hokusai : Master of the Wood-block Print／ PART THREE : HISTORY／15.Early Japan : Shinto Myths, the Imperial Lineage, and Shotoku, the Prince Who Spread Buddhism／16.Yoritomo, Hojo Masako, and Yoshitsune : The First Shogun, His Wife, and His Legendary Brother／17.Oda Nobunaga : The Warrior Who United Half of Japan／18.Toyotomi Hideyoshi : The Peasant Who United All of Japan／19.Tokugawa Ieyasu : The Shogun Who Began a Three-Century Dynasty／20.Oishi Kuranosuke : Leader of the Forty-Seven Ronin Who Avenged Their Master´s Death／21.Okubo Toshimichi : The Bureaucrat Who Led Japan into the Modern World／22.Tojo Hideki : Japan´s Wartime Prime Minister／23.Yamamoto Isoroku : The Admiral Who Planned Pearl Harbor／24.Emperor Hirohito : His Role in the Final Week of World War II／25.Yoshida Shigeru : Prime Minister of Japan During the American Occupation／26.Kato Shidzue : Birth Control Pioneer／27.Tanaka Kakuei : Modern Japan´s Most Powerful but Corrupt Prime Minister／ PART FOUR : MODERN WRITERS／28.Fukuzawa Yukichi : The Writer Who Helped Japan to Understand the West／29.Natsume Soseki : The Early Twentieth Century´s Most Highly Regarded Writer／30.Ibuse Masuji : The Novelist from Hiroshima／31.Hayashi Fumiko : Modern Japan´s Most Popular Woman Writer／32.Mishima Yukio : The Modern Novelist Inspired by the Samurai Tradition／33.Ariyoshi Sawako : The Writer Who Gave Voice to Silent Women／34.Kawabata Yasunari and Oe Kenzaburo : Nobel Prize-Winning Novelists／ PART FIVE : TWO FILM DIRECTORS, TWO ATHLETES／35.Ozu Yasujiro : Director of Poignant Films About Families in Transition／36.Kurosawa Akira : Japan´s Most Widely Admired Film Director／37.Oh Sadaharu and Ueshiba Morihei : Japan´s Home Run King and His Teacher, the Founder of Aikido／) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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