Cultural Evolution of Postwar Japan

Yamamoto Sanehiko's (1885-1952) achievements as a publisher, writer, and politician in the interwar period served as both a catalyst and a template for developments after the wars. While exploring the accomplishments the compelling figure, this study sheds new light on the social, cultural, and political changes that occurred in postwar Japan.

"A compelling, comprehensive, expertly researched, and long overdue study of Yamamoto Sanehiko (1885-1952), president of a major Japanese publishing house in interwar and early postwar Japan, and a key figure in Japanese intellectual and literary history. Keaveney's nuanced book skillfully illuminates Yamamoto's many achievements, the paradoxes that came to define his career, and most importantly his vital role as a cultural broker among Japan, China, and the West." - Karen L. Thornber, Professor of Comparative Literature and Professor, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, USA and author of Empire of Texts in Motion: Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese Transculturations of Japanese Literature and Ecoambiguity: Environmental Crises and East Asian Literatures "Focusing on the accomplishments of Yamamoto Sanehiko (1885-1952), a leading journalist and cultural entrepreneur, Keaveney has produced an exemplary study that touches upon a range of modern Japanese literary currents and trends. As founder and editor of the influential journal Kaiz?, Yamamoto inspired important innovations in literary publishing and stimulated a productive Sino-Japanese literary and intellectual exchange. An illuminating and entirely engaging book." - Marvin Marcus, Professor of Japanese Language and Literature, Washington University in St Louis, USA, and author of Reflections in a Glass Door: Memory and Melancholy in the Personal Writings of Natsume Soseki

Christopher T. Keaveney is a Professor of Japanese and Asian Studies and co-chair of the Department of Modern Languages at Linfield College, USA.