Life and Culture in the Archaic Age -- Establishment of a Central Government and the Assimilation of Buddhist Culture -- Life at the Court and the Development of a National Culture -- Rise of the Warrior Class and the Medieval Culture -- Art and Japanese Sensitivity in the Pre-Modern Age -- Development of Cities and the Birth of a Townspeople Culture -- The Collapse of Feudal Society and Modernization.

Japan, in the course of its long history, has produced a remarkable national culture. Certain aspects of this culture have been nurtured by the Japanese from sources and inspiration within themselves, while other aspects, introduced from the Asian continent and in more recent times from the West, have been tempered according to Japanese tastes and incorporated as intrinisic elements of the culture. 'Japan's cultural development : a perspective" is an attempt to trace the developmental process of this culture in terms of origins and historical periods and to define more closely what is frequently referred to as the 'uniqueness' of Japan's cultural heritage." - foreword.