In the Realm of a Dying Emperor - by Norma Field (Paperback)

About the Book

When the Emperor Hirohito died in 1989, Japanese newspapers could not call his death a death, nor could they refer to him by his proper name. To do so would have exposed them to terrorism from the vigilante right wing. But this insightful book by a Japanese-American scholar reveals the hidden fault lines in the realm of the dying emperor.

Book Synopsis

Norma Field reveals the hidden fault lines in the realm of Emperor Hirohoto by telling the stories of three unlikely dissenters: a supermarket owner, an aging widow, and the mayor of Nagasaki.

Review Quotes

"Well-researched, well-observed and completely absorbing...an important and necessary book." -- The New York Times Book Review

"Remarkable...a vivid, taut, graceful piece of writing...with enormous power."-- James Fallows, The Atlantic

"Marvelous...Field uncovers a Japan rarely seen or acknowledged by Westerners, a Japan of individual expression, active dissent -- even open rebellion."-- Village Voice Literary Supplement

"Superb...one of the most important books...on Japanese who refuse to conform." -- Ian Buruma, The New York Review of Books

About the Author

Norma Field was born to a Japanese mother and an American father during the occupation of Japan after WWII. She is the Robert S. Ingersoll Distinguished Service Professor in Japanese studies in the East Asian languages and civilizations department at the University of Chicago. She is the author of The Splendor of Longing in the Tale of Genji and the translator of And Then by Natsume Sōseki.