Peter Duus
The Abacus and the Sword
The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1895-1910
$28.95, £19.95 paperback
9780520213616
Available Now
498 pages, 6 x 9 inches, 18 b/w illustrations, 15 tables, 1 map
September 1995, Available worldwide
Also in: East Asian Studies
September 1995, Available worldwide
Also in: East Asian Studies
What forces were behind Japan's emergence as the first non-Western colonial power at the turn of the twentieth century? Peter Duus brings a new perspective to Meiji expansionism in this pathbreaking study of Japan's acquisition of Korea, the largest of its colonial possessions. He shows how Japan's drive for empire was part of a larger goal to become the economic, diplomatic, and strategic equal of the Western countries who had imposed a humiliating treaty settlement on the country in the 1850s.
Duus maintains that two separate but interlinked processes, one political/military and the other economic, propelled Japan's imperialism. Every attempt at increasing Japanese political influence licensed new opportunities for trade, and each new push for Japanese economic interests buttressed, and sometimes justified, further political advances. The sword was the servant of the abacus, the abacus the agent of the sword.
While suggesting that Meiji imperialism shared much with the Western colonial expansion that provided both model and context, Duus also argues that it was "backward imperialism" shaped by a sense of inferiority vis-à-vis the West. Along with his detailed diplomatic and economic history, Duus offers a unique social history that illuminates the motivations and lifestyles of the overseas Japanese of the time, as well as the views that contemporary Japanese had of themselves and their fellow Asians.
Duus maintains that two separate but interlinked processes, one political/military and the other economic, propelled Japan's imperialism. Every attempt at increasing Japanese political influence licensed new opportunities for trade, and each new push for Japanese economic interests buttressed, and sometimes justified, further political advances. The sword was the servant of the abacus, the abacus the agent of the sword.
While suggesting that Meiji imperialism shared much with the Western colonial expansion that provided both model and context, Duus also argues that it was "backward imperialism" shaped by a sense of inferiority vis-à-vis the West. Along with his detailed diplomatic and economic history, Duus offers a unique social history that illuminates the motivations and lifestyles of the overseas Japanese of the time, as well as the views that contemporary Japanese had of themselves and their fellow Asians.
"A work of remarkable scholarship. Thorough and comprehensive, it sets a new standard in the study of the Japanese domination of Korea."—Yông-ho Ch'oe, Korean Studies
"Duus offers us a comprehensive and well-ordered account of Japan's activities on the Korean peninsula from her war with China down to the ultimate annexation of Korea in 1910. It is a thorough treatment of Japanese sources on the subject together with Korean collections of Japanese materials prepared by the scholar, Kim Chong-myong. The book also contains superb illustrations. . . . A major study in which Duus succeeds in maintaining a remarkable detachment in explaining such a hotly debated story."—Ian Nish, Asian Affairs
"The best book in any language on Japanese expansion into Korea that resulted in the establishment of Japan's colonial control over the peninsular kingdom in 1910. Duus . . . traces this story in great depth as well as breadth. Based on an unusually wide array of documents, the book succeeds in examining the ways in which Japan during the Meiji era steadily encroached upon Korean sovereignty and penetrated the country's political, economic, and social life."—Akira Iriye, History
"Duus has filled an important gap in the understanding of why and how the 1910 Japanese annexation of Korea took place, and has gone beyond that to suggest how it might be viewed in the context of 19th- and 20th-century imperialism. His study is likely to become the standard work on the evolution and implementation of Japanese policy toward Korea. Wide-ranging and thorough, the book is based on careful reading of major primary and secondary works in Japanese."—Choice
"Enjoyable for its broad discussion of Japanese economic and diplomatic history and psychology as well as its close chronology of events in Japan and Korea."—Daily Yomiori
"This book . . . dazzles the reader with its breadth of coverage and depth of research. By presenting a wide array of competing interests, both in international and domestic spheres, Duus makes a compelling case that during the late nineteenth century the Meiji leadership was not united in any firm plan of penetration into Korea." -- Judith Wyman, The Historian
"Peter Duus's new book represents a significant contribution to the study of Meiji imperialism, offering the first thorough examination of the long record of Japanese engagement in Korea since the publication of Hilary Conroy's work thirty-five years ago. . . . The strength of this work lies in its broad analysis of Japanese behaviour, examining the decisions of soldiers and statesmen at the top of the political hierarchy as well as the endeavours of struggling émigré farmers and shopkeepers. At the same time, the book should be of value to students of modern imperialism and comparative history. Duus unobtrusively weaves a well-informed theoretical analysis into the narrative. More than most studies of Japanese imperialism, this book is readily accessible to those not specializing in Japan. The Abacus and the Sword is a synthesis of political, social, and economic history." —Yoshihisa Matsusaka, International History Review
"Duus brings to life the story of Japan's inexorable encroachment onto the peninsula, while providing a solid and convincing analysis of Japanese political, economic, and ideological motives for so doing. This is an extraordinarily balanced narrative written by a historian at the top of his game. . . . Duus has provided us with a masterful account of early Japanese involvement in Korea. The Abacus and the Sword is a major achievement, the product of years of laborious study. It is meticulously researched, reasonably and insightfully argued, and eminently readable. It will remain the standard work on the period for years to come."—Michael Robinson, Monumenta Nipponica
"The book contains everything about the process of Japanese penetration into Korea. It will serve as a primary source of information on Japanese imperialism and as a major referent point for many years to come. . . . The arguments he puts forward here will stir new debate about Japanese imperialism with reference to Korea." —Chang Yun-Shik, Contemporary Sociology
"A magnificent work which situates the rise of Japanese empire in the broader context of world imperialism." --Stephen S. Large, Times Literary Supplement
"Duus offers us a comprehensive and well-ordered account of Japan's activities on the Korean peninsula from her war with China down to the ultimate annexation of Korea in 1910. It is a thorough treatment of Japanese sources on the subject together with Korean collections of Japanese materials prepared by the scholar, Kim Chong-myong. The book also contains superb illustrations. . . . A major study in which Duus succeeds in maintaining a remarkable detachment in explaining such a hotly debated story."—Ian Nish, Asian Affairs
"The best book in any language on Japanese expansion into Korea that resulted in the establishment of Japan's colonial control over the peninsular kingdom in 1910. Duus . . . traces this story in great depth as well as breadth. Based on an unusually wide array of documents, the book succeeds in examining the ways in which Japan during the Meiji era steadily encroached upon Korean sovereignty and penetrated the country's political, economic, and social life."—Akira Iriye, History
"Duus has filled an important gap in the understanding of why and how the 1910 Japanese annexation of Korea took place, and has gone beyond that to suggest how it might be viewed in the context of 19th- and 20th-century imperialism. His study is likely to become the standard work on the evolution and implementation of Japanese policy toward Korea. Wide-ranging and thorough, the book is based on careful reading of major primary and secondary works in Japanese."—Choice
"Enjoyable for its broad discussion of Japanese economic and diplomatic history and psychology as well as its close chronology of events in Japan and Korea."—Daily Yomiori
"This book . . . dazzles the reader with its breadth of coverage and depth of research. By presenting a wide array of competing interests, both in international and domestic spheres, Duus makes a compelling case that during the late nineteenth century the Meiji leadership was not united in any firm plan of penetration into Korea." -- Judith Wyman, The Historian
"Peter Duus's new book represents a significant contribution to the study of Meiji imperialism, offering the first thorough examination of the long record of Japanese engagement in Korea since the publication of Hilary Conroy's work thirty-five years ago. . . . The strength of this work lies in its broad analysis of Japanese behaviour, examining the decisions of soldiers and statesmen at the top of the political hierarchy as well as the endeavours of struggling émigré farmers and shopkeepers. At the same time, the book should be of value to students of modern imperialism and comparative history. Duus unobtrusively weaves a well-informed theoretical analysis into the narrative. More than most studies of Japanese imperialism, this book is readily accessible to those not specializing in Japan. The Abacus and the Sword is a synthesis of political, social, and economic history." —Yoshihisa Matsusaka, International History Review
"Duus brings to life the story of Japan's inexorable encroachment onto the peninsula, while providing a solid and convincing analysis of Japanese political, economic, and ideological motives for so doing. This is an extraordinarily balanced narrative written by a historian at the top of his game. . . . Duus has provided us with a masterful account of early Japanese involvement in Korea. The Abacus and the Sword is a major achievement, the product of years of laborious study. It is meticulously researched, reasonably and insightfully argued, and eminently readable. It will remain the standard work on the period for years to come."—Michael Robinson, Monumenta Nipponica
"The book contains everything about the process of Japanese penetration into Korea. It will serve as a primary source of information on Japanese imperialism and as a major referent point for many years to come. . . . The arguments he puts forward here will stir new debate about Japanese imperialism with reference to Korea." —Chang Yun-Shik, Contemporary Sociology
"A magnificent work which situates the rise of Japanese empire in the broader context of world imperialism." --Stephen S. Large, Times Literary Supplement
"This is a major historical work that, in the field of Japanese imperialism, will set a standard for careful and comprehensive analysis. The Abacus and the Sword is the handiwork of a master historian."—Mark R. Peattie, author of Nan'yo: The Rise and Fall of the Japanese in Micronesia, 1885-1945
"This book . . . deserves a wide readership, especially among East Asia history specialists, for it represents difficult and complex scholarship at its best. . . . It is clear from an analysis of his documentation that he put solid study into the Japan-Korea relationship problem, one of the most complex in modern East Asian history—the equivalent perhaps of the English-Irish relationship in Western History. . . . This book is . . . well worth reading, not only for East Asian specialists but for anyone fascinated by the mysteries of history."
Hilary Conroy, American Academy of Political Science
"This book . . . deserves a wide readership, especially among East Asia history specialists, for it represents difficult and complex scholarship at its best. . . . It is clear from an analysis of his documentation that he put solid study into the Japan-Korea relationship problem, one of the most complex in modern East Asian history—the equivalent perhaps of the English-Irish relationship in Western History. . . . This book is . . . well worth reading, not only for East Asian specialists but for anyone fascinated by the mysteries of history."
Hilary Conroy, American Academy of Political Science
Co-winner, Akira Iriye International History Book Award for 1994-95, Foundation for Pacific Quest
Winner, Hiromi Arisawa Award, sponsored by the Association of American University Presses
Choice Outstanding Academic Book
Co-winner, Berkeley Prize for the best book by a senior author, sponsored by The Institute of East Asian Studies, the Centers for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Studies, and the University of California Press
Winner, Hiromi Arisawa Award, sponsored by the Association of American University Presses
Choice Outstanding Academic Book
Co-winner, Berkeley Prize for the best book by a senior author, sponsored by The Institute of East Asian Studies, the Centers for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Studies, and the University of California Press
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