Lesley Downer Libros

The story of a Japanese business dynasty. It focuses in particular on three men: a hated father who worked his way up from nothing, his illegitimate son who inherited most of the fortune, and a spurned legitimate son who built his own business empire.

Discover the aesthetic traditions, political resilience, and modern economic might of this singular island nation. Zen, haiku, martial arts, sushi, anime, manga, film, video games . . . Japanese culture has long enriched our Western way of life. Yet from a Western perspective, Japan remains a remote island country that has long had a complicated relationship with the outside world.Japan—an archipelago strung like a necklace around the Asian mainland—is considerably farther from Asia than Britain is from Europe. The sea has provided an effective barrier against invasion and enabled the culture to develop in unique ways. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shoguns successfully closed the country to the West. Then, Japan swung in the opposite direction, adopting Western culture wholesale. Both strategies enabled it to avoid colonization—and to retain its traditions and way of life.A skilled storyteller and accurate historian, Lesley Downer presents the dramatic sweep of Japanese history and the larger-than-life individuals—from emperors descended from the Sun Goddess to warlords, samurai, merchants, court ladies, women warriors, geisha, and businessmen—who shaped this extraordinary modern society. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.

Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but literally 'arts people'. Their accomplishments include singing, dancing or playing an instrument and they are masters of the art of conversation. The history of the geisha is explored here.

Only one woman can save her world from barbarian invasion but to do so will mean sacrificing everything she holds dear - love, loyalty and maybe life itself . . . Japan, and the year is 1853. Growing up among the samurai of the Satsuma Clan, in Japan's deep south, the fiery, beautiful and headstrong Okatsu has - like all the clan's women - been encouraged to be bold, taught to wield the halberd, and to ride a horse. But when she is just seventeen, four black ships appear. Bristling with cannon and manned by strangers who to the Japanese eyes are barbarians, their appearance threatens Japan's very existence. And turns Okatsu's world upside down. Chosen by her feudal lord, she has been given a very special role to play. Given a new name - Princess Atsu - and a new destiny, she is the only one who can save the realm. Her journey takes her to Edo Castle, a place so secret that it cannot be marked on any map. There, sequestered in the Women's Palace - home to three thousand women, and where only one man may enter: the shogun - she seems doomed to live out her days. But beneath the palace's immaculate facade, there are whispers of murders and ghosts. It is here that Atsu must complete her mission and discover one last secret - the secret of the man whose fate is irrevocably linked to hers: the shogun himself . . .

In 1870s Japan, Taka and Nobu meet as children and fall in love, but their relationship challenges societal norms. Following a civil war, Japan is modernizing with rickshaws, railways, and educational reforms. Social mobility allows commoners to marry across classes, and the historical animosities seem to fade. Taka belongs to the influential southern Satsuma clan, led by her father, General Kitaoka, while Nobu hails from the northern Aizu clan, once decimated by the Satsuma forces. Their love must remain secret due to family enmity, but unforeseen events shift the balance of power. Discontent brews among southern samurai, stripped of their swords and honor by the new regime. Taka's father returns to Kyushu, where unrest is escalating. As he and his clan rebel, the government deploys its new army, which includes Nobu and his brothers seeking revenge against the Satsuma. Caught in a web of loyalty and love, Nobu faces the possibility of fighting Taka's father and brother, while Taka is forced to choose between her family and her heart.

Epic history and romance combine in a sweeping novel featuring the beautiful mistress of the last shogun emperor.

Japan, 1868: the last shogun has been defeated, the age of the emperors is about to begin and in Japan's frozen north a diehard band of loyalists plans a desperate last stand.

The fascinating story of a geisha who captivated the West

La geisha è un enigma. È una contraddizione vivente nel Giappone "high tech" del terzo millennio. È l'incarnazione stessa dell'anima del paese. Con tenace pazienza, l'autrice ha saputo schiudere le porte di questo mondo segreto per combinare i curiosi dettagli di quattrocento anni di storia, svelando ad esempio che le prime geishe erano uomini, e che gli uomini geisha esistono ancora.

Die britische Japan-Expertin Lesley Downer erzählt die spannende und affärenreiche Geschichte des Milliardär-Clans, dessen einzigartiger Aufstieg zur Wirtschaftsdynastie in einem erbarmungslosen Bruderkrieg endete.

Die Familie Tsutsumi, Japans mächtigste Wirtschaftsdynastie: Eisenbahnen, Warenhausketten, Hotels, Filmgesellschaften, Sportstätten - das Imperium der Tsutsumis ist gewaltig, und die Geschichte dieser Familie ist wie keine andere mit der Entwicklung des modernen Japan verbunden.