This volume ties together the histories of Japan and China for the modern period prior to the 20th century. The chapters look at Chinese and Japanese works which were written in response to events in the other country. None of these works has received any sustained attention in the west. As a result we get a view of how Chinese and Japanese saw each other at a time when there were few personal contacts allowed. Many of these texts were built on fanciful embellishments of stories that migrated from one land to the other. But the unique qualities of the Sino-Japanese cultural bond seem to have conditioned the interaction so that these texts all reveal a fascinatingly well-defined area.

Brings together the study of modern China and Japan for the period prior to the 20th century. The 29 chapters deal with Chinese or Japanese works written in response to events in the other country and give a view of how they saw each other at a time when there were few personal contacts allowed.