Samurai and Merchants, Prostitutes and Priests: Japanese Urban Culture in the Early Modern Period

Examines the cultural traditions of the urban samurai, the wealthy merchant, and the plebian artisan that emerged in the great metropolises of Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto during the early modern period. Focuses on the efforts of the government to mold certain kinds of cultural development for its own purposes and the efforts of various social groups to redirect those efforts to suit their desires and self-interest. P