Jack Seward
Список книг автора Jack SewardHara-kiri
Hari-Kiri is a definitive text on Japanese ritual suicide, also known as suppuku.To the average westerner, the word hara-kiri conjures up an image of excruciating, self-inflicted pain; of a deep, fatal incision. To the Japanese, this kind of suicide embodies the best qualities of courage, honor, and discipline.Through extensive research, author Jack Seward brings to the English-speaking public a dissertation on the subject that is thoroughly enlightening. Fluent in speaking, reading, and writing Japanese, he was able to glean information from ancient documents—many of them scrolls in the Japanese archives—that few foreigners have seen. The earliest writings on hara-kiri (known more formally as seppuku) are thus revealed, as are the intricate rituals surrounding the ceremony."The major purpose of this book," says the author, «is to clarify the historical and sociological significance of a unique method of self-destruction.» In fulfilling this purpose, author Seward has come up with a definitive work that is sure to arouse interest both as a scholarly effort and as simple, fascinating reading.
Strange But True Stories from Japan
Strange but True Stories from Japan is a fascinating collection of vignettes, ranging from historical to the personal.Here you will be exposed to the goings-on of Americans serving time in Japanese prisons and the many who claimed the identity of Tokyo Rose. And learn about the bizarre habits of the eels that roam the Chikugo River.In this eclectic and, well, strange, book you'll relive-from a distance-Kamakura's hara-kiri bloodshed and discover the surprising fate of the armless geisha, Tsuma-kichi. Seward also weaves touching memoir pieces between chapters that recount hilarious instances of fractured English and shocking-to-the-average-American Japanese cuisine. Written with an eye and ear for the theatrical and for the rhythm of Japanese life, this delightful but serious romp through modern Japan brings Seward's wide and varied cultural and military background to center stage.
Macneils of Tokyo
In the absorbing, epic tradition of The Winds of War, author Jack Seward presents a new novel of war, passion, and divided family loyalties.The MacNeil family is torn apart by the horrors of war, which is consuming Asia as strife, intrigue, and romance inevitably follow. Like its predecessor, The MacNeils of Nagasaki, this lively novel is a storytelling gem from a prolific author, a perfect beach read for all lovers of family sagas, historical fiction, and gripping adventure novels.
Outrageous Japanese
This is a user–friendly and concise Japanese phrase book and guide to Japanese slang and Japanese curses.The Japanese are extraordinarily polite and soft-spoken people who are always indirect and evasive in their dealings with each other. Right? Well, not really. They can be just as explicit, vicious, vile and downright vulgar as anyone else when they want to be. This little gem of a book teaches you hundreds and hundreds of Japanese taunts, threats, curses and expletives that you'll never find in any dictionary-showing you how the Japanese really talk to one another when they are angry or emotional. Fun and entertaining, it will help you to read Japanese, write Japanese, and speak Japanese. It leaves no taboo untouched and sets the record straight. Learn how to call somebody a lecher, a deadbeat, a tub of lard, (and much worse than we can show here)–and arm yourself with phrases such as «Drop dead» or "what sewer did you crawl out of jackass? Fun and instructive, it is the perfect antidote for those boring language classes you have been taking, and your Japanese friends will die when they hear you trying out new expressions like tonji (pig–child) and dauma–geisha (fat–bottomed geisha).