William Elliot Griffis (1843 - 1928) was an American orientalist, Congregational minister, lecturer and prolific author. Griffis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of a sea captain and later a coal trader. During the American Civil War, he served two months as a corporal in Company H of the 44th Pennsylvania Militia after Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania in 1863. After the war, he attended Rutgers University at New Brunswick, New Jersey, graduating in 1869. At Rutgers, Griffis was an English and Latin language tutor for Taro Kusakabe, a young samurai from the province of Echizen (part of modern Fukui). After a year of travel in Europe, he studied at the seminary of the Reformed Church in America in New Brunswick (known today as the New Brunswick Theological Seminary).
Preface
Preface to the second edition
Part I. History of Japan from 660 BC to 1872 AD: 1. The background
2. The aborigines
3. Materials of history
4. Japanese mythology
5. The twilight of fable
6. Sujin, the civilizer
7. Yamato-dake, the conqueror of the Kuanto
8. The introduction of continental civilization
9. Life in ancient Japan
10. The ancient religion
11. The throne and the noble families
12. The beginning of military domination
13. Yoritomo and the Minamoto family
14. Creation of the dual system of government
15. The glory and the fall of the Hojo family
16. Buddhism in Japan
17. The invasion of the Mongol Tartars
18. The temporary Mikadoate
19. The war of the chrysanthemums
20. The Ashikaga period
21. Life in the middle ages
22. The growth and customs of feudalism
23. Nobunaga, the persecutor of the Buddhists
24. Hideyoshi's enterprises
25. Christianity and foreigners
26. Iyeasu, the founder of Yedo
27. The perfection of duarchy and feudalism
28. The recent revolutions in Japan
Part II. Personal Experiences, Observations, and Studies in Japan, 1870-5: 1. First glimpse of Japan
2. A ride on the Tokaido
3. In Tokio, the eastern capital
4. Sights and sounds in a pagan temple
5. Studies in the capital
6. Among the men of new Japan
7. In the heart of Japan
8. Reception by the Daimio
9. Life in a Japanese house
10. Children's games and sports
11. Household customs and superstitions
12. The mythical zoology of Japan
13. Folk-lore and fireside stories
14. Japanese proverbs
15. The last year of feudalism
16. A tramp through Japan
17. The position of woman
18. New Japan
Notes and appendices
Index.
