All students of Japanese history will welcome the completion of this history... These volumes with the author's earlier works provide the standard and point of departure for future work in Japanese history. -- The American Historical Review Written in the elegant and lucid prose that has become for a generation of students the hallmark of Sir George's writing all three volumes are indispensable for students of Japan. -- The Annals Marks a milestone in the history of Western scholarship on Japan. -- The Journal of Asian Studies.