The Core of Japanese Culture Author: [Japan] Masataka Matsuoka Translator: Sachi Publishing House: Yuelu Publishing House

"Japanese culture" is a subject that Masataka Matsuoka has been working on for many years. As a leading figure in contemporary Japanese cultural research and a master editor, Mr. Matsuoka has participated in observations and practical experience in various cultural fields for many years, which also enables him to dismantle the evolution path of Japanese culture from multiple perspectives and levels. This book is the culmination of Matsuoka's "Japan Theory".

The book begins by analyzing the structure of Japanese mythology, reflecting on the series of possibilities it derives from and brings about, and then goes on to explore the structure of modern Japan in depth, summarizing a vivid image of Japan on a line of civilization that spans thousands of years.

Japanese culture is both singular and diverse. In the cycle of absorbing, cutting off, and reshaping, it constantly enriches itself, innovates itself, and returns to itself. A simple and easy-to-understand approach cannot deeply understand Japan. We must face up to the profound and ambiguous parts of Japanese culture in order to grasp the essence of Japanese culture. The book uses Matsuoka's unique editing thinking to filter out the superficial perceptions of Japan layer by layer, and condense a delicate silhouette of Japanese style for us.

Masataka Matsuoka was born in Kyoto in 1944. He is the editor-in-chief of the pioneer magazine "Yu"; a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo and a professor at Tezukayama Gakuin University; he is currently the director of the Institute of Editing Engineering and the president of ISIS Editing School (the world's first Internet editing school). As an editorial master with a profound influence on Japan, he has been active in the Japanese intellectual circle since the 1970s. He is also regarded as an idol by Yohji Yamamoto and invited to participate in fashion shows. From the founding of the magazine "Yu" in 1971, to the establishment of "Editing Engineering", to the serialization of "Thousand Nights and Thousand Books", he has been pulling the nerves of Japanese culture, art and media.