Simon Partner Book order

Kawai Koume's perspective as a poet and painter from a lower-ranking samurai family offers a unique glimpse into the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of 19th-century Japan. Simon Partner explores her life as a wife, mother, and grandmother, revealing the challenges and transformations during this pivotal era. Through Koume's experiences and artistry, the book captures the essence of a society in flux, highlighting the personal and collective narratives that shaped Japan's history.

In a narrative history rich in colorful detail, Simon Partner uses the story of an ordinary merchant farmer as a vantage point onto sweeping social transformation and its unwitting agents. Partner's history of Yokahama as a vibrant meeting place humanizes the story of Japan's revolutionary 1860s and their profound consequences.

Aizawa Kikutaro was born into the wealthiest family in Hashimoto, an agricultural village specializing in wheat and silk. Taking the biography of this villager as its focus and incorporating details of life drawn from Aizawa's diary, this book chronicles the transformation of Hashimoto against the background of Japan's rapid industrialization.