new publication-Kinkakuji and Kitayama: Space, Place, Monuments and Memory in Japan 1222-1994

[Thomas D. Conlan]

Colleagues:

I am delighted to announce the publication of my new monograph, Kinkakuji and Kitayama: Space, Place, Monuments and Memory in Japan 1222-1994.

This work adopts a typology of intentional monuments, historical monuments, ancient monuments, and timeless monuments to describe how Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, was created, preserved, destroyed, and rebuilt. It reveals how Ashikaga Yoshimitsu built Kinkakuji as a monument to glorify his rule. Later, Kinkakuji became a mortuary temple and historical monument, commemorating the Ashikaga, before becoming an ancient monument that was valued for being old. It then became a National Treasure of Japan. After it was destroyed in 1950, Kinkakuji was built as a timeless monument. In the process, Kinkakuji’s reconstruction influenced how UNESCO authorities defined “original” monuments.

Please check out the website at Brill, where it can be ordered. 

https://brill.com/display/title/61856?language=en&srsltid=AfmBOorNSRYzeXN66PvNFEZdQycOUY4wP1y5iGC1ddQZ6PYcy95AvEAQ

I should note that the introduction and chapter 2 are open access. 

Thomas  Conlan
Professor in East Asian Studies and Professor of History
Princeton University
207 Jones Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544-1008
Tel: (609) 258-4773
Fax: (609) 258-6984
tco...@princeton.edu