In this course, we take a long-term approach to the premodern history of the Japanese archipelago. We start with the earliest archeological records of diverse cultures, move through the classical and medieval realms of courts and monasteries, and continue up to the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the nineteenth century. You will learn about Japan from a global perspective, in connection—and sometimes in confrontation—with the Eurasian continent.