Japan�s incredibly rich cinematic tradition, from early 20th-century dramatic masterpieces to 21st-century anime, reveals much about its culture and history. We will use Japanese films to study key issues in the history of Japan, roughly between the years 1500-2000, including the changing role of the samurai, women and the �floating world� of pleasure, modernization, the devastation of war, economic recovery, the downside of prosperity, and nostalgia for the past.
