Hinduism

Indian artIndian thought, culture and history

V. Dehesia, "Iwanami Sekai no Bijutsu: Indian Art" - All color, full of great photos! Recommended Indian Art Guidebook

This book is an amazing overview of art history from the Indus civilization to modern India in one volume. The book is unique in that it is richly illustrated with photographs, all in color. It is also arranged by period, so it is gratifying to know how Indian art has changed over the years.

I was particularly interested in Buddhist art, and I appreciated the beautiful photographs of early Buddhist statues and sculptures. The explanations were easy to understand and I immediately felt that this was a work I would highly recommend.
Modern Indian ThoughtIndian thought, culture and history

Gen Nakamura Selected Works, Volume 31, "Ideas of Modern India" - Recommended for learning about the religious reforms in India and Hinduism after the Islamic invasion.

Medieval India may be a minor genre compared to ancient India, where Buddhism and Hinduism flourished, but it offers great insights into Buddhism and Hinduism itself. I too read with great interest the history of Indian Islam as told in this book. This is interesting.

It is a story of medieval India, which is not often talked about, but I dare you to pick it up. It is interesting.
In Japan, I thought about it too.Indian thought, culture and history

P. Aiyar, "In Japan I Thought Too" - What is Japan from an Indian's point of view? A poignant work that candidly describes both the good and the bad of Japan.

This book will give you a clear understanding of what Japan is and how we Japanese are viewed from overseas.

What I particularly felt while reading this book was that "we Japanese are also being watched.

I have been learning about India for the past few months. I have been reading incessantly books that talk about India and after this I plan to actually visit India.

That is how I try to read, see and know India.

However, I realized once again that India is also looking at me, as Nietzsche said, "When you look into the abyss, the abyss is also looking at you.
Nakamura Gen Selected Works 23Buddhism in India

Gen Nakamura's Selected Works, Volume 23, "The Ideal of Living in Buddhist Art" - A recommended book to listen to the great commentary on Indian art by a leading authority on Buddhist studies!

This book is a commentary on Buddhist art by Buddhist scholar Gen Nakamura.

Gen Nakamura is famous for his easy-to-understand commentary on Buddhist thought in relation to the historical background of the time, and he is still going strong in his commentary on Buddhist art, which is the theme of this work.

Comparisons are also made between the earliest Buddha images, such as the Gandhara and Mathura Buddha images, and the Sarnath Buddha image from the 5th century, and the characteristics of each are very easy to understand.

Also excellent is the commentary on the stupas, which have had an extremely significant impact on the development of Buddhist art.

The book also includes a very detailed description of the Ajanta Grottoes, India's pride and joy of Buddhist monuments. It is very interesting to read the comments of Dr. Hajime Nakamura, who has visited the site.
History of Indian ThoughtBuddhism in India

Gen Nakamura, "History of Indian Thought" - A famous book that is very useful for the study of Buddhism! Recommended reference book for an overview of the flow of Indian thought

This work, "History of Indian Thought," is a classic among classics in Buddhist studies.

Gen Nakamura's books are characterized by the fact that they do not simply discuss ideologies and philosophical theories, but also intertwine them with the historical background and actual life in the region. The present work, "History of Indian Thought," is another masterpiece that allows the reader to enjoy such Nakamura's style.

This book provides an overview of the history of Indian thought, which is so full of events, beginning with the Indus civilization, the Aryan invasion, the beginning of Brahmanism, the rise of Buddhism, the establishment of Hinduism, and the invasion of Islam to the present day.
Empire of PlunderIndian thought, culture and history

W. Dalrymple, "Empire of Plunder: The Rise and Fall of the East India Company" - A Warning for Our Times! Why did the great nation of India become a British colony?

This book is a work that takes a closer look at the process by which colossal India was ruled by the British East India Company.

This book is so shocking. I even felt fear when I read it. How did the Mughal Empire, which boasted of overwhelming prosperity, so easily succumb to the British trading company? What is discussed in this book is not completely irrelevant to those of us living in Japan today. This book is truly a warning to us modern people.
Reading this book, I am truly afraid of Japan today.
History of Indian IndependenceIndian thought, culture and history

Tatsuo Morimoto, "History of Indian Independence" - A great book to know the history of British colonial rule and Gandhi's fight!

Reading this book, one can only be amazed once again at the fact that Japan did not become a colony during the Meiji era. I shudder to think what would have happened if it had become a colony. And at the same time, seeing the history of India made me think about why Japan did not become a colony. And what about Japan today, and what we should do from now on...

This book is indeed heavy. But it is a great book in which you can learn very important things. There are things to learn even if it is painful.
Multi-city DelhiIndian thought, culture and history

Ara Matsuo "Multiple Cities of Delhi" - Recommended to learn about Delhi as an Islamic city and the pastoral atmosphere it once had!

The book gives an insight into the former Delhi and the changes in India circa 1990. I was impressed when the author said, "It is not easy to recall even the changes in the Shinjuku station area where I used to pass by every day. That is true. Even Hakodate, where I live, looks completely different from what it did 40 years ago. And then there is Delhi, a major city in India. The changes must be tremendous.

In this book, you can see such changes in Delhi with pictures. The author's real-life experiences and the way he describes Delhi are very inspiring. This book is a travelogue as well as a life experience book. This is an interesting book.
Indian Curry TravelsIndian thought, culture and history

Noboru Karashima, "Indian Curry Travels" - What is curry anyway? A recommended work that also lets you know about the deep Indian culture!

What I am developing in this book is a "cultural theory" about Indian culture, using Indian food, understood as curry, as its material.

The great thing about this book is that we can learn about Indian history and culture from a subject that is so familiar to us, Indian curry.

I thought to myself, "Heh! That's what Indian curry is all about! and then naturally connecting it to the culture and history of India itself, is nothing short of brilliant. This is interesting!

I also appreciate the abundance of photographs, which give me a concrete image of Indian cuisine and the spices used to make it.
How to deal with IndiansIndian thought, culture and history

Seiyoshi Noboru, "How to get along with Indians - Common sense and business acumen in India" - A recommended book to learn the differences between India, a country of mystery, and the Japanese!

This book is a work that gives us an insight into what kind of people the Indians are, which can only be described as a "mystery" to us.

When we think of Indians, there are many stereotypes for us. Turban, curry, singing, dancing, intelligence, Indian chaos, etc., all of these may have some strong image.

The main thrust of this book is to learn what kind of people Indians with such a strong image are from various perspectives, intertwined with Indian history, lifestyle, culture, and business.