Donald Keene Center Special Lecture Series: Collateral Damage (And Other Rules of War in Early Medieval Japan)

October 14, 2004

Donald Keene Center Special Lecture Series: Collateral Damage (And Other Rules of War in Early Medieval Japan)
Karl Friday (Professor of History, University of Georgia)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. and Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

The “culture of war” forged in Japan between the 10th to 14th centuries informs our understanding of coetaneous social structures and customs. This early formative age, moreover, provided a framework for Japanese military rules and ethics into modern times. This lecture will contrast the received wisdom on warfare of early medieval Japan against the military culture of the early samurai to identify the norms and behaviors in the conduct of war.