Medieval Japan: Taking the Middle Ages Outside Europe

Abstract

What does it mean to claim that a nation has had a medieval period? And, given how closely associated the concept is with a specifically European history, how might a non-Western country claim the period for its own past? This article will look at what historians have labeled Japan's Middle Ages in order to investigate these issues. We will consider how Japan came to have a medieval period, examine what historians regard as its key features, and investigate some problems associated with taking the concept of the Middle Ages to Japan.