Japan History

The history of Japan and its people gives you background so you can understand what records are available for certain time periods.

Timeline
with emphasis on events that affect records:

Online Histories

 * Japanese History, from Ohio State University
 * The Samurai Archives Japanese History Page
 * Japanese history and artifacts, from Minneapolis Institute of Arts
 * Brief summary of Japanese history from Michigan State University
 * "An Introduction to the History of Japan," a Google eBook, published in 1920
 * "The Midado's Empire, Vol 1: The History of Japan from 680 B.C. to 1872 A.D.," a Google eBook, published in 1903