This book demonstrates how Japan's so-called harmonious collective culture is paradoxically connected with a history of conflict. Ikegami contends that contemporary Japanese culture is based upon two remarkably complementary ingredients, honorable competition and honorable collaboration. The historical roots of this situation can be found in the process of state formation, along very different lines from that seen in Europe at around the same time. The solution that emerged out of the turbulent beginnings of the Tokugawa state was a transformation of the samurai into a hereditary class of vassal-bureaucrats, a solution that would have many unexpected ramifications for subsequent centuries.

I. A Sociological Approach: Honor, state formation, and social theories -- II. Origins in Violence: The coming of the Samurai : violence and culture in the ancient world; Vassalage and honor; The rite of honorable death : warfare and the Samurai sensibility -- III. Disintegration and Reorganization: Social reorganization in the late medieval period; A society organized for war -- IV. The Paradoxical Nature of Tokugawa State Formation: Tokugawa state formation; An integrated yet decentralized state structure; The Tokugawa neo-feudal state : a comparative evaluation -- V. Honor and Violence in Transformation: Honor or order : the state and Samurai self-determinism; The vendetta of the forty-seven Samurai; Proceduralization of honor -- VI. Honor Polarization in Vassalic Bureaucracy: State-centered honor and Vassalic bureaucracy; Hagakure : the cult of death and honorific individuality; Confucian and post-Confucian Samurai -- VII. Honorific Individualism and Honorific Collectivism: Themes of control and change -- Epilogue: Honor and identity.