About the Author

William Wayne Farris received his doctorate from Harvard University in 1981 and now holds the Sen Soshitsu XV Distinguished Chair in Japanese History and Culture at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His research and writing have focused on the social and economic history of Japan to 1700, including such topics as disease and famine, agricultural technology and commerce, and aspects of the daily life of the common people. His major publications include Population, Disease, and Land in Early Japan, 645-900 (Harvard University, 1985), Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500-1300 (Harvard University, 1992), Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues in the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan (University of Hawaii, 1998), and Japan's Medieval Population: Famine, Fertility, and Warfare in a Transformative Age (University of Hawaii, 2006), which was named as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2006.