One could say that history is written in suffering as one reads the history of the western world. Both Europe and America have had their bloodshed through the centuries and it's clearly illustrated in our own cultural history. We still create movies, documentaries and books on the Second World War as well as the myriad of conflicts that have been started in the name of religion, king or nation.
Japan is in itself no different as there were clear social class lines between warriors, merchants and commoners. Due to the fact that Japanese history is based on the warrior it is a bit surprising that this book talks very little about the wars and conflicts that drove the nation to the modern world. Some wars that are considered importan to Japanese history are only granted one sentence while the author can go on and on talking about the intricacies of a Buddhist statue.
The second problem with the book is the pacing, the author goes from one emperor to another without putting them in sufficient context which in turns makes this book probably as convulating as the "Nihonshoki".

If it were a book that based itself on Japanese art history, poetry and literature I would well advise it to those who seek knowledge about that particular history. For those who want to see what drove this nation forth to conquest and glory I advise people to look elsewhere.