Scambi commerciali e produzione di beni di lusso nel Giappone del periodo Edo. Una lettura storiografica

In the paper it is taken into consideration three fundamental issues concerning the intriguing rapport between Japan and Europe. First of all it is fundamental to define the concept of "luxury product", a concept that is difficult for itself. The second issue is the very contemporary debate about the rapport between Eastern and Western world. The recent confrontation among some scholars offers a great deal of argument and renewed an older debate. The third issue is the social and economic development of the Japanese economy and society in itself, for while it is true that there was a consumer revolution in the West during the 17th and 18th centuries, it is also undeniable that the interpretation of a backward Japan, closed to Western influence, founded on the basis of a rural and feudal society has been profoundly renewed and reversed by the most recent historical literature.