Characterizing an intellectual tradition needs a comprehensive analysis of its major thinkers, if not all its relevant historical figures. Such a requirement is quite intimidating when writing a philosophically-minded intellectual history of Japan. It appears practically impossible for a single author to write a whole history of Japanese philosophical endeavor that covers a span of 1,400 years and various styles of thinking, without limiting the focus to certain areas such as religious or ethical traditions, aesthetics, and the like.
