Nanyan Guo is associate professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, Japan. She has published eight books including, Japan's Wartime Medical Atrocities (2010), and Tsugaru: Regional Identity on Japan's Northern Periphery.

This book deepens our understanding of the dynamics between nature and culture in Japanese thought and feeling. The author provides a detailed study of Shiga Naoya's nature-inspired literature as an example of Japanese people's engagement with nature.

Introduction
Chapter 1: The Nurturing of Shiga's Feelings for Nature
Chapter 2: The Moon: Early Encounters with Nature
Chapter 3: The Sun: In Pursuit of a Religiosity of Art
Chapter 4: Nature Destroyed: The Ashio Copper Mine Pollution Incident
Chapter 5: Plants: The Essence of Nature
Chapter 6: Living Creatures: Mirrors of Human Nature
Chapter 7: The Supernatural and Nature
Chapter 8: Dreams: Nature Internalized
Chapter 9: Lafcadio Hearn's Influence on Shiga's Literary Style
Conclusion: Nature-Inspired Art and Artistic Nature
Appendix 1: Chronology of Shiga Naoya's Life and Art
Appendix 2: Map with Important Places in Shiga's Literature