Extensively researched with ample references to premodern primary sources, to the secondary literature published in Japanese and other languages, and to the latest archaeological discoveries, Ellen Van Goethem's first book should have been positioned as a pathbreaking study on this “phantom capital” (p. 1), located just south of the Heian capital (Kyoto) and used between 784 and 794 by Emperor Kanmu (r. 781–806). But maybe because the author had so much information to convey, the book quickly unravels, as it lacks a sharply focused, compelling argument that drives the narrative from start to finish. As for the treatment of the research, the author does not offer a critical, in-depth interpretation of her evidence. I wish that Van Goethem could have indicated what she thought was most significant, instead of listing a series of important developments relating to a particular topic in a manner that can be, at times, encyclopedic. But if this sort of meandering and somewhat uneven writing style does not affect you, Nagaoka is a fascinating examination of a long-neglected area of study, particularly for specialists of the Nara and Heian periods.

For a concise snapshot of Nagaoka by the author, read the summary on pages 259–63. Here is my selective view of the four main parts. “Part One: The Founding of a New Capital” begins with an examination of Kanmu's genealogy and subsequent rise to power. Van Goethem argues in the first two chapters that Kanmu's “heritage influenced his decision-making, most notably the decision to abandon the Nara capital” (p. 6), which I found to be somewhat puzzling and imprecise on some points. It is only at the end of the first part that the author mentions one of the practical reasons behind the establishment of a new capital at Nagaoka. “A final decisive factor … can be found in Kanmu's own words” as he declared in 787, “We have relocated the capital to this village because [the area is] convenient by water and land” (p. 75). Four major rivers—the Yodo, Kadono, Uji, and Kizu—passed near the Nagaoka capital, and the use of roads and waterways to transport goods to Nagaoka provided for “a more efficient tax-collecting system” (p. 76) because of its “superior transportation facilities” (p. 75) in comparison to the previous Nara capital.

In “Part Two: The Construction of the Nagaoka Capital,” the author indicates there were two phases of capital construction, the first phase ending in 786 and the second phase starting around 788 and concluding in 791. Kanmu moved to the Nagaoka capital in the eleventh month of 784, six months after a group of court officials were dispatched to inspect a possible site for a new capital. Entire buildings from the Later Naniwa palace and the Nara palace were completely dismantled and reassembled at Nagaoka, speeding up the “construction” of the new capital by using recycled structures.

“Part Three: The Layout of the Nagaoka Capital” discusses, in a rather technical manner, archaeological results and what they reveal about the kinds and locations of buildings established at Nagaoka. “Part Four: Why Abandon the Nagaoka Capital” explores the different theories proposed by scholars for the abandonment of the Nagaoka capital and ends by investigating the preparations involved in the creation of a new capital at Heian. One of the most compelling and interesting arguments for me appears in this section, as the author indicates that it was not Kanmu's fear of the vengeful ghost of Sawara, which is the “most prevalent explanation for the abandonment of Nagaoka” (p. 240), but instead was attributable to the mudslides and deluge following heavy rains that came down from the hills to the west, a situation that was exacerbated by the deforestation of the hills and the replacement of paddy land having adequate drainage systems with urban dwellings and palace buildings that were prone to flooding (pp. 246–52). The relatively short use of the Nagaoka capital might very well have been tied to the unexpected environmental hazards caused by the extensive and faulty redevelopment of this area, errors that apparently were not repeated in the next capital at Heian.

What emerges over many pages is a portrait of Kanmu as a ruthless, shrewd, and self-serving ruler who knew exactly what to do to achieve supreme power, with the construction of the Nagaoka and Heian capitals attesting to his success in this regard. If understanding Kanmu through the traces of his capital-building projects was Van Goethem's ultimate goal, the author should have been more explicit and forceful concerning her views on Kanmu throughout the core of the book.

Readers without a solid background in the history of eighth-century Japan may run into difficulties because the author does not gradually introduce the reader to the period and place, but jumps right in and proceeds in a manner that can be challenging to those who do not already know the major historical and geographic parameters of the Nagaoka capital. Not only would Nagaoka have benefited from rigorous editing, a professional mapmaker should have been consulted, as the book lacks comprehensive and detailed maps. For instance, there are no maps that superimpose the proposed outlines of the Nagaoka capital on the modern urban landscape to inform us about its present general location. For this kind of map of the Nagaoka capital, I consulted Nancy Shatzman Steinhart's book on Chinese capitals (Chinese Imperial City Planning, [Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1990/1999], p. 113, figure 98). A map with modern place-names is important because the author frequently refers to specific locales such as “Otokuni district” (p. 1) or “Nishi Mukō station” (p. 3) from the start of her book, and without providing adequate guidelines or maps, this lacuna contributes to a rather baffling and disorienting situation. As for the only color illustration in the book, an imaginary aerial view of the Nagaoka capital on the cover, this image actually seems flawed because the capital seemingly occupies relatively flat land, contrary to my own recollection of the actual region as being on a slope and also contradicted by the author's own description: “Instead of leveling the whole area, the different sectors of the Nagaoka palace enclosure were leveled separately, creating different plateaus upon which the various government facilities were constructed” (p. 171). Where are the plateaus in the illustration?

Nagaoka both delights and frustrates. Because I already had an interest in the Nagaoka capital, this book answered many questions. If you have a curiosity about the Nagaoka capital, Van Goethem's book is a tremendous resource with much to offer.