This image is called "Meiji Restoration". Can you explain why?
This week, because of the Anzac Day Holiday, we are having a virtual tutorial rather than meeting face to face. The topic is The Rise of Japan and you have already had the lecture on this by Adam Clulow in Week 7. The readings for this week are on pp.107-115 of the unit reader and are very accessible. You might also like to check out two youtube clips located on the right under Useful (and interesting) links:
First Sino-Japanese War
Meiji Restoration
The question that you should respond to by comment is:
"What role did war, and preparations for war, play in the cementing of Japanese national identity in the Meiji period (1868-1912)?"
War, particularly the Sino-Japanese War, helped create and consolidate aspects of the Japanese identity. The preparation for war incited an intense display of patriotism. The war itself and the use of the war in popular culture created an identity of the Japanese Warrior, and consolidated the idea that it was honorable to fight for your country. This extended into schools, with Military Education reinforcing this idea. It also contributed to nationalism through exclusion; in particular, the intense hatred of the Chinese culture. This encouraged them to continue westernizing and growing. It also contributed to their international identity by showing the world, specifically Russia, that Japan war a force to be taken very seriously.
ReplyDeleteJess Bishop
War acted to intensify the rate at which the Japanese national identity was cemented. International and Domestic threats such as the Osaka revolt and the Opium war highlighted to Japan that the dual power structure was not working. Commodore Matthew Perry placed threat of war against Japan in which their vulnerability was exposed and this began political opposition and reform. With the plan to modernize and westernize Japan, the Sino-Japanese war cemented the Japanese as a super power in the world.
ReplyDeleteMeg Hibbert
War, and the preparation for war acted as a catalyst in cementing the Japanese identity in the Meiji period. The first contact with Commodore Perry and the threat of war, acted to jump start the period of social and economic changes of the Meiji period that lead to a strong sense of national pride an identity among the vast population of Japan. The preparations for the Sino-Japanese war further added to this through the use of propaganda and the teaching of values such as honour and loyalty to the nation and the emperor in the school system. This produced generations of children who felt a deep connection to the people of Japan and the national. Domestically the military victories lead the Japanese to feel superior towards China as well as other Asian nations. Internationally war lead to Japan becoming a distinctly identifiable nation with a strong military identity.
ReplyDeleteTara Pocklington
DeleteThe role of war in Japan accelerated the unification of the country as a single nation and therefore helped to consolidate its national identity. A key moment is the Sino-Japanese war, which saw the westernisation of Japanese culture and of the Japanese mentality. The war signified its detachment from Asia, specifically China, a country that was previously revered by Japan but was now considered as a barbaric and uncivilised country. This is evident in their depiction in woodblock prints where the image of Japan is portrayed as a civilised, advanced society, which also served to establish the identity of Japan on an international scale as a major power. In addition to this, the idea of being a loyal subject to the emperor and therefore to the nation was embodied within the education system in order to place value on the notion of the people of Japan devoting themselves to the state.
ReplyDeleteShani Wu
Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan had been a traditional culture, hanging on to their old ways of life and looking up to their neighbours, particularly China. When outside contact with a Western Power arrived in the form of the US Navy under Commodore Matthew Perry, Japan realised that it had to modernise if it was to survive and hold a place in the new world. These preparations for war meant that Japan sought to emulate Western civilisation, the example of military efficiency. These ways, seen as forward and progressive seeped through their culture and redefined the notion of being Japanese. In the subsequent Sino-Japanese War against the Chinese, their sweeping victories against what had once been the eminent nation in the region, only served to solidify their notion of Western cultural superiority and the backwardness of the Chinese ways. This disdain for a culture similar to what theirs had been was shown in brutal acts and propaganda, in contrast to their later war against the Russians whom they treated and viewed as equals.
ReplyDeleteCallum Russell
War gave Japan a new identity, both domestically and internationally. The preparations for war and the victories that would follow built an extreme sense of patriotism and united the country. It was during the Sino-Japanese war that sparked this change - the westernisation of Japanese culture, both socially and militarily speaking, gave the Japanese a superiority above their 'barbaric' rivals in China. Following this victory, propaganda on the streets and in the schools were successful in creating a strong sense of national pride and would see generations of Japanese eager to serve their country. However, they began to question whether they could take on a formidable western power. This was answered during the Russo-Japanese war when Japan embarrassed Russia in battle and asserted themselves as a revered fighting force, confirming their national and international identity.
ReplyDeleteZach Miller