...cuz I'm gonna give you another history lesson! Alright so in my Japanese class we've left The History and Geography of Tokyo for Japan's Modernization and the Birth of Modern Literature. We're starting with the Meiji Restoration which, adjusting for my limited knowledge of Japanese history, is my favorite era. It's crazy how much change this country underwent. In 50 years they traded feudalism for a parliamentary democracy, a land system for capitalism, lunar calendar for solar. The ban on Christianity was lifted, treaties were made with foreign countries. My textbook introduced atleast three words for "catch-up" as in "Japan began to catch-up with advanced countries." Of course, there are also several different words for "advanced country"...oh Japanese, you kill me. The changes were also cultural. Traditional Japanese dress began to be traded for Western-style clothing, men cut off their topknots, people started eating beef, gas lighting and horse-drawn carts were introduced. Yukichi Fukuzawa (the founder of Keio - my school), one of the great thinkers of the time advocated equality among citizens. To show how progressive and modernized Japan was becoming, a social hall was built where Japanese government officials held Western-style balls for foreign dignitaries. My textbook describes how the Japanese officials awkwardly tried and failed to dance unfamiliar Western dances in unfamiliar Western clothes. It must have been embarrassing. In fact, I found the whole description kind of heart-breaking. I don't want to idealize feudal Japan, and obviously the Meiji Era brought a lot of positive changes for a lot of people, but it seems like such a shame to abandon all the old ways so abruptly - to the point of disrespecting them. And in way, this kind of change seems misguided. The Meiji Restoration, Japan's drive to become a "modern" world power prompted Japan's colonial period which, needless to say, did not end well. And what a disorienting time to live in! Of course, Japanese culture is still very different from Western culture, so I guess the changes were, for the most part, superficial. I asked my professor, and then a Japanese friend what Japanese people today think of these rapid changes, and of their predecessors trying so hard to become "Westernized." They both said that while it is a shame to loose so much traditional culture that was a part of daily life, most people think the changes were for the better. My professor added that "surely in your country, there's a similar tension between the old ways and the new." I didn't want to contradict her, but, barring the Revolutionary period, I don't think there is a comparable period of such extreme change in American history. But I thought it was interesting that she would simplify this period to "tension between old and new." Clearly, it was about a lot more than that for Japan. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts. A post about how I'm actually doing to follow.
Naomi! This post is amazing.
ReplyDeleteWhen i learned about the political changes the Meiji era brought, i felt the same kind of twang of nostalgia (...if I were a Japanese person of course....)
Its sad that the culture was kind of amputated, the Samurai's position in society changed, prefectures were divided and lumped together, etc. It's kind of sad, but so interesting to see that what North American accomplished over hundreds of years was merely "copied" or imitated in one single Japanese Era.
girl you're such a good writer you should write me a novel plx
ReplyDeleteNaomi,
ReplyDeleteA really sensitive and thoughtful account of Japan's changes. Maybe the only comparable change in the US would be the fast urbanization and industrialization at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries which turned the US from a predominantly rural and agriculture country into an urban and industrial one. but of course this was not introduced from the outside.
love,
dad
i agree with your dad. the american case a tension between old and new. but of course japan since it was an effort to imitate and be accepted by the outside was an odd kind of voluntary colonization (now they feared cultural cringe!!). be your own colonizer. no wonder they started colonizing others! really fascinating. i'm learning so much from your posts. and i agree with kate about your writing!!
ReplyDeleteis that a book you're reading??
ReplyDeleteAnd of course from my viewpoint the interesting thing is that this corresponds to Japan opening up to international trade (after having been totally closed off from the world except for a few trading ships every year with China and Dutch colonies). So there's actually a paper that estimates the static gains from opening up to trade using this period. The answer: 9% of GDP (in the US context that would be over $1.2 trillion a year!).
ReplyDeleteOf course, the empirical strategy relies on Japan having begun to modernize and change pre-1865 (so that the only change post 1865 is opening up the economy, not changing it dramatically), which the authors of the paper claim is true, but you seem to have been taught is not true. E.g. they claim that feudalism ended pre-1865 and the industrial structure had already changed.