Showa: An Inside History of Hirohito's Japan

by Tessa Morris-Suzuki

Showa, Japanese for 'radiant peace', was the name given to Emperor Hirohito's reign at his accession in 1926. This was the beginning of a significant period of growth of militarism, the Pacific war and the phenomenal post-war economic expansion of Japan.

The first book to present modern Japanese history through the eyes of individuals, Showa presents the experiences of three individuals born at the beginning of this age, giving a unique inside view of Japan's recent history. Their experiences include training as a suicide pilot, being a draft evader during the Pacific War, a leader in the Communist Party, and a colonist in Korea, turned overnight in August 1945 from a member of the ruling elite into a refugee.

First published in 1984

Genres: History

330 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Tessa Morris-Suzuki is Professor of Japanese History at Australian National University and the author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including most recently East Asia Beyond the History Wars, with Morris Low, Leonid Petrov and Timothy Y. Tsu, and Borderline Japan, and a recipient of the 2013 Fukuoka Prize.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a fair amount about the Showa era (1926-1989), lived in Japan myself in the midst of those years from 1969-1971, and followed it pretty closely until the Emperor died in 1989.  Thus, it was with interest that I decided to read this book as soon as I found out about it.

Morris Suzuki presented a comprehensive and textured view of the course of the lives of 2 men and 1 woman all of whom were born within a year or two of 1926 when Hirohito ascended to the throne.  By selecting and editing the extensive interviews that they did with her and intermixing these with brief comments about the historical events taking place at the time I came away with a clear sense of how each one was affected in his/her own particular way. 

While I think it would be better if the reader already had some knowledge of the events which took place from 1926 until the conclusion of the book about 1980, the author did provide a 3 page chronology of the Showa era at the book’s beginning.  At the end she also footnoted the references and included a glossary of Japanese terminology.  All of these factors plus her relatively direct, declarative prose served to make Showa: an Inside reader friendly.  

As with almost any book there were times when I wished Morris Suzuki had described some things in greater detail.  And other times when I felt what she wrote about was TMI.  But overall Showa: an Inside was a worthwhile read.  It demonstrates very effectively how a focus on the political, social, and/or cultural dynamics of history fails to present what this book did: that individual lives are affected in very different ways by these events. I would recommend it for someone with an interest in the years leading up to, during, and after WWII. The latter included the Occupation and the country’s so called economic miracle.

[Sanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zeer goed verslag van drie levens in het Showa-tijdperk. Morris koos ervoor drie zeer verschillende mensen te interviewen die aan het begin van het Showa tijdperk zijn geboren, om zo hun levens te volgen met op de achtergrond de dramatische ontwikkelingen van Japan in de twintigste eeuw.

Dit boek pretendeert niet hét verhaal van de gewone Japanner van de jaren dertig tot de jaren tachtig te vertellen. Maar deze drie persoonlijke verhalen geven toch een goed beeld van hoe het was om tot die generatie Japanners te behoren.

De levensverhalen worden verteld door Morris en doorspekt met beschrijvingen uit krantenartikelen, en geplaatst in de bredere context van de historische gebeurtenissen.
Goede non-fictie en een echte aanrader!