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Japan Story: In Search of a Nation, 1850 to the Present
This is a fresh and surprising account of Japan's culture from the 'opening up' of the country in the mid-nineteenth century to the present.It is told through the eyes of people who greeted this change not with the confidence and grasping ambition of Japan's modernizers and nationalists, but with resistance, conflict, distress. We encounter writers of dramas, ghost stories and crime novels where modernity itself is the tragedy, the ghoul and the bad guy; surrealist and avant-garde artists sketching their escape; rebel kamikaze pilots and the put-upon urban poor; hypnotists and gangsters; men in desperate search of the eternal feminine and feminists in search of something more than state-sanctioned subservience; Buddhists without morals; Marxist terror groups; couches full to bursting with the psychological fall-out of breakneck modernization. These people all sprang from the soil of modern Japan, but their personalities and projects failed to fit. They were 'dark blossoms': both East-West hybrids and home-grown varieties that wreathed, probed and sometimes penetrated the new structures of mainstream Japan.
446 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2018
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Christopher Harding
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
August 22, 2019
I always wonder about the writing of history: should we read any people's history written by someone foreign to them, even when the historian has lived and been engaged in the lives of the people they are writing about. As an Arab, for example, I do find that histories of the Middle East written by Westerners can be misguided or manipulative at times and that the few serious works get drowned by many of lesser quality.
But what does it mean then to be "of the people"? Those academics who get to write history are usually the educated and well off and rarely come from out of the "masses" they so often write about. Does that make them less legitimate? After all, the best work on the minorities and oppressed in the United States, A People's History of the United States, was written by a white man of privilege.
To not be dogmatic, I would say that while there is a prominent and irreplaceable place for people writing their own histories and narratives, a view from the outside would be valuable in some cases: when the author belongs to another audience, foreign to the people whose history is being told, and who can tell the story in a way that audience can understand. Another reason is to be out of the biases of the people and possibly (if the historian is honest) to see and deliver a bigger unbiased story.
In the case of Christopher Harding and Japan Story, there is a third element: hist ability to write beautifully, almost poetically, and jump effortlessly between many aspect of Japan and Japanese life from the politics and the war to the social structure, to culture, music, food, interests, anime and manga, family, activism, and entertainment. This is a great way to read history that isn't only focused on politicians and politics but on many other factors that shape what a people and their nation is.
This is my first history book on Japan, and I am happy I started with this one.
But what does it mean then to be "of the people"? Those academics who get to write history are usually the educated and well off and rarely come from out of the "masses" they so often write about. Does that make them less legitimate? After all, the best work on the minorities and oppressed in the United States, A People's History of the United States, was written by a white man of privilege.
To not be dogmatic, I would say that while there is a prominent and irreplaceable place for people writing their own histories and narratives, a view from the outside would be valuable in some cases: when the author belongs to another audience, foreign to the people whose history is being told, and who can tell the story in a way that audience can understand. Another reason is to be out of the biases of the people and possibly (if the historian is honest) to see and deliver a bigger unbiased story.
In the case of Christopher Harding and Japan Story, there is a third element: hist ability to write beautifully, almost poetically, and jump effortlessly between many aspect of Japan and Japanese life from the politics and the war to the social structure, to culture, music, food, interests, anime and manga, family, activism, and entertainment. This is a great way to read history that isn't only focused on politicians and politics but on many other factors that shape what a people and their nation is.
This is my first history book on Japan, and I am happy I started with this one.
February 5, 2021
A History of Modern Japan: In Search of a Nation: 1850 to the Present, by Christopher Harding, is an excellent and concise history of Japan, which focuses on cultural achievements, social politics, and overall national growth in a Longue durée historiographical style. Harding examines every aspect of Japan past the tropes which plague this area of study; connections to the US, Japanese imperialism, and the victory of the Allies in WWII. Although this book touches on these topics, as well as the intense cultural connection of Japan and America after WWII, it does not overplay the hand of Western nations in Japan's reconstruction. Local peoples, politicians, writers, dissidents and activists, and every day peoples, including hardworking women, immigrants, and salaried workers, made this possible, over and above any other considerations.
Japan is a nation whose cultural exports are immense; I am reading this next to a manga, have just finished a Japanese television show on Netflix, and so on and so forth. Harding does well to examine deeply the cultural movements native to Japan that have created the Japanese culture we see today, as well as the complex forces that are not always considered in how this culture was crafted and eventually commoditized in a capitalist world system. Japan was a nation that isolated itself in a splendid peace for centuries. There were wars, poverty and famine of course, as in any nation, but Japan avoided much of the chaos and conflict that, for example, mainland Europe experienced up to the 19th century. However, after the infamous black ships from the United States arrived, Japan began to see its centuries long ideals crumble under foreign pressure. Instead of resisting and buckling under pressure, like Qing China did, Japan seized the moment in many ways. A coup was initiated by aggrieved Daimyo from southern Japan, who took power, removed the Shogun, and promoted the Emperor in Japan. Alongside that came some Westernization; new clothing, ideas, politics and literature was injected into Japan, with the idea of learning, adapting and ultimately avoiding colonial annexation. Japan adopted Western ideas well, but they did not sit well with much of society, nor were they ultimately successful on the whole. Western powers did treated Japan as a second class society; racism, colonial extraction, unfair treaties, and the like showed Japan that peace and prosperity would not bring respect.
Throughout this period, and up to Japan's Imperialist wars in the 20th century, society in Japan was changing in a big way. Tensions over family life, feminism, class struggle, nationalism, and so much more ran through society , much as in other nations. These tensions came from a slow and gradual opening up within the political sphere, as Japan experimented with a constitutional monarchy up to the 1930's. This created the desire for all peoples in Japan to be able to vote, regardless of sex, wealth or property status. A prevailing mood of bleakness ran through Japan during this time. Costly imperial adventures in Korea, Taiwan and during WWI saw many thousands of Japanese soldiers die, creating rippling effects through the social and economic fabric of society. Those that returned home often suffered from the traumas of their experiences. For the colonized, in Korea, Taiwan and the Pacific Islands, life was even worse. Exploitation ad political experimentation were rife - again similar to other colonial nations of the time, like Britain, France and the United States. Forced labour, rapid societal changes, and the like had major effects on how colonized peoples lived, and disrupted ways of living that had survived for many centuries. In China, Japan began to aggressively seek territory, seizing Russian leased territory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, and eventually bowing to millenarian extremists in the army and initiating all out war. This war would see Japan extend to its maximum borders, and would eventually lead to the downfall of the Japanese Empire. WWII was a harrowing experience in Asia. Many millions would die in conflict or hunger, executed or starved by an indoctrinated and militant Japanese army geared toward war and territorial conquest. Harding looks at the millenarian Buddhist and Christian sects that encourage d this development, and the adoption of Shinto, the traditional Japanese religion, as a state controlled system of filial piety geared toward subservience to Empire and State, and that indoctrinated society into participating in its systems furiously. Not all of society, or even most of society agreed with this radicalization of politics, especially feminists, socialists and democrats, but dissent was ground out by a well staffed and funded police force that was ever-present in peoples personal lives.
Post-WWII, Japan lay in ruins. It had been bombed, nuked, invaded and lost all of its overseas territories. Much of Japan's army remained in Asia, disarmed and without direction or purpose. Millions of Japanese soldiers had perished, many of them by committing suicide. Those that did return home were broken, and found much in ruin. Under the auspices of an imposed administration from the United States, Japan was reborn again. Culture once again began to flourish, as cities rebuilt, black markets flourished, and new ideas from America mixed with, encouraged, or complimented existing Japanese systems and culture. Japanese business began to flourish, a prelude, and eventually leading to Japan's elevation to industrialized status in the 1980's. The rapid development of Japan was truly astonishing, and one of the few successful examples of its kind throughout global history. There has been much ink spilled on the topic, and whether it was a cultural, social, or political cause, some mixture, or the successful policies of the American occupying forces. In reality, it was certainly a combination of these factors, coupled with a heaping dose of luck, that probably did it. Japan also suffered much strife in this time. Working conditions were generally poor, and labour and class struggle made Japan a prime target for communist advocates. The US, or course, would not abide this, but an interesting system of co-management evolved that supported workers for life, took the edge of class struggle by providing well-paid jobs, opportunities for advancement, and solid benefits and protections. This came with a strong work ethic, and system of management that encouraged corporate identity and solidarity between worker and manager. Even so, numerous acts of extremism, including bombings, assassinations, attempted coups and the like rocked Japan during these times. The development of modern Japan was not set in stone, and numerous branching paths could have led to different outcomes. Many people too, needlessly suffered due to poor political decisions and management by the elite in Japan, and racism, misogyny and sympathy for fascism remained deeply ingrained within the political elite, and society as a whole.
Modern Japan up to the mid 2010's is examined as well. The Japan we know today is a vibrant society, filled with bustling cities, fantastic food, engaging cultural exports, such as anime/manga, film, vibrant authors, poets and musicians, and the like. Its developmental policies were a model for nations like Singapore, China and South Korea, who have also achieved a degree of industrialization in a rapid manner. The MITI system in Japan continues to be a case study in international development. Even so, modern Japan suffers from a unique combination of low interest rates and low growth. Theories abound as to why this is; an aging demographic, lack of resources, and competition from global actors are all on the table, as is international financial considerations and domestic political policy. Again, all are probably a factor in some ways. Even so, Japan is a vibrant, globalized nation in the modern world. Its future looks rather bright. Some challenges do exist, however. A growing China presents a unique challenge for Japan, but one that it, in some ways, has faced in the past. It's economic issues continue to haunt Japan, and although it is a robust economy, it grapples with stagnation and low interest rates, and continues to seek a way out. Japan is also looking to remilitarize in some form. Since the end of WWII, Japan's military has been styled as a self-defense force, and it has kept a low profile on the international stage. Recent politics have seen the system beginning to erode, as Japan seeks to balance its geopolitical competition with China, and engage with the world more. Time will tell if this policy is successful, but it is certainly controversial in Japan, and advocates on both sides of the line are passionate, active, and sometimes quite extreme in their activism.
All in all, a solid read. It is short, concise and interesting, and heavily focuses on the cultural evolution of society within Japan, staying away from too many comparisons with the West, although accurately describing influences and events as best as possible. Easy recommendation for those looking for a solid read on Japanese history.
Japan is a nation whose cultural exports are immense; I am reading this next to a manga, have just finished a Japanese television show on Netflix, and so on and so forth. Harding does well to examine deeply the cultural movements native to Japan that have created the Japanese culture we see today, as well as the complex forces that are not always considered in how this culture was crafted and eventually commoditized in a capitalist world system. Japan was a nation that isolated itself in a splendid peace for centuries. There were wars, poverty and famine of course, as in any nation, but Japan avoided much of the chaos and conflict that, for example, mainland Europe experienced up to the 19th century. However, after the infamous black ships from the United States arrived, Japan began to see its centuries long ideals crumble under foreign pressure. Instead of resisting and buckling under pressure, like Qing China did, Japan seized the moment in many ways. A coup was initiated by aggrieved Daimyo from southern Japan, who took power, removed the Shogun, and promoted the Emperor in Japan. Alongside that came some Westernization; new clothing, ideas, politics and literature was injected into Japan, with the idea of learning, adapting and ultimately avoiding colonial annexation. Japan adopted Western ideas well, but they did not sit well with much of society, nor were they ultimately successful on the whole. Western powers did treated Japan as a second class society; racism, colonial extraction, unfair treaties, and the like showed Japan that peace and prosperity would not bring respect.
Throughout this period, and up to Japan's Imperialist wars in the 20th century, society in Japan was changing in a big way. Tensions over family life, feminism, class struggle, nationalism, and so much more ran through society , much as in other nations. These tensions came from a slow and gradual opening up within the political sphere, as Japan experimented with a constitutional monarchy up to the 1930's. This created the desire for all peoples in Japan to be able to vote, regardless of sex, wealth or property status. A prevailing mood of bleakness ran through Japan during this time. Costly imperial adventures in Korea, Taiwan and during WWI saw many thousands of Japanese soldiers die, creating rippling effects through the social and economic fabric of society. Those that returned home often suffered from the traumas of their experiences. For the colonized, in Korea, Taiwan and the Pacific Islands, life was even worse. Exploitation ad political experimentation were rife - again similar to other colonial nations of the time, like Britain, France and the United States. Forced labour, rapid societal changes, and the like had major effects on how colonized peoples lived, and disrupted ways of living that had survived for many centuries. In China, Japan began to aggressively seek territory, seizing Russian leased territory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, and eventually bowing to millenarian extremists in the army and initiating all out war. This war would see Japan extend to its maximum borders, and would eventually lead to the downfall of the Japanese Empire. WWII was a harrowing experience in Asia. Many millions would die in conflict or hunger, executed or starved by an indoctrinated and militant Japanese army geared toward war and territorial conquest. Harding looks at the millenarian Buddhist and Christian sects that encourage d this development, and the adoption of Shinto, the traditional Japanese religion, as a state controlled system of filial piety geared toward subservience to Empire and State, and that indoctrinated society into participating in its systems furiously. Not all of society, or even most of society agreed with this radicalization of politics, especially feminists, socialists and democrats, but dissent was ground out by a well staffed and funded police force that was ever-present in peoples personal lives.
Post-WWII, Japan lay in ruins. It had been bombed, nuked, invaded and lost all of its overseas territories. Much of Japan's army remained in Asia, disarmed and without direction or purpose. Millions of Japanese soldiers had perished, many of them by committing suicide. Those that did return home were broken, and found much in ruin. Under the auspices of an imposed administration from the United States, Japan was reborn again. Culture once again began to flourish, as cities rebuilt, black markets flourished, and new ideas from America mixed with, encouraged, or complimented existing Japanese systems and culture. Japanese business began to flourish, a prelude, and eventually leading to Japan's elevation to industrialized status in the 1980's. The rapid development of Japan was truly astonishing, and one of the few successful examples of its kind throughout global history. There has been much ink spilled on the topic, and whether it was a cultural, social, or political cause, some mixture, or the successful policies of the American occupying forces. In reality, it was certainly a combination of these factors, coupled with a heaping dose of luck, that probably did it. Japan also suffered much strife in this time. Working conditions were generally poor, and labour and class struggle made Japan a prime target for communist advocates. The US, or course, would not abide this, but an interesting system of co-management evolved that supported workers for life, took the edge of class struggle by providing well-paid jobs, opportunities for advancement, and solid benefits and protections. This came with a strong work ethic, and system of management that encouraged corporate identity and solidarity between worker and manager. Even so, numerous acts of extremism, including bombings, assassinations, attempted coups and the like rocked Japan during these times. The development of modern Japan was not set in stone, and numerous branching paths could have led to different outcomes. Many people too, needlessly suffered due to poor political decisions and management by the elite in Japan, and racism, misogyny and sympathy for fascism remained deeply ingrained within the political elite, and society as a whole.
Modern Japan up to the mid 2010's is examined as well. The Japan we know today is a vibrant society, filled with bustling cities, fantastic food, engaging cultural exports, such as anime/manga, film, vibrant authors, poets and musicians, and the like. Its developmental policies were a model for nations like Singapore, China and South Korea, who have also achieved a degree of industrialization in a rapid manner. The MITI system in Japan continues to be a case study in international development. Even so, modern Japan suffers from a unique combination of low interest rates and low growth. Theories abound as to why this is; an aging demographic, lack of resources, and competition from global actors are all on the table, as is international financial considerations and domestic political policy. Again, all are probably a factor in some ways. Even so, Japan is a vibrant, globalized nation in the modern world. Its future looks rather bright. Some challenges do exist, however. A growing China presents a unique challenge for Japan, but one that it, in some ways, has faced in the past. It's economic issues continue to haunt Japan, and although it is a robust economy, it grapples with stagnation and low interest rates, and continues to seek a way out. Japan is also looking to remilitarize in some form. Since the end of WWII, Japan's military has been styled as a self-defense force, and it has kept a low profile on the international stage. Recent politics have seen the system beginning to erode, as Japan seeks to balance its geopolitical competition with China, and engage with the world more. Time will tell if this policy is successful, but it is certainly controversial in Japan, and advocates on both sides of the line are passionate, active, and sometimes quite extreme in their activism.
All in all, a solid read. It is short, concise and interesting, and heavily focuses on the cultural evolution of society within Japan, staying away from too many comparisons with the West, although accurately describing influences and events as best as possible. Easy recommendation for those looking for a solid read on Japanese history.
August 17, 2021
Review to follow
July 17, 2020
An excellent, readable history of a fascinating period; I confess, this is precisely what I was looking for at the time, so I'm not entirely unbiased, but I still feel free to recommend this to anyone other than scholars of this exact thing (who will probably take exception to all sorts of details, as scholars ought to do). Harding covers a lot of territory, and does an exceptionable job of balancing various aspects of history: there's enough high-politics to give context, but not so much that you get bogged down in it; there's great, great stuff on culture; and, most importantly, there's no attempt to offer ludicrous definitions of 'the' Japanese soul or whatever. It's a populous country. There are lots of different people there. Harding focuses on unexpected protagonists--psychoanalysts, novelists, victims of oppression, feminists, socialists. But he doesn't act as if everyone was an analyst, novelist, victim, feminist, or socialist. There are plenty of gangsters, conservatives and so on, as well. My only complaint is that the last few chapters felt more ripped-right-from-the-headlines than the rest of the book. That's what happens when you write history of present, though. Also: his goodreads profile is adorable.
April 16, 2019
Interesting to compare this book to "Bending adversity" - it's more culture/society-oriented, more balanced in terms of politics and history fragments, which in my opinion "BA" had too much. On the other hand mentions many topics too briefly - I would love to hear more about all of them. Funny thing is, I sense all Japan-themed books in the last few years cover similar topics and facts.
March 9, 2024
If a history book is less informative than reading a couple Wikipedia articles on its chosen subject... let's just say that is a problem.
But what this book offers is not even history: it is a string of irrelevant anecdotes of people whose lives were neither influential in, nor representative of, the periods in which they lived in. The few historical paragraphs interspersed for context are the only actual history in this book, and what they offer is slim indeed.
Don't read this book. It is one of the most disappointing I have ever read cover-to-cover. I only finished it because of my commitment to completing books I receive as gifts.
But what this book offers is not even history: it is a string of irrelevant anecdotes of people whose lives were neither influential in, nor representative of, the periods in which they lived in. The few historical paragraphs interspersed for context are the only actual history in this book, and what they offer is slim indeed.
Don't read this book. It is one of the most disappointing I have ever read cover-to-cover. I only finished it because of my commitment to completing books I receive as gifts.
May 31, 2020
Good for reviewing what you know about Japan, but it's mostly things that have been written about quite extensively. Most sources are English books, so if you are interested in Japan, it's quite likely that you have read some of them. Still - quite useful for organising one's knowledge and understanding of the path that Japan has been on since the Meiji Restoration.
abandoned
October 8, 2024Read through page 149, over the course of 2.5 weeks. Unfortunately, this was just too much a textbook for me: dry, without any apparent narrative or thesis connecting all the facts, generalities, and names the author throws at the reader—which left me not retaining much. Perhaps it’s meant for people who already have some knowledge of Japanese history, to complicate the picture. Unfortunately the dearth of Japanese histories for the general reader meant I checked this one out from my local university library as a first attempt, although it mostly focuses on the 20th century, not my primary era of interest. If you’ve read any better, please do let me know.
November 10, 2024
I feel bad giving only three stars to something that was clearly a product of a lot of hours of research. But I just didn't click with this book. The format of introducing particular 'characters' and framing historic events around them didn't really work for me because I didn't have any background knowledge of these people that would help me connect to the story. Instead, it was disorienting and frustrating. Having spent months to finally finish this hefty tome I just don't feel like it was worth it.
June 30, 2020
Despite a deep and nerdy love of Japan, I am woefully underinformed on a lot of the nitty gritty of Japanese history. As such when I saw this on the shelf at my FLBS (not to mention the gorgeously understated cover), I grabbed it up.
JAPAN STORY briefly covers the history of Japan from the landing of Matthew Perry of the USA on the shores of Japan and the subsequent and rapid westernisation of the country from 1850 through to the present day (as early as 2017). It is split into several sections based on periods of time, and each section has a different 'lite' focus.
The first couple of parts, up to and including the Great Depression, deal mostly with Japanese philosophy and religion in reaction to the influence of the West which was interesting, if slightly over my head - following that, World War 2 and on, JAPAN STORY focuses a lot more on politics and events as a more standard history text.
Harding is fairly even-handed and in his assessment of Japanese history - whilst he doesn't shy away from the horrendous acts that the Imperial Army committed during World War 2 but also going into the underlying reasons for them, as well as exploring the reaction of the Allies.
JAPAN STORY ends by discussing the Japanese view on 'eras'. Defined by the reign of an emperor, the passing of an era and the beginning of a new often heralds change - and with the abdication of Emperor Akihito imminent at the time of the book's publishing, and the subsequent beginning of the Reiwa Era in 2019, JAPAN STORY ends with a feeling of hope for the future as Japan moves forwards.
JAPAN STORY briefly covers the history of Japan from the landing of Matthew Perry of the USA on the shores of Japan and the subsequent and rapid westernisation of the country from 1850 through to the present day (as early as 2017). It is split into several sections based on periods of time, and each section has a different 'lite' focus.
The first couple of parts, up to and including the Great Depression, deal mostly with Japanese philosophy and religion in reaction to the influence of the West which was interesting, if slightly over my head - following that, World War 2 and on, JAPAN STORY focuses a lot more on politics and events as a more standard history text.
Harding is fairly even-handed and in his assessment of Japanese history - whilst he doesn't shy away from the horrendous acts that the Imperial Army committed during World War 2 but also going into the underlying reasons for them, as well as exploring the reaction of the Allies.
JAPAN STORY ends by discussing the Japanese view on 'eras'. Defined by the reign of an emperor, the passing of an era and the beginning of a new often heralds change - and with the abdication of Emperor Akihito imminent at the time of the book's publishing, and the subsequent beginning of the Reiwa Era in 2019, JAPAN STORY ends with a feeling of hope for the future as Japan moves forwards.
April 20, 2022
This is a great book about Japan, infinitely superior to the two somewhat-related books I've picked up in recent years. It's particularly excellent when compared to Ian Buruma's popular volume "Inventing Japan," which also starts with the Meiji era.
Harding's history is both cultural and political, and he makes it interesting throughout World War II and the bombing of Japanese cities, culminating in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are given relatively light treatment. This is more or less a book about Japan in search of itself at peace and in the aftermath of war - there are plenty of books about wartime Japan.
The ending was a little long and indecisive, and written in expectation that the Tokyo Olympics would happen in 2020 as planned - before the COVID-19 pandemic threw the whole world for a loop.
All in all, this will certainly be the book I recommend to anyone who (like me) wishes to learn more about Japan without delving into specialist literature.
Disclaimer: I was slightly acquainted with the author when he served as my academic advisor at the University of Edinburgh. We did not discuss his academic work.
Harding's history is both cultural and political, and he makes it interesting throughout World War II and the bombing of Japanese cities, culminating in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are given relatively light treatment. This is more or less a book about Japan in search of itself at peace and in the aftermath of war - there are plenty of books about wartime Japan.
The ending was a little long and indecisive, and written in expectation that the Tokyo Olympics would happen in 2020 as planned - before the COVID-19 pandemic threw the whole world for a loop.
All in all, this will certainly be the book I recommend to anyone who (like me) wishes to learn more about Japan without delving into specialist literature.
Disclaimer: I was slightly acquainted with the author when he served as my academic advisor at the University of Edinburgh. We did not discuss his academic work.
January 6, 2025
A peculiar style of writing and a somewhat haphazard choice of things the book chose to highlight in the pursuit of its topic. I found an interesting anecdote here, a memorable factoid there, but it took me a long time to make my way through blocks of text.
This is not a book for someone who has no prior (solid) knowledge of modern Japanese history and culture. I would recommend it to readers who are looking to fill the gaps in what they already know on the topic.
This is not a book for someone who has no prior (solid) knowledge of modern Japanese history and culture. I would recommend it to readers who are looking to fill the gaps in what they already know on the topic.
September 18, 2024
Enjoyed the angle of looking at the story Japan tells itself about its history verses the reality.
April 5, 2024
One of the best history books I’ve ever read. Stunning!
August 2, 2022
Not deep but v v broad and nicely written, except for the slightly nonsensical start and end written in a weird surreal form of fiction that didn’t feel appropriate!
Nice piece of research and the examination of culture movements as reflections on the national mood was clever and really well thought out.
70/100
Nice piece of research and the examination of culture movements as reflections on the national mood was clever and really well thought out.
70/100
July 27, 2021
Il Giappone è una terra che mi attira tanto, tantissimo. L'ho conosciuto prima grazie a manga e anime, poi attraverso la letteratura, e, sebbene ancora non l'abbia visitato, mi incanta.
Tuttavia, pur amandolo, non posso considerarlo un paese perfetto (e chi lo sarebbe), ma un paese pieno di contraddizioni che questo libro di Harding aiuta a sgarbugliare e dare una visione d'insieme. L'avevo scelto in primis per un argomento particolare (gli anni del pre e dopo guerra del Pacifico), ma ovviamente abbraccia un orizzonte temporale ben più ampio. Scorrevole e ben strutturato, il libro di Christopher Harding è un lungo sguardo sulla la cultura giapponese dal 1850, anno in cui uscì dall'isolazionismo, ai giorni nostri, attraverso storia, arte, politica ed economia. Perfetto per cominciare a comprendere un paese non perfetto ma pieno di contraddizioni.
Tuttavia, pur amandolo, non posso considerarlo un paese perfetto (e chi lo sarebbe), ma un paese pieno di contraddizioni che questo libro di Harding aiuta a sgarbugliare e dare una visione d'insieme. L'avevo scelto in primis per un argomento particolare (gli anni del pre e dopo guerra del Pacifico), ma ovviamente abbraccia un orizzonte temporale ben più ampio. Scorrevole e ben strutturato, il libro di Christopher Harding è un lungo sguardo sulla la cultura giapponese dal 1850, anno in cui uscì dall'isolazionismo, ai giorni nostri, attraverso storia, arte, politica ed economia. Perfetto per cominciare a comprendere un paese non perfetto ma pieno di contraddizioni.
January 23, 2019
It's an interesting way to put together a view of Japan, trying to identify what it is and where it's going by analysing and looking at the lives of some times peripheral characters, other times incredibly influential characters but never from the position of the traditional history book. I enjoyed it though some parts were more challenging to focus on than others. Equally if you have an interest in Japan's development since 1853 this is a fascinating way to try and understand how Japan has got to where it is and as importantly try to understand where it stands as a nation of people.
November 15, 2020
A very enjoyable history of Japan and the people and actions of who made it what it is today.
Truly a book of the good, bad and ugly. It doesn't pull any punches with the past and Japans role and actions against PoWs, rape of Nanking and the plight of its own citizens on Okinawa and mainland Japan during and after the War.
So much history since 1850 and the end of the Shogunate. I quite enjoyed this and it has whetted my appetite to get back into Japanese literature and to read the authors latest book, The Japanese.
Truly a book of the good, bad and ugly. It doesn't pull any punches with the past and Japans role and actions against PoWs, rape of Nanking and the plight of its own citizens on Okinawa and mainland Japan during and after the War.
So much history since 1850 and the end of the Shogunate. I quite enjoyed this and it has whetted my appetite to get back into Japanese literature and to read the authors latest book, The Japanese.
June 23, 2020
An illuminating portrait of Japanese culture in the modern era (if we define that loosely). This is no comprehensive history of the period from 1850 to 2020, as that would be impossible to do in a mere 400 pages. It is a collage, put together from a deft choice of historical snippets, chosen to tell us something about a people’s experience through a dizzying rise, a deep fall, and another rise. As such it is a story of resilience and determination, but also of a search and a struggle for the nation’s identity. The author tried to write the history, not so much of a nation, as that of a nation’s thinking. And that is a risky adventure.
It isn’t perfect. Personally I don’t particularly like the author’s digressions into the poetical and evocative, which often don’t work well for me, though I admit that sometimes they do and can be really poignant. Harding is at his best telling the stories of other people, the kind of people that don’t often feature in history books: Artists and intellectuals, medical men and philosophers, criminals and actors, activists and terrorists. Perhaps he is a bit too brainy in his choices, and could have devoted more time studying those in power, but they get their coverage elsewhere.
Dead people can’t defend themselves against the dissection of their souls. In general Harding is respectful to his subjects, avoids being judgemental, prefers to use a paintbrush rather than a knife. Still, you notice as gets closer to 2020, that the certainty in his voice tapers off, that he feels the need to leave more room for doubt and debate, that he acknowledges that a society cannot be described in a few pages. That is a caution, then, that the reader should apply retrospectively to earlier pages.
On several occasions I had the pleasure of dining with fellow scientists from Japan. They expressed some regret that everything the West knows about their history, and all tourists want to see, are the tales of the samurai, their swords and their castles. (This is a bit unfair, at least in my case, although for sure I would like to visit some of these castles.) Harding’s book is an entertaining study of Japanese society and culture after the shogunate era: Wide in scope, but a good starting point.
It isn’t perfect. Personally I don’t particularly like the author’s digressions into the poetical and evocative, which often don’t work well for me, though I admit that sometimes they do and can be really poignant. Harding is at his best telling the stories of other people, the kind of people that don’t often feature in history books: Artists and intellectuals, medical men and philosophers, criminals and actors, activists and terrorists. Perhaps he is a bit too brainy in his choices, and could have devoted more time studying those in power, but they get their coverage elsewhere.
Dead people can’t defend themselves against the dissection of their souls. In general Harding is respectful to his subjects, avoids being judgemental, prefers to use a paintbrush rather than a knife. Still, you notice as gets closer to 2020, that the certainty in his voice tapers off, that he feels the need to leave more room for doubt and debate, that he acknowledges that a society cannot be described in a few pages. That is a caution, then, that the reader should apply retrospectively to earlier pages.
On several occasions I had the pleasure of dining with fellow scientists from Japan. They expressed some regret that everything the West knows about their history, and all tourists want to see, are the tales of the samurai, their swords and their castles. (This is a bit unfair, at least in my case, although for sure I would like to visit some of these castles.) Harding’s book is an entertaining study of Japanese society and culture after the shogunate era: Wide in scope, but a good starting point.
May 31, 2020
The last chapter of this book is called fragments, which seems an apt summary of what is covered.
I know little about Japan that I have not gleaned through osmosis. I read books by Japanese authors, watch films set there, and its probably top of the list of countries I want to visit. So I read this book to expand my knowledge.
It covers 170 years of Japanese history but is not your typical history book. The structure is peculiar. A chapter covering 30 years of political change will be followed by a chapter covering cultural change in the same or similar period, with a social analysis following next. This didn't work for me. Rather than adding additional layers, too often it created a disjointed repetitive effect.
Several chapters, especially the cultural and social ones contain overlong meanders down sidestreets. Two pages on what happens in the opening scenes of a particular Ghibli film, for example. These are usually set-ups for the chapters pay-offs, and the device is overused.
There is also frequently an assumption of existing knowledge, which I lacked. I didn't know what Manchuria was - that's why I was reading the book!
For all that, it was interesting in fragments. I usually picked up something from each chapter. I wanted a history of Japan that was more than just a narrative history, and it was exactly that.
I know little about Japan that I have not gleaned through osmosis. I read books by Japanese authors, watch films set there, and its probably top of the list of countries I want to visit. So I read this book to expand my knowledge.
It covers 170 years of Japanese history but is not your typical history book. The structure is peculiar. A chapter covering 30 years of political change will be followed by a chapter covering cultural change in the same or similar period, with a social analysis following next. This didn't work for me. Rather than adding additional layers, too often it created a disjointed repetitive effect.
Several chapters, especially the cultural and social ones contain overlong meanders down sidestreets. Two pages on what happens in the opening scenes of a particular Ghibli film, for example. These are usually set-ups for the chapters pay-offs, and the device is overused.
There is also frequently an assumption of existing knowledge, which I lacked. I didn't know what Manchuria was - that's why I was reading the book!
For all that, it was interesting in fragments. I usually picked up something from each chapter. I wanted a history of Japan that was more than just a narrative history, and it was exactly that.
December 19, 2019
Japan is the poster child for modernization: the example of how the west (America in this case) could force a country to open up and partake in all the benefits of progress. It's also a country about which endless generalizations are made: about relentless conformity, and about how life is governed by secret codes of honour and shame. This book takes the lid off all that. It argues that Japan's march to modernization has been uncomfortable and contested throughout, never more so than in its relationship with America, who helped/forced Japan to reset the dial not once but twice, first through the Perry mission, then during the occupation at the end of the second world war.
The book blends political history with a healthy dose of the social and the cultural. Much of this is fascinating and new, but as ever I find myself disagreeing most on the subjects with which I am most familiar. The author seems to find Ozu's films too conformist, and his taste seems to run more towards the avant garde. Yet for me an old woman saying 'isn't life disappointing' at the end of Tokyo Story remains the most devastating critique of modernity ever, and the touchstone against which all such critiques should be measured. Notwithstanding I'd recommend the book to anybody who likes Japan, which is pretty much anyone who has ever been there.
The book blends political history with a healthy dose of the social and the cultural. Much of this is fascinating and new, but as ever I find myself disagreeing most on the subjects with which I am most familiar. The author seems to find Ozu's films too conformist, and his taste seems to run more towards the avant garde. Yet for me an old woman saying 'isn't life disappointing' at the end of Tokyo Story remains the most devastating critique of modernity ever, and the touchstone against which all such critiques should be measured. Notwithstanding I'd recommend the book to anybody who likes Japan, which is pretty much anyone who has ever been there.
December 16, 2024
Quand j'ai acheté ce livre, à la librairie de Shin-Marunouchi, à côté de l'ancienne gare de Tokyo, je pensais ramener un souvenir d'un voyage qui avait marqué la fin d'une rupture de trois ans avec les études japonaises (à cause du COVID, d'un changement de direction dans mes études...). Je pensais prendre un livre qui me permettrait de revoir mes bases, d'un Japon dans une course modernisatrice folle, de l'Ere Meiji à l'Ere Reiwa.
Ce livre m'a apporté beaucoup plus. En vérité, au travers du spectre culturel et social (un spectre que j'utilise trop peu), Harding revient sur tous les maux, toutes les turpitudes et tous les espoirs d'une société japonaise ballotée au gré des rebondissements du XIXe, du XXe et du XXIe siècles. Il offre le miroir d'une société japonaise multiculturelle, ouverte sur le monde, inventive et culturellement ingénieuse, capable d'une adaptation que les mythes orientalistes ne permettent pas d'entrevoir.
Sans plonger dans les détails des changements politiques majeurs du pays (ce qui rend le livre peut être un peu opaque pour les gens peu familiers avec l'histoire politique japonaise), mais tout en les brossant suffisamment pour établir un contexte, Harding plonge dans des sujets peu étudiés, peu mis en avant (l'histoire de la psychanalyse, le militantisme écologique, le militantisme féministe et marxiste, les politiques familiales...).
Sa plume est élégante et stylisée sans être romanesque. Harding reste un historien mais il fait partie de ces rares chercheurs qui sont capables de rendre un sujet intéressant en un livre captivant.
Ce livre m'a apporté beaucoup plus. En vérité, au travers du spectre culturel et social (un spectre que j'utilise trop peu), Harding revient sur tous les maux, toutes les turpitudes et tous les espoirs d'une société japonaise ballotée au gré des rebondissements du XIXe, du XXe et du XXIe siècles. Il offre le miroir d'une société japonaise multiculturelle, ouverte sur le monde, inventive et culturellement ingénieuse, capable d'une adaptation que les mythes orientalistes ne permettent pas d'entrevoir.
Sans plonger dans les détails des changements politiques majeurs du pays (ce qui rend le livre peut être un peu opaque pour les gens peu familiers avec l'histoire politique japonaise), mais tout en les brossant suffisamment pour établir un contexte, Harding plonge dans des sujets peu étudiés, peu mis en avant (l'histoire de la psychanalyse, le militantisme écologique, le militantisme féministe et marxiste, les politiques familiales...).
Sa plume est élégante et stylisée sans être romanesque. Harding reste un historien mais il fait partie de ces rares chercheurs qui sont capables de rendre un sujet intéressant en un livre captivant.
January 24, 2020
A very learned, yet accessible review of Japanese history from the fall of the Shogunate to Modern Japan today.
The book suffers from some structural issues in the back portion, becoming somewhat messy and difficult to follow in my opinion. This could be due to page constraints.
Overall, Harding elegantly, and sometimes even poetically explores the history of Japan through various stories, (at times) involving peripheral figures at the edges of society’s received homogeneity, be it the native Ainu population of modern day Hokkaido, or the traditionalist, pushing against the tide of westernisation.
This ambivalence at the individual level mirrors the transformation and reinvention of Japan at a national level, from a backward potential victim of colonialism, to the first “modern” (by western standards) Asian nation, to a country troubled by deflation, a rapidly aging population at risk of losing its influence on the global stage.
As Japan prepares to host the 2020 Olympics following the accession of Emperor Naruhito and returns to the Confucian tradition of family name followed by given name (in Official documents), it will yet again have to confront these challenges. I am grateful to Harding for helping me to better understand Japan’s ongoing journey.
The book suffers from some structural issues in the back portion, becoming somewhat messy and difficult to follow in my opinion. This could be due to page constraints.
Overall, Harding elegantly, and sometimes even poetically explores the history of Japan through various stories, (at times) involving peripheral figures at the edges of society’s received homogeneity, be it the native Ainu population of modern day Hokkaido, or the traditionalist, pushing against the tide of westernisation.
This ambivalence at the individual level mirrors the transformation and reinvention of Japan at a national level, from a backward potential victim of colonialism, to the first “modern” (by western standards) Asian nation, to a country troubled by deflation, a rapidly aging population at risk of losing its influence on the global stage.
As Japan prepares to host the 2020 Olympics following the accession of Emperor Naruhito and returns to the Confucian tradition of family name followed by given name (in Official documents), it will yet again have to confront these challenges. I am grateful to Harding for helping me to better understand Japan’s ongoing journey.
March 2, 2025
An interesting work sharing stories of Japan from 1850 - Present.
This is an easy read, so I would recommend.
I would say, this might be for your average reader.
I went through earlier technical works on Japanese history.
I prefer more technical books for my taste.
How Japan modernized itself?
That is a worth story to be communicated, shared repeatedly!
I am more interested in deep-technical know-how, how does one come up with intricate discoveries, inventions, the Japanese at one point, went on to learn from around the Globe.
This seems to be fruitful for them, as they are on the cutting-edge on many fields.
The Political will was supportive of modernization.
In the terms of Japanese people, the story of Kiichiro Toyoda is awe-inspiring!
Kiichiro Toyoda started from Toyoda looms, from his invention.
This is an easy read, so I would recommend.
I would say, this might be for your average reader.
I went through earlier technical works on Japanese history.
I prefer more technical books for my taste.
How Japan modernized itself?
That is a worth story to be communicated, shared repeatedly!
I am more interested in deep-technical know-how, how does one come up with intricate discoveries, inventions, the Japanese at one point, went on to learn from around the Globe.
This seems to be fruitful for them, as they are on the cutting-edge on many fields.
The Political will was supportive of modernization.
In the terms of Japanese people, the story of Kiichiro Toyoda is awe-inspiring!
Kiichiro Toyoda started from Toyoda looms, from his invention.
June 25, 2025
A dense, but highly informative read. Especially focused on the social tensions that shaped so much of Japan’s post-isolation development, going into detail on the problematic relationship Japan had with the west.
December 30, 2019
Very interesting history of Japan told using accessible language. I wouldn’t normally relax with a history book but I found this captivating while learning a lot.
December 27, 2021
Solid, insightful cultural history of modern Japan.
September 7, 2023
The book covers a vast expanse of topics ranging from the demographic changes of japan to the spritual evolution and the cultural imposition Japan holds in this day and age. The chapters are divided into decades which covers around 20-30 pages per decade covering all the major events of that decade and the evolution of the culture with little anecdotes about certain japanese words and their evolution. The author no doubt has a mastery on the knowledge but i supposed he lacked a bit of the master storytelling which tended to be a bit half baked like moving from one topic to the next as if you're changing apartments from one city and moving to another apartment in another city with the change of a paragraph. But i believe that would be the case then again if you had to cover that many amount of years in 400+ pages with a thick reference notes and chronology segment as well.
Long story short- if you want to know about all the major events covering 4 eras this is the book to start with and maybe find individual topics later on to get a more clear picture of a particular era or decade.
Long story short- if you want to know about all the major events covering 4 eras this is the book to start with and maybe find individual topics later on to get a more clear picture of a particular era or decade.
September 26, 2023
Although I am familiar with most of this period of Japanese history, Harding uses a selective, personal story approach and provides unfamiliar points of view and interesting details. Western eyes see Japan in 1850’s as a martial nation led by samurai but after many years of peace, most samurai were administrators. When the American Perry arrived with his ultimatum to open the closed country to trade, he had to rely on Dutch translators but reinforced his message from the President with a white sheet symbolising surrender. To ensure this, on his return in 1854, he came with 11 ships, including the black steamships which contained 1500 armed marines. Harding interprets Hokusai’s famous woodcut of the great wave of Kanazawa as symbolising the mood of anxiety that the mock invasion caused. The other reason was, of course the Japanese knowledge of the effects of the unequal treaties on China. Those who signed the trade rights treaties were surrounded by 500 armed sailors and marines. Immediately afterwards, similar demands came from Britain, France and Russia. Perry also included three brass bands and a quarter sized steam train set up on a circular track. The continuing influence of the USA was again shown, before the occupation in 1945, when in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for ending the war with Russia but the Japanese had asked him in secret to do so.
Japanese reformers were quick to appreciate the need for industrialisation and modernisation of their society and government, setting up the conflict between a revival of the Japanese spirit, signified by the restoration of the Imperial government that could trace its lineage to 652 BCE and the Meiji Emperor with a bloodline of 700 years with the reformers zeal to choose the best that the West displayed and not become a vapid facsimile of Western culture. Adaptation is illustrated by the adoption of the French police system with the addition of a policeman in a police sentry box on most city streets. These remain today although the English police system was later to be the model. New armaments were quickly added and used to quell the numerous local rebellions that persisted into the eighties. Three years of conscription was made law with further years of reserve time.
Many appointments were made via the personal recommendations of Japanese travellers in Europe on what we would call today fact-finding tours and the rapid development of universities, hospitals and railways illustrated this. Social awareness of the follies of aping Western fashions was illustrated by the first Western designed major building in Tokyo being a ballroom where fads and trivia were mocked by artists and reporters. It took until 1894 for the Emperor to ‘gift’ a constitution to his people in which those enfranchised were restricted to males from 25 years of age who had paid a significant amount of money in their taxes, a change that showed the class revolution that was taking place with the emergence of a commercial class considered vulgar and emerging eventually as the powerful families whose names we know today as the industrial leaders of Japan, let alone those gangster clans that are more notorious.
While Western eyes tend to emphasise these developments as leading to militarism and nationalism that caused the wars with Russia, Korea, China and the USA, developments in free public health and education have been ignored. Similar to the USA, students recited a national, patriotic creed every day: the Japanese difference was that the photo of the Emperor was so revered that several teachers and students died saving it from destruction by fires. Lower case printing was enforced to all nouns except that of the Emperor. Females were not allowed to attend political meetings until 1922 but there were activists who challenged that and the exploitation of girls in the cotton and silk mills and Harding tells their story. There was continuous tension between the power of the state, individuals and the family but children in Harding’s view, ultimately became the property of the state.
The brutal actions of Japanese soldiers in Manchuria and China, in particular the notorious massacre in Nanjing were analysed by Harding to be the result of the citizen soldier conscription and its effects on rural men in a century of violent attacks by gangsters and the assassination of politicians. In a dreadful irony, the militarist general who led forces in China and had resigned over the attack on the USA, was the most influential in advising the Emperor to surrender from February 1945. Other new facts for me were the 30,000 Koreans who died in Hiroshima and how, after the peace, several thousand starving Japanese women aged 18-25 answered a government advertisement to act as ‘comfort women’ to the allied occupation forces.
I particularly liked the story of Beate Sirota, a journalist for Time magazine who had grown up in Japan with a Ukrainian father and a Japanese mother, returned to Japan to rescue her family from starvation and was appointed in December 1945 to the committee that wrote the new constitution. She searched for libraries that had survived the fire-bombing (the US airforce ranked cities by their burn-ability) and found copies of constitutions from the Weimar Republic , the USSR and France so that consultations did not just refer to the US constitution. The result was that Japanese citizens came to enjoy a wider range of rights and freedoms than those in the USA. A section on women’s rights led to 26 being elected in April 1946. Universal free education, medical, dental and optical health care, social security and collective bargaining for workers were included after care was taken to choose the most conservative noun for ‘we the people’ so that it did not sound like a communist text.
Other revelations for me included that a peace treaty with China was forbidden by Dulles, providing long term consequences for relations with the Chinese. Okinawa and its Ryukyu island chain were never Japanese until they were made so by annexation in 1879; the shockingly familiar movie scenes of masses of people jumping off the cliffs there in 1945 were not suicides as Western eyes assumed. The islanders had been used as human shields during those terrible months of fighting from south to north and they were finally ‘made Japanese’ by being forced off the cliffs.
Of more familiar stories, the emergence of Japan as an economic world power in the invention and production of electronic goods largely through the ‘gift’ of the 1953 Korean War after the US interest had waned, with the end of the occupation in 1952, came from the reform of the old clan corporations into brands like Sony, Sharp, Nissan And Mitsubishi. The previous use of small brand labels to overcome western prejudice about what my father had called ‘cheap Japanese rubbish’ disappeared. The story of the 1950’s to the 90’s was entitled “Twisted Visions’ as conflict over corruption in government and the renewal of the treaty with the USA caused the cancellation of Eisenhower’s visit. Harding labelled as ‘exhibitionism’ the extreme forms of violence symbolised by the public beheading of Mishima, the actions of various red army groups, poisonings, hijackings and murders. He also saw these as a link to the sometimes ‘absurdist’ protests and the distinctive developments in art with manga and other forms, movies and music as a search for the new Japanese cultural identity which we know today as one of the most peaceful and law abiding in the world.
Because of Harding’s individual story-based method there are no exact page references but there are 96 pages of bibliography with chapter references. I enjoyed his writing style and the new knowledge and attitudes to Japan that Hardings gave me. After my student study of Japanese history, I have been able to visit four times at some length with the assistance of one friend who spent many years there teaching, a former student of my wife and two Japanese teachers who became Australian citizens so it is a tribute to Harding that he kept me consistently engaged and often surprised me over 504 pages.
Japanese reformers were quick to appreciate the need for industrialisation and modernisation of their society and government, setting up the conflict between a revival of the Japanese spirit, signified by the restoration of the Imperial government that could trace its lineage to 652 BCE and the Meiji Emperor with a bloodline of 700 years with the reformers zeal to choose the best that the West displayed and not become a vapid facsimile of Western culture. Adaptation is illustrated by the adoption of the French police system with the addition of a policeman in a police sentry box on most city streets. These remain today although the English police system was later to be the model. New armaments were quickly added and used to quell the numerous local rebellions that persisted into the eighties. Three years of conscription was made law with further years of reserve time.
Many appointments were made via the personal recommendations of Japanese travellers in Europe on what we would call today fact-finding tours and the rapid development of universities, hospitals and railways illustrated this. Social awareness of the follies of aping Western fashions was illustrated by the first Western designed major building in Tokyo being a ballroom where fads and trivia were mocked by artists and reporters. It took until 1894 for the Emperor to ‘gift’ a constitution to his people in which those enfranchised were restricted to males from 25 years of age who had paid a significant amount of money in their taxes, a change that showed the class revolution that was taking place with the emergence of a commercial class considered vulgar and emerging eventually as the powerful families whose names we know today as the industrial leaders of Japan, let alone those gangster clans that are more notorious.
While Western eyes tend to emphasise these developments as leading to militarism and nationalism that caused the wars with Russia, Korea, China and the USA, developments in free public health and education have been ignored. Similar to the USA, students recited a national, patriotic creed every day: the Japanese difference was that the photo of the Emperor was so revered that several teachers and students died saving it from destruction by fires. Lower case printing was enforced to all nouns except that of the Emperor. Females were not allowed to attend political meetings until 1922 but there were activists who challenged that and the exploitation of girls in the cotton and silk mills and Harding tells their story. There was continuous tension between the power of the state, individuals and the family but children in Harding’s view, ultimately became the property of the state.
The brutal actions of Japanese soldiers in Manchuria and China, in particular the notorious massacre in Nanjing were analysed by Harding to be the result of the citizen soldier conscription and its effects on rural men in a century of violent attacks by gangsters and the assassination of politicians. In a dreadful irony, the militarist general who led forces in China and had resigned over the attack on the USA, was the most influential in advising the Emperor to surrender from February 1945. Other new facts for me were the 30,000 Koreans who died in Hiroshima and how, after the peace, several thousand starving Japanese women aged 18-25 answered a government advertisement to act as ‘comfort women’ to the allied occupation forces.
I particularly liked the story of Beate Sirota, a journalist for Time magazine who had grown up in Japan with a Ukrainian father and a Japanese mother, returned to Japan to rescue her family from starvation and was appointed in December 1945 to the committee that wrote the new constitution. She searched for libraries that had survived the fire-bombing (the US airforce ranked cities by their burn-ability) and found copies of constitutions from the Weimar Republic , the USSR and France so that consultations did not just refer to the US constitution. The result was that Japanese citizens came to enjoy a wider range of rights and freedoms than those in the USA. A section on women’s rights led to 26 being elected in April 1946. Universal free education, medical, dental and optical health care, social security and collective bargaining for workers were included after care was taken to choose the most conservative noun for ‘we the people’ so that it did not sound like a communist text.
Other revelations for me included that a peace treaty with China was forbidden by Dulles, providing long term consequences for relations with the Chinese. Okinawa and its Ryukyu island chain were never Japanese until they were made so by annexation in 1879; the shockingly familiar movie scenes of masses of people jumping off the cliffs there in 1945 were not suicides as Western eyes assumed. The islanders had been used as human shields during those terrible months of fighting from south to north and they were finally ‘made Japanese’ by being forced off the cliffs.
Of more familiar stories, the emergence of Japan as an economic world power in the invention and production of electronic goods largely through the ‘gift’ of the 1953 Korean War after the US interest had waned, with the end of the occupation in 1952, came from the reform of the old clan corporations into brands like Sony, Sharp, Nissan And Mitsubishi. The previous use of small brand labels to overcome western prejudice about what my father had called ‘cheap Japanese rubbish’ disappeared. The story of the 1950’s to the 90’s was entitled “Twisted Visions’ as conflict over corruption in government and the renewal of the treaty with the USA caused the cancellation of Eisenhower’s visit. Harding labelled as ‘exhibitionism’ the extreme forms of violence symbolised by the public beheading of Mishima, the actions of various red army groups, poisonings, hijackings and murders. He also saw these as a link to the sometimes ‘absurdist’ protests and the distinctive developments in art with manga and other forms, movies and music as a search for the new Japanese cultural identity which we know today as one of the most peaceful and law abiding in the world.
Because of Harding’s individual story-based method there are no exact page references but there are 96 pages of bibliography with chapter references. I enjoyed his writing style and the new knowledge and attitudes to Japan that Hardings gave me. After my student study of Japanese history, I have been able to visit four times at some length with the assistance of one friend who spent many years there teaching, a former student of my wife and two Japanese teachers who became Australian citizens so it is a tribute to Harding that he kept me consistently engaged and often surprised me over 504 pages.
July 5, 2019
Late last year while I was reading Mishima on the plane flying from Perth to Melbourne it occurred to me that I should source a book about the history of Japan. The very first night in Melbourne I walked into the fantastic Readings book store in Carton to find Japan Story waiting on the shelves in the well stocked history section. Harding's biographical blurb at the back of the book indicates that he is a cultural historian; which is perhaps why his approach in Japan Story is certainly different to most other history books I've read. Harding uses the lives of particular individuals, from doctors, writers, feminists, revolutionaries and ordinary people to illustrate how each phase of Japan's modern history effected their lives both practically and psychologically. There is still plenty of fairly straight historical reportage, but ultimately Harding's approach is both intriguing and refreshing. Also Harding's writing style reveals a rigorous thinker with a deft touch, something that is not always evident in some historians work.
Harding manages to say considerably more about Japan than just where their aggressive expansionist desires came from that climaxed in the middle of last century; I completed the book feeling like I understood the nation and its peoples considerably more, including the evolution of Japanese family life, feminism, the arts and politics. It was particularly fascinating to read about how Japanese society was effected by and dealt with the multiple forces of modernism in the early twentieth century relative to what I know about how it effected western society. In this way the book is aptly named, as Japan Story does indeed outline a story that is divergent from familiar western histories, which is a valuable thing in our self obsessed nationalistic age.
Harding manages to say considerably more about Japan than just where their aggressive expansionist desires came from that climaxed in the middle of last century; I completed the book feeling like I understood the nation and its peoples considerably more, including the evolution of Japanese family life, feminism, the arts and politics. It was particularly fascinating to read about how Japanese society was effected by and dealt with the multiple forces of modernism in the early twentieth century relative to what I know about how it effected western society. In this way the book is aptly named, as Japan Story does indeed outline a story that is divergent from familiar western histories, which is a valuable thing in our self obsessed nationalistic age.
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