The Yamato Dynasty: The Secret History of Japan's Imperial Family

by Sterling Seagrave, Peggy Seagrave

In The Yamato Dynasty , Sterling Seagrave, who divulged the secrets of Mao Tse-tung and the ruthlessness of Chiang Kai-shek in the New York Times bestseller The Soong Dynasty , and his wife and longtime collaborator, Peggy, present the controversial, never-before-told history of the world’s longest-reigning dynasty–the Japanese imperial family–from its nineteenth-century origins through today. In the first collective biography of both the men and women of the Yamato Dynasty, the Seagraves take a controversial, comprehensive look at a family history that crosses two world wars, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the American occupation of Japan, and Japan’s subsequent phoenix-like rise from the ashes of the Second World War. The Yamato Dynasty tells the story of the powerful men who have stood behind the screen–the shoguns and financiers controlling the throne from the shadows–taking readers behind the walls of privilege and tradition and revealing, in uncompromising detail, the true nature of a dynasty shrouded in myth and legend

Genres: History, Japan, Biography, Nonfiction, Asia, Royalty, Japanese History

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Seagrave was an American writer, investigative journalist, and historian, his particular focus being topics of the far east.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Essential reading for anyone interested in Japan's recent history.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our Royals Book Club decided to take a break from the Windsor family and read about another royal family. I'm not really sure how to rate this book. I was looking at other reviews that said some of the facts were not correct. I cannot tell you either way so I don't know. This book was written in the late 1990s. I'm hoping changes have been made but I doubt it. If you think the Windsors do nothing, the Japanese Emperors really do nothing. That is not to say they do not know what is going on, they just have no say in anything. They are told what is happening and what they are to do. Japan is run by a very corrupt government. The people cannot complain about the government because they are an extension of the Emperor, which is basically deity so you cannot go against deity, punishable by death. There have been revolutions trying to change the government but the Emperor does not want to be saved. He has a cush life so why change it? This book starts in the mid 1800s and goes through the 1990s. Just telling all of the corrupt governments one after the other. It is appalling but so is the fact that America hid some of the atrocities that Japan committed during WWII. One of the worst massacres was the Rape of Nanking. Japan also hid treasures so they could be considered bankrupt and not have to pay too many reparations after WWII. The Nazis killed 6 million Jews while Japan killed 30 million Asians, 23 million being Chinese. "The scale of Japanese plunder overshadows Nazi looting in terms of numbers, and remains officially denied." There are still treasures hidden from Japanese looting in WWII. Crazy stuff. I had to take this one slow. Very heavy. I highlighted a lot but it is too much to mention here. I don't feel like typing it all out. I will see after book club if I want to add anything.

[Richard Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Seagrave has pulled together a wealth of information to make his case that the modern emperors of Japan were complicit in the failure of democracy and the rise of military expansionism as well as the attack on Pearl Harbor which led to her ultimate defeat in World War II. It’s not a new book, but I think it has relevance, and I think it’s worth reading, I also see some weaknesses. Seagrave illustrates how the determination of Japanese power factions to make Japan in the 1930’s, not just a player, but top dog in East/Southeast Asia came into conflict with the United States, who was also seeking to establish its credentials as a world player in the Pacific and Asia. The decisions by the U.S. to establish its own footprint in the Pacific and East Asia and to enforce it with economic sanctions seems eerily similar to what is happening today—the U.S. threatened by China and the U.S. responding by imposing economic sanctions with the potential for an upward spiral of tensions. Likewise with Iran and Korea. History may not repeat itself exactly, but it does tend to have recurring theses.
The author’s discussion of the criminal activity and corruption involving Japan’s prewar and wartime militarists and the postwar zaibatsu is interesting, but I think he overstates the case for Hirohito’s culpability. The Japanese military dominated regime leading up to WWII was indeed diabolical in many respects, and they did commit war crimes and treated conquered territories as virtual slave camps to be used for Japan’s benefit. It is also true that the U.S. occupation did ignore or easily forgave war criminals to suit their own political agenda or benefit American economic interests. My fault with Seagrave’s book is that his account seems unbalanced. Seagrave grew up in China, according to his bio, and understandably felt some anger over how the Japanese treated China in the 1930’s and 40’s, and that probably influenced the way he approached this subject. I think his bias may be indicated by the curious photo he selected for the cover of his book. It is a photo of Pu Yi, the last Chinese emperor who the Japanese installed in Manchukuo as their puppet monarch. (The cover photo was changed in subsequent editions.) I don’t think it was a mistake on his part.
Yes, Hirohito did play some part in the war-time decisions, but he was not the developer of those policies. Had he opposed them, he may have been killed or replaced by someone else. The fact that, in the end, he did stand up and make the decision to end the war which avoided a U.S./Soviet invasion that would have resulted in millions more deaths—yes millions—and probably split the country up into Soviet and American sections with potential for future war. Immediately after the war, the emperor was a stabilizing influence and aided the peaceful laying down of arms by Japanese forces elsewhere in Asia. Seagrave seems to say that it would have been better for Hirohito to abdicate. Had he done so at American insistence, there may have been an Isis like reaction from military die-hards, again resulting in more deaths.
Yes, MacArthur was a self-promoting narcissist who reversed SCAP policy in 1948 on prosecution of war criminals and on political reforms. This was consistent with overall U.S. policy that became more concerned about expansion of communism world-wide. Eastern Europe was being taken over by Soviet puppets. Korea was split into communist and non-communist sectors. When Mao defeated Chiang Kai Shek in China, the Americans were desperate to save Japan and that also contributed to the reversal of policies in Japan. Seagrave is critical of the U.S. occupation and the emperors’ pusillanimity towards the power brokers, but ignores the fact that the postwar occupation of Japan, along with that of West Germany, became one of the few real success stories American could point to in the postwar years.
The position of the emperor in Japan had cultural roots that made a difference in Japan’s recovery. Following the U.S. occupation, almost seventy years have passed during which time Japan avoided internal revolution, has abstained from military entanglements, and disavowed use of military weapons. Not many countries can say that—certainly not the U.S. In Iran, the U.S. manipulated things to put the Shah on the throne. That didn't work out well. In Vietnam, the U.S. needed a front man and put Emperor Bao Dai on the throne in the South. That didn’t work out well either. Then in Iraq, the U.S. leadership ignored cultural/religious issues which resulted in a follow-on warfare resulting in tens of thousands of innocent civilian deaths. Japan was different. It was a success for the U.S. and for Japan itself. Japan is not a perfect democracy, but it is no longer a military dictatorship. Japan’s economic recovery and years of peace following the war may not outweigh all the bad things that happened earlier, but the outcome has been a positive for the world, and Seagrave discounted that. For those reasons I couldn’t give this book more than three stars.

[Mark Davidson · Rating 1 out of 5]

After getting frustrated with innumerable historical errors I just had to put down this book down around page 313. Sure it’s got lots of juicy details about the Japanese royal family but when you can see with your own eyes the lack of any editorial standards or quality control you have to doubt the wisdom of wasting much energy on this book. What errors am I referring to? Here’s only a partial list of the historical clangers that I noticed:

- Page 112 - in reference to the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese: “President Theodore Roosevelt offered to broker the peace in return for a secure accord. Japan could have Korea if the United States could have the Philippines”. This is a tired over dramatization of the 1905 Taft-Katsura agreement where the two countries outlined their views on east Asia. To claim that this allowed the USA to “have” the Philippines is ludicrous and totally ignores the 1898 Treaty of Paris whereby Spain ceded the Philippines to the USA (amongst other provisions) and the subsequent failed Philippine revolution. (There’s a similar over-the-top reference to the Taft-Katsua agreement on page 201).
- Page 156: … “top (Japanese) WWII generals go to the gallows in 1945.” Later in the book the authors talk about the executions of these generals after the war and make a bog deal about the fact the executions could not take place on the 7th anniversary of Pearl Harbor as desired by MacArthur. … in fact the most senior generals were executed on December 23, 1948.
- Page 160 in reference to the post WWI environment “But America and Japan were now the world’s two biggest naval powers.” WRONG - the UK had the largest navy at the start of WWII.
- Page 260 - Churchill only sent “token naval reinforcements” to Singapore before Dec 1941. The new battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser HMS Renown were hardly tokens.
- Page 260 - in early 1941 - “With troops in Siam and Indochina, it was obvious that Japan was preparing for a strike (against Malaya).” Japan had no troops in Thailand until they invaded on 7 December immediately after which the Thai govt allied themselves with Japan.
- Page 268 “In the 1930s, Roosevelt had been only too glad to get rid of MacArthur by sending him to the Philippines as America’s field marshal”. The USA has never had such a military title. In fact MacArthur was made a Field Marshall by Philippine President Quezon (possibly at the suggestion of MacArthur himself.)
- Page 313 (this was the end for me). “George Marshall, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Chief of Staff Dwight Eisenhower were both determined to break up MacArthur’s clique in Tokyo.” Marshall was never chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position that wasn’t created until 1949, although Admiral William Leahy (definitely not Marshall) had been in a similar position since 1942. Eisenhower replaced Marshall as Chief of Staff of the Army in 1945.

As if these, and many other, historical errors weren’t bad enough the book’s tone is one of breathless outrage and over the top characterizations. This tone makes for compelling reading at first but after a while it gets tedious. While there are 100 + pages of footnotes they are exceptionally hard to follow since they are based on page rather than individual notes. To read them properly you’d have to read one page of the text and then immediately turn to see whether the authors have added footnotes to support their narrative. There’s a reason why most authors and editors don’t use such an approach.

I’m sorry I wasted so much time trying to read this book.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read, and better than the previous, similar book I read, Edward Behr's Hirohito: Behind the Myth.

The Seagraves look at the rise of modern Imperial Japan, from the Meiji Restoration through Hirohito's son, Akihito, in the late 1990s.

First, a decade-plus of deflation has only further confirmed their comments in the last chapters: Japanese distrust their business cliques, as much as they distrust anything, and continue to refuse to spend or invest domestically, while different Liberal Democratic Party factions continue to vie for control of continuing to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic.

Second, re Hirohito in particular, it's a good corrective to Behr's book in that it notes he often, on World War II events, had relative freedom of action, but it wasn't necessarily as absolute of freedom as Behr would make us believe. It also notes, which Behr may not have known, that Hirohito's brothers discussed his abdication for Akihito (with a regency) both before the actual end of WWII, as part of a surrender, or afterward, as part of rebuilding Japan, and that Hirohito himself strenuously resisted all such calls.

Third, contra some moderate down-voters, it's precisely because the Meiji Restoration, and the history of the dynasty from then on out, is such a facade that the Seagraves needed to discuss the various factions and their attempts to control and manipulate the throne. This is a plus, not a minus.

And, another phrase for "editorializing" is "historical interpretation."

Other good points include that, starting with his no-abdication petulance, Hirohito himself, not just the deck chair rearrangers, learned to manipulate Dougout Doug MacArthur, and his American right-wing banker string-pullers, at least as much as they and MacArthur manipulated Hirohito, and far more than the Americans ever truly controlled the powers behind the throne.

Reading all of this reminds me that the "powers that be" in post-World War 2 Japan reacted much like the powers that be in post-World War 1 Germany. No, the zaibatsu et al never invented a dolstochgestabbe; they never needed to, though, as, starting with the exact text of Hirohito's Rescript that never mentioned the word "surrender," they continued to act as if Japan never had.

In light of all of this, which includes Japan's continued refusal to pay reparations, despite some of its own corruption, is it any wonder that modern China doesn't always trust the US a lot?

[Roger Norman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I previously read Seagrave's Lords of the Rim, which is a great read, and his Soong Dynasty, almost as good, but this one doesn't work. One of the reasons is certainly the collaborative authorship. The two styles are distinctly different and don't match. Plenty of detail is repeated by both authors, as if the editing were hastily done. There's also a sense that some of the more outrageous conclusions are not quite true. I have no evidence for this, it's just a feeling. If the writing is brisk, clear, authoritative and strong, it's easy to believe the matter. İn his previous books, Seagrave got it right, anbd here he doesn't.
Still interesting, of course, and some startling insights. But he's better on his own.

[Jessica Harn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although while reading this you do have to remember this is written by a (white) American with his own perspective, this is still an amazing and explosive account of the corruption and secrets of both the Japanese Imperial Family and of the elites before and after WWII. Written in a such a captivating way as well

[Stephen Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick review: fun read, very weak history. The authors have a very dim view of Japan and its political system. To sum up their story, a giant cabal has been running it since the Meiji Restoration. That cabal controlled the imperial throne and used it to its own advantage to get rich and control Japan's politics. Yet that corruption eventually led to Japan's economic downfall in the 1990s.

Quick list of people the authors' hate:
Hirohito - war criminal
Douglas MacArthur - subverted Japanese democracy and protected Hirohito for his presidential ambitions
Anyone on MacArthur's staff - see above
Any Japanese businessman or politician important enough to be mentioned in the book

One the flip side, they love Akihito, but say he has no power.

The problems with the book are many. They are good writers, but provided no evidence for their conspiracy theories. I think most scholars now agree that Hirohito had a much more significant role in the war than the Japanese or the rest of the world acknowledges, which is where the book is strongest, but they present him as a caricature rather than a real person. They claim that the Japanese rebuilt their economy on looted gold that they hid away, but provide no evidence for that. They even claim that critics of MacArthur were murdered on a sabotaged plane on the way home (still no evidence). I could go one, but you get the picture.

This book is fun, but goes closer to fan fiction than history.

[Jenna-Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like it was missing something. It was fine, but fine is about as much as it ever gave. Something about the heavy, uncritical financial focus and placing the atrocities faced by people and societies in terms of arbitrary figures alone did not sit right. And while this may be a political problem and not an authorian problem, it was only ever taken at face value. At points it seemed like the level of horror facilitated by Japan in WWII especially was glossed over to point more to marriage gossip.
It left me with more information than I had before, but the information itself could have been presented with more humane understanding.

[Chuckdee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Seagrave's perspective of Japan's role in 20th century chaos...fascinating to see the underlying ties between our countries pre WWII...also, the post war spin...

[Pascal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great research on the recent history of the Japanese imperial family and the dirty business surrounding it. Good read even if a bit thick to digest in the first few chapters...

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about the Japanese Emperors that can after Emperor Meiji, mainly focusing on Hirohito and his role in World War II. The main focus of the book is on how Hirohito escaped ever being charged or tried for being a war criminal, and how the U.S. was behind this movement.

The book starts out noting that 1.5 million Japanese had died in combat. 8 million civilians were killed or wounded. 2.5 million homes were destroyed or damaged. 100,000 people were killed in the firebombing of Japan that took place in a single night.

After the end of the war MacArthur went to Japan to head the occupation program. The book notes that 'there was no certainty that fighting would not flare up again.' MacArthur's own presidential ambitions are also discussed.

There was basically a formal program set up to distance Hirohito from what happened during the war, and to prevent anyone from charging him with anything, trying him, or executing him. He was not to be held responsible for anything that happened at all.

The book does go briefly into the founding of the dynasty and its history, but only briefly. Space is given to how the concept that the Emperor was divine was determined and used to further the war effort.

There's also a lot of discussion about something rarely discussed in other war books, and that is Japan's role in looting the countries it invaded, carrying out a looting program that dwarfed the German one, and how those who did the looting were able to hide it, avoid prosecution, and use that loot to help rebuild Japan after the war and line their own pockets at the same time.

Hirohito's history is covered from when he was born, grew up, assumed the throne, and led the country during the war.

The great earthquake of 1923 is covered and how that was used to start rumors against Koreans and how that led to the death of many of them and other 'malcontents.'

In 1925 universal male suffrage was given, but the Peace Preservation law was also passed making it a crime punishable by death to criticize the Emperor. In 1928 it was modified to make speaking against the government a crime, which set up the military for an unrivaled of the entire country.

The book shows how some of the Imperial line were directly involved in war atrocities, but escaped while other men took the fall for what they did.

In relation to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the author says that 'Evidence is emerging that political and military leaders in Britain and American knew precise details in advance and allowed the attack to proceed.' Churchill wanted to draw the U.S. into the war so they would help the British against the Germans.

The economic side is again covered when the author discusses the looting of conquered countries. 'Loot and plunder became the only way Japan could stay afloat and continue to finance the war.'

Right after the surrender lots of Japanese documents were burned, arms were hidden, soldiers changed into farmers clothes, and loot (including drugs) continued to be hidden. How pressure was put on would-be witnesses and how facts were changed to protect the Emperor and the Imperial line are also discussed in detail.

Discussed also is the role of big U.S. corporations in Japan before the war, and how they made major profits in Japan right after the war. This, along with the side-stepping of the issue of responsibility, are tied in to how Japan managed to actually change very little fundamentally, and how the Japanese extreme right-wing still holds so much influence today. The role of a corrupt Japanese political system and its relation to all of this is also gone into in considerable detail.

The book gives the reader a whole new view of the greedy role of American corporations, and the political power the U.S. brought to bear to make sure Hirohito was not held accountable for his actions. A disturbing and extremely interesting book.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a pretty explosive account of one of the world's longest-reigning monarchies. The Seagraves chronicle the Yamato dynasty and its monarchs from the Meiji Restoration era in the 1850s to the present day. The imperial family is depicted as figureheads with no power, mere ornaments whose ultimate purpose is to disguise the pervasive corruption and greed that occurs behind the scenes by financiers and big business. (Note: This was originally published in 1999, so it's not very current and the Japanese government may well have changed in the past 16 years.)

Particular attention is paid to the events that led up to World War II, including the Japanese occupation of Korea and China, the notorious "rape of Nanking", and the large-scale looting that occurred to help pay the enormous costs of war. The looting operation known as "Golden Lily" was something that I hadn't known earlier, and the fact that thousands of dollars' worth of gold, religious artifacts, and art have still not been accounted for or returned to their respective countries is shocking.

The Seagraves also uncover the backstage manipulations that the U.S. largely spearheaded after the conclusion of the war, which basically allowed the corruption to start back up again in Japan. Some of the things that they mention in the book infuriated me to a certain degree, like how Japan, even though it played as large a role in WWII as Germany, claims to have paid all reparation costs in the 1950s, while Germany continues to do so today. And unlike Germany, which has shown remorse toward its acts of cruelty in the war, Japan has yet to apologize to the countries and victims who suffered under them. (Especially the victims of Nanking.) And also, the fact that the U.S. was complicit in the whole hush-hush affair of hiding Japanese war crimes from the public. Thanks, America.

But more than that, the parts about Japanese colonial rule in Korea hit me on a personal level. As a Korean-American, I have known many older generations of Koreans who still despise Japan today for showing no remorse for their actions when they occupied Korea. Both of my grandparents were born during Japanese colonial rule and it was a deeply ambivalent experience for them. They saw female family members forced to become "comfort women" for the Japanese army and fellow Koreans being treated brutally. Of course, such an experience wouldn't be so easy to forget and I understand how they and their own generation would continue to hold such a grudge even now.

But despite this and my own wish for Japan to apologize (even though admittedly these crimes occurred decades ago), I do sincerely believe that Japan has moved forward from that dark time in history and has learned -- or if not, will eventually -- learn from its mistakes. And despite the grave picture that the Seagraves paint of this country and its government, I think it's still possible for Japan to reform itself if a movement for more democratic rights emerges. What's past is past, and hopefully the future proves brighter for Japan.

[Airi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a bit of a problem with how highly editorialized the text was in reference to the descriptions of historical characters and the events. Also, certain phrases and words were repeated too often throughout the book, as if the authors were somehow strangely committed to only using that language. Apart from that, I found it an enlightening read on the modern history of Japan and America's relationship.

[E.A. Padilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in reading the book to become more familiar with the history of what took place before, during and after World War II. I was also surprised to learn about how money, power and politics are done in Japan. Finally, I had no idea at the amount of wealth that was circulated to maintain power. It gives me a glimpse into how the US changed as a result of dealing with Japan during its reconstruction and US control. A common theme in all societies is wealth, greed and power.

[Jennifer Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say this focused less on the imperial family and more on the power around and behind the throne. It was still very interesting and explained Japan's financial system well. Contained a very disturbing account of Japan's WWII looting, and the machinations that led to war criminals going unpunished.

[Sumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book covering recent imperial history, from the Meiji Emperor to Akihito and his children. Some of it seems a bit too 'conspiracy theory', but it's still an interesting read since there is very little about the Japanese monarchy in English.

[Mercurybard · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in-idepth look at Japan's modern imperial family and the power behind the throne (focusing especially on World War II and the events leading up to it and immediately after), it didn't quite have the same enthusiasm as Gold Warriors did.

[Sara Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, thought provoking. Somewhat obvious in the authors' attempts to convince us of their point of view, but it did bring up some very interesting tidbits.

[Dave Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit repetitive but a fascinating read all the same. I'll see if I can download Gold Warriors next since I am almost certain there are no English bookstores in Beijing who have it.

[Richreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

eye opening for those who are new to Japanese history and what went in during world war II, but to much comes from the author's voice for what is meant to be a historical retelling

[Julie Yee]

It was an interesting book...I really wanted to know how much Hirohito was involved in WWII.

[Rome Doherty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barely got through it, after sitting on my breakfast table for six months.