JS1101E Notes compiled??

JS1101E LECT 1 & 2

Placing and displacing Japan

PLACE

Geog: 4 main islands of japan

Archipelago: surrounded by water. Source of transport, trade routes

Far enough away such that it wasn’t conquered until 1940s but but close enough to interact (isolaton, resources)

Fertile soil but steep mountains which make 70% of land. Hard to terrace.

Deadly natural environment (volcanoes, typhoon/hurricanes, earthquakes) vs fertile soil and life

Japan is densely packed

DISPLACEMENT

Japan’s boundaries 1941 vs 17^th century (feudal domains without Hokkaido)

Hokkaido is japan’s first colonial project

Japan in 8^th century : subset of the 3 islands without honshu??

Lecture 2

Outline of Japanese History (till Heian Period)

Palaeolithic Period 50000 BCE to 10000BCE

• hunter gatherers, stone tools, MOBILE lifestyle

Jomon Period 10000 BCE to 300 BCE:

-          Hunter-gatherer period. Settling in villages as opposed to a roaming people which is typical of hunter-gatherer. Esp in richer NE environments with GREAT biota of japan: water, soil etc.

-          Trade was present, which requires a certain level of stability

-          Jomon Pots (what were they smoking when they made those pots?) not used in everyday life bc too fragile, but likely in rituals

Yayoi Period 300 BCE to 300 CE

-          West side started first- Wet rice agriculture from Korean immigrants (water is needed, shared with villagers bc limited source). Working together and governing themselves, changes in society: 1) changed scheduling of subsistence activities, 2) and ritual ceremonies which accompany (1)

-          Distinctive burials suggest ruling by chiefs

-          Metalwork. Bronzework and Ironwork arrived at the same time as opposed to separate in other countries, raw materials from korean peninsula. Eg. Dotaku (ritual bronze bells)

Kofun/ Tumulus Period 300 to 552

-          Increasing Centralization (need to mobilize many people for many years to build those crazy tomb burial mounds (kofun)

-          Large Burial Mounds (there’s one that’s 486m long?? wtf) indicate access to resources and LABOUR/ Shifting source of power from ritual power to military might, belief in afterlife

-          Tombs are a material manifestation of 2 classes for subsequent state formation: aristocrats and commoners

-          Yamato state formed Near nara region. They unified Japan, aided by War/Military alliances. Inked wooden tablets show admin.

(State: Class segregation, Monopoly of force, Specialized administration)

-          Increasing importation of Chinese culture due to Yamato alliance with Paekche (korea peninsula) eg. Chinese characters

-          Influx of people, ideas, customs, material culture

-          1868???

Kofun/ Continental Cultural Importation 552 to 710

-          Writing: Chinese techniques. Mainstream writing in Japan is based on Chinese characters. Hindu/Arabic numerals, Sanskrit used etc

-          Buddhism: Systemized philosophy. Eating 4 legged animals prohibited, ceasing hunting. Chickens seen as ritual animal associated w sunrise

-          Palaces built in southern Nara Basin, near the Buddhist temples

-          Asuka become the capital of Yamato

-          During the Taika Reform (nakatami (FUJIWARA) no kamatari + naka no oe (tenji) + emperor kotoku, after Prince Shotoku) :large-scale land surveys and field reallocation. Grid system (jori) from China to emulate the Tang. Greater centralization to enhance power of court like China

-          Monumental Architecture eg. Issei shrine rebuilt every 20 years switching spots haha. No foundation, easy to build, simple. VS Horyuji Temple by Prince Shotoku 607. Buddhism brought monumental architecture. Symbols of a centralizing power, brightly coloured and built on foundation. Queen Himiko has palisades and watch towers

-          Influx of people from Paekche, stimulating Yamato court to reorganise supervision and admin of craft production

-          Rice becomes political commodity, restricting it to elite class eating and peasants growing

-          Governing Techniques/reform: shift from Korean States to Chinese Dynasties

-          Fujiwara capital represents transformation of old Yamato to bureaucratic structure

Japan establishes a Chinese-style legal code in 600-700

2 Centuries in which it is followed 700-900

3 centuries where it drained of life 900-1200

Prince Shotoku 574-622 associated very closely with Buddhism (‘he’s really tall and hot’):

Legends about listening to 10 peasants, could speak as soon as he was born like buddha.Built the first temple, Asuka-dera

Rationalised govt systems based on Chinese rationalism

Regent for Empress – not On the throne but behind it which is better lol

17 Article Constitution

Established Court Ranks

First to use the word “Nihon” land of the rising sun to the emperor of china as the emperor of the setting sun. Establishes independence from China informally

Nara Period 710-784

-          Established first permanent capital at Nara (bureaucracy makes it harder to move). Partially also to distance throne from Nara temples and power of priesthood

-          Still weakened admin hold along Honshu border

-          Indigenous taboos death and blood. Esp of “high” people eg. Emperor, causing people to move the capitol around prior to this

-          Height of the Law Codes

-          Emperors have political power

-          Todai-ji Temple with monumental bronze Buddha built to “atone” for smallpox edpidemic 735-737. Tax-free because tax-paying population halved.

-          Japan is open and cosmopolitan: trade trips to china. Nara as the last city of the silk road/ Dazaifu gov office w diplomatic and trade missions vetted before entering.

-          Increased Communication and transport → greater control over provinces → better transfer of tax goods to capital

-          DUAL TERRITORY HIERARCHY: 1) Heijo (provincial admin following Tang model) and 2)Todai-ji (monasteries and nunneries

-          Kojiki 712 and Nihongi/ Nihon Shoki 720: myth histories recorded by Nara court. Narratives from time of creation to Nara’s recent past. Myth influenced by Chinese Taoist ideology, history, propaganda to justify the rule of the royal family bc they are descendants of the Sun Goddess. Why 2 stories? Kojiki is Japanese, Nihon Shoki is in classical Chinese. The kojiki’s orthology makes it not easy to read. Some characters are used for their sound and some for their meanings

-          Ars: Shosoin storage of musical instruments and wooden masks

-          Japanese Buddhism. Vairocana Buddha statue bankrupts the state because Shomu needs to prove that he’s the descendant of Amaterasu

-          MOVE to Nagaoka, the MOVE to kyoto (Heian). Ritsuryo???

Heian Period 794-1192

-          Emperors and court slowly lose power

-          Flowering of Native Culture in Japan because during Tang dynasty, China,  A rebellion happens and tang dynasty is not as strong, so japan becomes more closed off and stops sending envoys to china.

-          Marriage Politics: heads of the fujiwara family 1) marry their daughters to the emperor eg. Fujiwara no michinaga, the de facto ruler of Japan. Daughters more important than sons bc he needs them to marry people to keep his power. Expensive to maintain, so the family relied on states run by their vassals to send taxes to the capital. Over time, they become less willing to do so as the relationship to the ruler gets farther and farther. 2) creation of supra-legal regent ie head of family oversee emperor’s decisions. Uxorilocal. matrilocal marriage

-          Kanmu’s Policy on 1) Entrenched court powers- mobilize and move and 2) Temples/ Religious powers- leave behind in Nara.

-          Building of new capital required wealth, manpower and resources, testing loyalty of nobles, divert in-fighting and income to project, physcally detach from economic base in Yamato

-          Kukai founded the Esoteric Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism + invention of the kana syllabary, with which the Japanese language is written to this day (in combination with kanji), as well as the Iroha poem, which helped standardise and popularise kana.[1]

-          Cultural Literary Flowering in the city: Tale of Genji and Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. Japanese Poetry and Okagami. Women are writing in the native Japanese, so they are better able to express their deep feelings, as opposed to men, who write in BAD classical Chinese (not their native tongue)

-          Heian Architecture eg. Byodoin in Uji and Sculpture eg. Amida Buddha. Roundness and plumpness become a feature of the statues and architecture

-          The Loss of control and creation of Shoen: Peasant surplus extraction undermined (politically and socially) by 1) grant In perpetuity reclaimed land and 2) grant of tax immune tracts of land and labour. This created Shoen, autonomous land originally gifted to Buddhist/ Shinto Shrines or as gifts to courtiers which grew independent of the civil administrative system and contributed to the rise of a local military class. Increase in conflict with officials trying to protext state’s dwindling fiscal base.

-          2 things challenged Fujiwara rule: imperial family reorganised around abdicated emperors and provincial military families.

-          Go Sanjo: tried to manipulate power from Fujiwara but he eventually abdicated. Imperial family accumulated private sources of wealth and power, essentially taking over the shoens for their private use rather than returning it to central fiscal admin.

-          CHALLENGES TO AUTHORITY: Taira/Heike 935-940, then minamoto defeats them in 1185 at Dannoura. Taira throw themselves into the sea

Diff ways of telling the same historical story

Cultural Borrowing as a Creative Process

Nara Buddhism and Heian Culture

JS1101E LECT 1 & 2

Placing and displacing Japan

PLACE

Geog: 4 main islands of japan

Archipelago: surrounded by water. Source of transport, trade routes

Far enough away such that it wasn’t conquered until 1940s but but close enough to interact (isolaton, resources)

Fertile soil but steep mountains which make 70% of land. Hard to terrace.

Deadly natural environment (volcanoes, typhoon/hurricanes, earthquakes) vs fertile soil and life

Japan is densely packed

DISPLACEMENT

Japan’s boundaries 1941 vs 17^th century (feudal domains without Hokkaido)

Hokkaido is japan’s first colonial project

Japan in 8^th century : subset of the 3 islands without honshu??

Lecture 2

Outline of Japanese History (till Heian Period)

Palaeolithic Period 50000 BCE to 10000BCE

• hunter gatherers, stone tools, MOBILE lifestyle

Jomon Period 10000 BCE to 300 BCE:

-          Hunter-gatherer period. Settling in villages as opposed to a roaming people which is typical of hunter-gatherer. Esp in richer NE environments with GREAT biota of japan: water, soil etc.

-          Trade was present, which requires a certain level of stability

-          Jomon Pots (what were they smoking when they made those pots?) not used in everyday life bc too fragile, but likely in rituals

Yayoi Period 300 BCE to 300 CE

-          West side started first- Wet rice agriculture from Korean immigrants (water is needed, shared with villagers bc limited source). Working together and governing themselves, changes in society: 1) changed scheduling of subsistence activities, 2) and ritual ceremonies which accompany (1)

-          Distinctive burials suggest ruling by chiefs

-          Metalwork. Bronzework and Ironwork arrived at the same time as opposed to separate in other countries, raw materials from korean peninsula. Eg. Dotaku (ritual bronze bells)

Kofun/ Tumulus Period 300 to 552

-          Increasing Centralization (need to mobilize many people for many years to build those crazy tomb burial mounds (kofun)

-          Large Burial Mounds (there’s one that’s 486m long?? wtf) indicate access to resources and LABOUR/ Shifting source of power from ritual power to military might, belief in afterlife

-          Tombs are a material manifestation of 2 classes for subsequent state formation: aristocrats and commoners

-          Yamato state formed Near nara region. They unified Japan, aided by War/Military alliances. Inked wooden tablets show admin.

(State: Class segregation, Monopoly of force, Specialized administration)

-          Increasing importation of Chinese culture due to Yamato alliance with Paekche (korea peninsula) eg. Chinese characters

-          Influx of people, ideas, customs, material culture

-          1868???

Kofun/ Continental Cultural Importation 552 to 710

-          Writing: Chinese techniques. Mainstream writing in Japan is based on Chinese characters. Hindu/Arabic numerals, Sanskrit used etc

-          Buddhism: Systemized philosophy. Eating 4 legged animals prohibited, ceasing hunting. Chickens seen as ritual animal associated w sunrise

-          Palaces built in southern Nara Basin, near the Buddhist temples

-          Asuka become the capital of Yamato

-          During the Taika Reform (nakatami (FUJIWARA) no kamatari + naka no oe (tenji) + emperor kotoku, after Prince Shotoku) :large-scale land surveys and field reallocation. Grid system (jori) from China to emulate the Tang. Greater centralization to enhance power of court like China

-          Monumental Architecture eg. Issei shrine rebuilt every 20 years switching spots haha. No foundation, easy to build, simple. VS Horyuji Temple by Prince Shotoku 607. Buddhism brought monumental architecture. Symbols of a centralizing power, brightly coloured and built on foundation. Queen Himiko has palisades and watch towers

-          Influx of people from Paekche, stimulating Yamato court to reorganise supervision and admin of craft production

-          Rice becomes political commodity, restricting it to elite class eating and peasants growing

-          Governing Techniques/reform: shift from Korean States to Chinese Dynasties

-          Fujiwara capital represents transformation of old Yamato to bureaucratic structure

Japan establishes a Chinese-style legal code in 600-700

2 Centuries in which it is followed 700-900

3 centuries where it drained of life 900-1200

Prince Shotoku 574-622 associated very closely with Buddhism (‘he’s really tall and hot’):

Legends about listening to 10 peasants, could speak as soon as he was born like buddha.Built the first temple, Asuka-dera

Rationalised govt systems based on Chinese rationalism

Regent for Empress – not On the throne but behind it which is better lol

17 Article Constitution

Established Court Ranks

First to use the word “Nihon” land of the rising sun to the emperor of china as the emperor of the setting sun. Establishes independence from China informally

Nara Period 710-784

-          Established first permanent capital at Nara (bureaucracy makes it harder to move). Partially also to distance throne from Nara temples and power of priesthood

-          Still weakened admin hold along Honshu border

-          Indigenous taboos death and blood. Esp of “high” people eg. Emperor, causing people to move the capitol around prior to this

-          Height of the Law Codes

-          Emperors have political power

-          Todai-ji Temple with monumental bronze Buddha built to “atone” for smallpox edpidemic 735-737. Tax-free because tax-paying population halved.

-          Japan is open and cosmopolitan: trade trips to china. Nara as the last city of the silk road/ Dazaifu gov office w diplomatic and trade missions vetted before entering.

-          Increased Communication and transport → greater control over provinces → better transfer of tax goods to capital

-          DUAL TERRITORY HIERARCHY: 1) Heijo (provincial admin following Tang model) and 2)Todai-ji (monasteries and nunneries

-          Kojiki 712 and Nihongi/ Nihon Shoki 720: myth histories recorded by Nara court. Narratives from time of creation to Nara’s recent past. Myth influenced by Chinese Taoist ideology, history, propaganda to justify the rule of the royal family bc they are descendants of the Sun Goddess. Why 2 stories? Kojiki is Japanese, Nihon Shoki is in classical Chinese. The kojiki’s orthology makes it not easy to read. Some characters are used for their sound and some for their meanings

-          Ars: Shosoin storage of musical instruments and wooden masks

-          Japanese Buddhism. Vairocana Buddha statue bankrupts the state because Shomu needs to prove that he’s the descendant of Amaterasu

-          MOVE to Nagaoka, the MOVE to kyoto (Heian). Ritsuryo???

Heian Period 794-1192

-          Emperors and court slowly lose power

-          Flowering of Native Culture in Japan because during Tang dynasty, China,  A rebellion happens and tang dynasty is not as strong, so japan becomes more closed off and stops sending envoys to china.

-          Marriage Politics: heads of the fujiwara family 1) marry their daughters to the emperor eg. Fujiwara no michinaga, the de facto ruler of Japan. Daughters more important than sons bc he needs them to marry people to keep his power. Expensive to maintain, so the family relied on states run by their vassals to send taxes to the capital. Over time, they become less willing to do so as the relationship to the ruler gets farther and farther. 2) creation of supra-legal regent ie head of family oversee emperor’s decisions. Uxorilocal. matrilocal marriage

-          Kanmu’s Policy on 1) Entrenched court powers- mobilize and move and 2) Temples/ Religious powers- leave behind in Nara.

-          Building of new capital required wealth, manpower and resources, testing loyalty of nobles, divert in-fighting and income to project, physcally detach from economic base in Yamato

-          Kukai founded the Esoteric Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism + invention of the kana syllabary, with which the Japanese language is written to this day (in combination with kanji), as well as the Iroha poem, which helped standardise and popularise kana.[1]

-          Cultural Literary Flowering in the city: Tale of Genji and Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. Japanese Poetry and Okagami. Women are writing in the native Japanese, so they are better able to express their deep feelings, as opposed to men, who write in BAD classical Chinese (not their native tongue)

-          Heian Architecture eg. Byodoin in Uji and Sculpture eg. Amida Buddha. Roundness and plumpness become a feature of the statues and architecture

-          The Loss of control and creation of Shoen: Peasant surplus extraction undermined (politically and socially) by 1) grant In perpetuity reclaimed land and 2) grant of tax immune tracts of land and labour. This created Shoen, autonomous land originally gifted to Buddhist/ Shinto Shrines or as gifts to courtiers which grew independent of the civil administrative system and contributed to the rise of a local military class. Increase in conflict with officials trying to protext state’s dwindling fiscal base.

-          2 things challenged Fujiwara rule: imperial family reorganised around abdicated emperors and provincial military families.

-          Go Sanjo: tried to manipulate power from Fujiwara but he eventually abdicated. Imperial family accumulated private sources of wealth and power, essentially taking over the shoens for their private use rather than returning it to central fiscal admin.

-          CHALLENGES TO AUTHORITY: Taira/Heike 935-940, then minamoto defeats them in 1185 at Dannoura. Taira throw themselves into the sea

Diff ways of telling the same historical story

Cultural Borrowing as a Creative Process

Nara Buddhism and Heian Culture

Week 3

JS Week 3 Lect and Readings

Heian Review

- Periphery becomes more powerful than capital, power from Fujiwara elite to samurai

- Emperors exercise more power as ex-sovereigns

- Tales of the Heike (Taira): Sung with Biwa by blind musicians. Impt influence on later literature. Taira Kiyomori wins capital. Then he dies + severe famine occurs (1181-82). Minamoto Yoritomo (saved, similar to Daenerys) gained political ascendancy in 1185, establishes HQ ie,a bakufu, at Kamakura to avoid ‘the flaccid lifestyle of the Heian Court. Kills Taira family

Kamakura Period 1192-1333

- Kamakura Buddhism (along w some shinto) becomes buddhism of common people (power struggles, natural calamities made it seem like nearing end of the world). Kamakura Daibutsu (Buddha Statue which you can go into):

1. Dogen/ Zen – influenced culture. Try to attain enlightenment (satori) think beyond rational brain. Studied by warriors, influenced by Sung dynasty’s Chan Buddhism. Required discipline and concentration → not popular w commoners, strong samurai following

1.     Zazen, sitting meditation

2.     koan, break the habit of reasoning to liberate the unconscious “what is the sound of one hand clapping”

2. Jodo/(true) Pure Land – release from samsara via Namu AMIDA(body of bliss) Butsu (Honen: More times VS. Shinran: Sincere) invocation of the name
3. Nichiren (lotus) – 3 bodies of Buddha: historical, Bliss, Essence. DOGMATISM AND INTOLERANCE + nationalistic, ‘akin to Shinto nationalism’ Lotus Sutra eg. Burton Watson popular amongst samurai
4. Mahayana – rebirth into the Land of Bliss, emphasis on ritual, recitation (3.6 billion beans for each Mantra)

- Rise of Samurai and Shoguns

            -Not just a political change

            -socially, culturally changed from ‘ostensibly refined, cultural life of Heian’ to be permeated with samurai notes

            - Therefore, 2 contrasting faces:

                        1) Heian elitist gentility &

                        2) Tough-minded samurai mode

                                    a) not REALLY like europe feudal system but.. Lord-follower rs based on                              kinship ties. Expanding power base = more non-family in business [similar to                                  a mafia?] by ritualistic presenting name plate to the lord. Vassal gives                                        services, Lord allows him to collect taxes/rents from land [unlike a european                                FIEF, with political control as well]

- Kamakura Shoganate first govt by samurai warrior class)

- Complex Power Structure [DUAL GOVT]:

1a) Yoritomo’s power concentrated in Eastern Japan. He still holds military/police power + collect taxes from public, owned a lot of shoen (confiscating Taira shoen),

1b)  Imperial court maintains power in West. Shoen majority owned by imperial court, monasteries and a few wealthy businessmen

2) Yoritomo dies, Wife, Hojo Masako and father share power, become regents. Gotoba tries to reassert imperial supremacy in 1221 but Masako crushes them. Hojo clan strengthens position (against imperial court) + collects rebel shoen

3) Shogunal regents (most powerful) rule in the name of Shoguns (figureheads), ruling int the name of emperor who passes power to imperial regents + regional lords under shogun

- Mongol Invasions 1274 and 1281 but deflected by a tornado/ KAMIKAZE + northern kyushu forces driving them out (prior to this, conquered China in 1260)

- Mongol invasion efforts drained finances, warriors dissatisfied bc no ‘fruits of labour’ as remuneration + rise of MONEY economy (import of Sung coins) = DEBT

- Discontent → vassals contending for land and power + brigands and thieves in countryside

Muromachi Period 1333-1573

- 2nd Shogun:Emperor Go-daigo restored to power 1333-1336, by Ashikaga Takauji (vassal from Hojo who at first defects to emperor, helps him win). Then, he becomes Shogun, controlling Kyoto (riding off the discontent of Samurais) in 1338 (kicking out Go-daigo)

- Godaigo fleth south to Kii peninsula and established rival govt in Yoshino, 1336 → 2 IMPERIAL COURTS (NORTH AND SOUTH) till 1392

- 3^rd Shogun: Ashikaga Yoshimitsu 1358-1408: relations with china&Korea as King of Japan, Temple of the Golden Pavillion Kinkakuji (zen buddhist). Western Relations with Ryukyu (okinawa), southeast asia

- He also persuaded southern court to merge in Kyoto (alternate throne occupations, eventually landing on NORTH), Hojo shoen > Ashikaga so ashikaga relied on taxes (70% of peasant salary)

            -constables’ control over peasants weakened, well-off peasants acquired land becoming          warrior-farmers using surnames (wow!!!)

            -1459 to1461: droughts, floods, typhoons caused 82000 people dying from starvation

            Rising taxes+ Natural disasters+ increasing debt = Peasant uprisings (18 in 30 years)

            - Some lower class samurai/farmers defected to Daimyos to rise social hierarchy (no rigid             caste system), including TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSHI (1536-98)

- 1450 ish: major houses take possession of former imperial/monastery shoen + taxation/corvee (labour instead of pay for taxes); convert landowners/local officials into vassals

- Constables emerge as PROVINCIAL LANDHOLDING MAGNATES IE. DAIMYO. Commercialization in west allowed strong financial base

- Start of Warring states Period : Civil War& Strife, Onin Rebellion (between Yamana & Hosokawa) 1467-1477 fought in Kyoto. Shoguns less power, daimyo more internal strife. Rank status means nothing, but military skill and ruthless determination prevailed, recruitment of peasants as organised warriors

- 1563: divided amongst 142 daimyo, building power base castles (later became cities). Vassal granted fiefs in exchange for warriors. Rise of primogeniture to prevent further division of land into smaller units

            -status of women weakened. When only military might mattered, women reduced to pawns   married into families for power

            - Earlier, Matriarchal. BUT with chinese/confucianism/hierarchy in family/Buddhism.

            -Increased Distinctions in speech, inheritance.

            -Contrasted with Kamakura period: Women can inherit+trained in combat, perform vassal      duties

- ECONOMIC GROWTH:

            -improved agri pdn: better tools, methods of farming, draft animals, waste as manure,      irrigation (water wheels), two crop system, better strains of rice+ MORE LAND for farming     opened up

            -increased commerce& industry: market towns/port cities/caste towns grew, guilds           (merchant, artisan, workers)             organized, rise of money economy through China

- Cultural exchange and flowering sustained by Trade! Muromachi CULTURE: Temples ( Ryoanji, Ginkakuji), Tea, Painting , Noh theatre, sword-making (Masamune)

            - Heian scroll/portrait paintings continue + Sen ‘sumie’ to depict essence > realism, leaving       out unessential details

            - Architecture: temples, castles (Hideyoshi’s Fushimi castle), bold bright colours (Kano       Eitoku)

            -ceramics: zen buddhism tea ceremonies, influence from highly finished Sung + crudely          simplistic Korean ceramics   

            -Aesthetics: zen buddhism’s simple, austere, imbalance, asymmetry

            - Literature: monogatari (tale of the heike) permeated with samurai ethos/buddhism; gukansho (jottings of a fool); Noh drama (originally folk dance at Shinto festivals) became refined, simple, restrained (zen) for cultural elite

- Samurai followers expected to be ‘loyal, diligent performers of duty, courage, honor’. Code of honor → chivalry, protect the weak (more in Tokugawa period) VS. training to kill → ruthless killers. Like Jack sparrow, Motivated by winning: not so loyal after all? But when strong personal ties/loyalty, they will die for their lords (karakiri/seppuku)
- bumbu: combination of artistic and martial skills as the mark of an ideal warrior

Reunification Period 1573-1600

- 16^th century trade routes brought European Traders (opportunity and threat). Dutch 1600, English 1613 Introduced:

            - muskets, silver, CHRISTIANITY (SFX, 1549)

- Hidden Christians (5k-6k killed between 1637 and 1638)

            - Daimyo initially receptive to christianity bc foster trade + Oda Nobunaga wanted to curb           antagonistic Buddhists so supported the missionaries.

            -1582: 200 chapels, 150k christians

            - 1614 banned religion: 300k-700k Christians [1.5 to 3.8%]
            - BUT THEN Loyalty to God > Daimyo, 1587 Hideyoshi ordered missionaries to leave
                        1593 Franciscans precursor to Spanish political incursion so crucified 26 franciscan               missionaries + Japanese
            - 3^rd Tokugawa Shogun Iemitsu forced Christians to be apostates by torturing them

- Civil War and Reunification by Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu

            - Oda Nobunaga (anal rage monster??):
                        -formed alliances, new tactics, surprise attacks, FIREARMS. 1568 occupied kyoto,                ending Ashikaga Shogunate
                        - Ruthless warlord, massacred Ikko peasants, burned down monastery, executed                              monks

                        - Mutiny, suceeded by...
            - Toyotomi Hideyoshi (rags to riches)
                        -basically in charge but not named shogun bc shogun must be Minamoto descendant
                        - 1592 tried to conquer korea and China but kinda failed (desolation in Korea popn)
                        - forbid peasants from leaving, surrender weapons
                        - survey to determine land value& ownership, fix peasant taxes → koku (9.9 cubic                    feet) based on how much rice it produced

Week 5

1.  What would Genji say is the strong point of novels vs. historical records?  And of historical records vs. novels?  How would he evaluate such things as Ôkagami, biwa hôshi chanting the Tales of the Heike, and especially Nô drama. How do these things compared to the readings in your course packet as well as the lectures given so far?

- Perspective vs “facts” bc irl there is no objective use of a “fact”?

- Fiction allows for embellishment. The idea of a narrative invloves some humanistic and relatable element

- Suspension of disbelief. Craft of the narrator

- Humanistic Values

- Historical records are the micro vs macro in the fiction

- It’s very difficult for me to sort of, see the “bias” in factual points.

- Different morals ie alien vs familiar

- Trust?? in you as a lecturer??

Novels vs History according to Genji

Good Propaganda vs Bad Propaganda in terms of how ‘overt’ it is

Novel

Fiction

Personal emotions

History

Facts, no fabrication

What actually Happaned

2. When we are faced with such radically different versions of the past as in American and Japanese pictorial representations of Perry's arrival, how do we decide what the actual historical events are? What actually happened? Does it matter who said so? How do you know that your knowledge is correct and reliable?

- who said so and the stakes they hold in the whole situation.

- Take the macro from all the accounts

- finding an opposition conscious

- less bias based on the flow of info avail to us now

as many perspectives as possible

Underpinning your thinking should be a conception of what a “good history” is and how that is related to writing a good academic research paper at NUS.

1.  In what ways does 1868 mark a real break in Japanese history? What aspects of the Tokugawa period continue into the modern period (and serve to help Japan with modernization) and what aspects of the Tokugawa system disappear completely after 1868?

“break” in history?

- split power to centralised power

- western and industrialisation, agriculture

disappear: shogunate, hierarchy, samurai

-

2.  Japan managed to modernize and avoid being colonized but then immediately became a colonial power.  Was such a history inevitable?  What kinds of causes eventually led to the Pacific War?  Was the Pacific War inevitable?

- survival

- economic sanctioins/ embargo. Oil.

- population doubles 1870-1930

- economic autarchy. Self contained economic loss

JS Lecture Week 11: Unpacking Japan (Who is Japanese, and what does it mean to be Japanese?)

WHAT IS JAPAN AND WHO SAYS SO

Japanese identity is culturally constructed. Japan is diverse, but tends not to acknowledge it.

Zainichi usually refers to people of Koren descent living in Japan

If images of Geisha/Sumo/A woman DRESSED as a Geisha are representative of Japan in some way, we must ask “representative for whom?”

“I am glad I’m back in Japan because I wanna eat Japanese Food again” - Not because they wanna see Samurai and Geisha.

Is Tempura/Takoyaki/Sushi/Vending Machines/Weird Fashion representative of Japan?? Tempura comes from Europe (Portugal).

“My Holy Grail is a squid shaped USB Drive”

E. H. Carr WHAT IS HISTORY? Pg 26-27. There is one Japan, but it is made of different experiences

What looks natural and is obcious to ‘common sense’ may be a cultural construction, which may have political consequences. (American common sense vs Singaporean common sense)

Japan and the Japanese experience as DIVERSE

Population of Japan today: 127 mil. People therefore 127 different experiences of Japan + those who visit Japan as well

Are there common threads to the plurality of Japan?

-Some countries are overtly pluralistic: Singapore, Australia, USA [set up to be diverse]

-Some are not: Japan is a good example but moving toward pluralism in recent years

-Pluralistic countries canhave more in common than they realise, and non-pluralistic countries are often very diverse in actual fact

Some important examples of Japanese Diversity

Zainichi

• Descendants of ethnic Koreans who arrived in Japan during the colonial period
• Many were forced laborers working in appalling conditions
• Many speak no Korean but must carry a Korean passport, no or difficult path to citizenship in their native and only culture (Japan)
• Certificate of Alien registration-state defining identity in Japan-must be carried at all times

Ainu

• Indigenous popn of Hokkaido ( which is why Hokkaido wasn’t part of Japan till Tokugawa period)
• Language and culture not related to “Japanese” language and culture
• Language and culture nearly destroyed by “Japan” by racism
• Revival movement over the past three decades

Burakumin (outcasts)

• In Tokugawa period, outside of SPAM (underneath it)
• ‘liberated’ in 1871 – but did nothing for them, similar to African Americans in US
• Prejudice continues today, despite the fact that they are
• Ethnically and culturally ‘Japanese’, identifiable only by place of origin

Japan is diverse no matter what ideology might suggest. It (like most/all countries...

East West Divide in Japan: cultural diversity even among ‘Japanese’, going back to earliest historical eras

• Manyoshu poetry: Azuma-uta or Songs of the East.
• Today: dialectical differences between East and West Japanese
• Standard Japanese: arigato; Kyoto: okini (femine); Yamagata: mokkeda
• Food differences: natto is more popular in Eastern Japan. Hakata (kyushu, Western) style (tonkotsu) ramen VS Tokyo style (soy sauce) ramen

Yet, there is a sense of Japanese identity

• “Japan as a single, homogenous country” - Prime Minister Nakasone said that US diversity is why Japan is more successful than US. But he is WRONG: NOT HOMOGENOUS and NOT WHY JAPAN IS SUCCESSFUL.
• Racial linguistic cultural historical homogeneity
• Japanese identity via ‘blood’
• Identity takes form after 1868. Prior to that, more identity based on region/towns
• Relies partly on the ideas of ‘National Learning’ scholars of the Tokugawa period
• Imaginary identities still can have real effects in the real world

 1. In what ways were multiple "Japans" visible in the film? Was the Japan of Sakurai (the female protagonist) the same as Sugihara (male protagonist)'s Japan? In what ways were they different? Where do these differences arise from? And is one of their versions of Japan better than the other?

North Korean

South Korean

Generational

Educational

Gendered

Law

2. How has what you've learned in this course helped you to understand the movie?

Shakespeare’s R&J quote is Not correct Words and names have different meaning, interact with diff senses

Roses in the haiku don’t smell sweet. They have thorns

Is the word Japan the same as Nihon?

What does Nihon mean?

When was it first used?

Why were Sugihara and Sakurai’s versions of Japan different? Was one of them better than the other? What kinds of standards could we use to decide that one is better (or even possibly, correct)?

No serious postmodernist believes that every explanation is equally valid.

So who’s is better? Prof prefers Sugihara (no surprise). Why?

Russian Philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin: you can not see the back of your own head-even close to home, you have blindnesses.

On Japanese diversity: it IS diverse (eg. Dyeing red streaks of hair back to black)

WHO SAYS SO: gap in literature about japan BY southeast asians

Jomon people didn’t really understand the concept of Nihon bc it didnt really...exist

Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson: nations/countries in the modern world are imagined communities. It is this imagined idea of Singapore which creates communities. Therefore it is ever-changing. All lines around countries are imaginary, but what humans imagine can and often does have real effects on the world

SHUNGA

This first post is dedicated to an aspect which has ALWAYS fascinated me, in ANY culture, including that of Japan: SEX (or more specifically, pornography)

Specifically, I'll be talking about a particular relatively unknown art form originating in ancient Japan: Shunga. Given the portrayal of Japan by (highly-pervasive) Western media over the years, it's easy to understand why some might see Japan as both an extremely repressed, but at the same time uninhibited with respect to sexual relations. The repression can be seen in that to non-locals, the stereotypical Japanese person might look like a shy/bashful schoolgirl, or a quiet/timid nerd (although this is gradually being subverted in mainstream media as Japanese people-along with the rest of the Asians- are slowly finding their own voice in the world). However, one need only do a quick google search to find examples of hentai and porn which may be considered as disturbing to those viewing it for the first time. Japan popularised many sexual genres and archetypes such as 'tentacle porn' and the idea of the 'short-skirted school girl', but what many do not realise, is that this culture repression as viewed by non-locals was a very recent addition to Japan's long history.

Many people are familiar with one of the most famous Japanese works of art of all time: The Great Wave by Hokusai. It has been lauded as one of the most iconic images to be representative of Japan, as well as heavily commercialised by it. What few know, is that Hokusai also experimented with Shunga. In fact, one of the most widely-known subgenres which originated in Japan – Tentacle porn- emerged and is largely symbolised by one of these very shunga by Hokusai: The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (Mcdonalid, 2017).

What is Shunga, you ask? Well, it is proof that Japan has not always been as ‘conservative’ as we might choose to believe. Shunga was a type of woodblock carving meant for printing purposes which specifically catered to scenes involving love, lovemaking, detailed Japanese cloth, voyeurism and even homoerotic undertones and gender fluidity (Francisco, 2014) . In fact, there was very little shame associated with sex at the advent of this first form of pornography, and some even held the belief than owning such images would bring them good luck. Supply-wise, most woodblock artists branched into Shunga due to its numerous job opportunities and high demand. Demand-wise, some reasons people gave for commisioning Shunga (other than the aforementioned luck it would bring) were also that some people were not rich/free enough to traverse the brothels of the city. Some even used Shunga as a kind of manual to educate others on the art of pleasure producing and lovemaking.

Where does the ‘repression’ side of Japan originate from, in that case? Well, Matsumoto (2018) states that it was largely to do with the Meiji Restoration, and western influences which leaked into a country which was originally relatively open about sex. It was at this time, that depictions of nudity and sex moved from being classified as Art to Obscenity. This speaks to the postmodernist idea (which i subscribe to, for most things in my life) that there is no absolute truth, only what one takes away from knowledge. The same image could be interpreted differently based on society’s imbued and mostly arbitrary/patriarchal meanings associated to it. It is an idea which i have carried into another of my modules ( SC2225: The social life of art) and was a main theme in the message i was trying to bring across/questions i was trying to pose about our own knee-jerk reactions to sex, nudity and lust in general: that the body in itself is not inherently sexual. Instead, we perceive it this way due to messages and associations exposed to us from a particular (but not the only) point of view.

This can be seen and manifested in the pornography is Japan in modern times. One might find it odd that a lot of Japanese porn looks and sounds exactly like that of the rest of the world's in it's essence- except that genitalia is almost always pixelated. I found this extremely puzzling, and was shocked to find out why this was, and also why nipples were not censored. In most shunga paintings, human figures are mostly clothed except for their genitalia, with their clothing serving as gender identifiers. As such, much of Japan had never truly sexualised a woman's breasts more than that of a man's. The genitalia is pixelated due to the specific wording which forbids/restricts distribution of 'indecent materials' (Sharma, 2017). Artists then circumvented this by pixelating the genitals, so as to push the argument that they had created art, not porn. Again, this echoed my SC2225 group project, in which we discovered a thai photographer M. L. Xoomsai (whose works can be viewed in the NUS museum) who encapsulated this exact sentiment in his collection of photos, as well as his quote 'they're not porn, man, they're nudes'

That such ideas transcend physical space and time is, to me, truly a testament to the things that unite us as a human race, beyond our political, geographical boundaries or skin colour. It begs the question (in my mind): if (almost) everyone has sex, why are we all so ashamed to talk about it?

Looking forward to hearing some responses!:)

References:

Francisco, A. (2014). Shunga: Japan's Ancient Erotica . Retrieved from: https://www.tofugu.com/japan/shunga-japanese-erotica/

Mcdonalid, T. (2017). Little Known Myths about Hokusai’s “The Dream of The Fisherman’s Wife”. Retrieved from: http://www.oxalart.com/2017/12/the-dream-of-the-fishermans-wife/

Matsumoto, K. (2018). Sexuality in Japan (I). Retrieved from: https://talkaboutjapan.blog/sexuality-in-japan/

Sharma, P. (2017). The bizarre reason why genitals are pixelated in Japanese porn. Retrieved from: https://www.gqindia.com/content/japanese-porn-pixelated-genitals-nipples-breasts/

STREET FASHIONn

I'm of the opinion (just my idea, not proven or tested) that similar to Newton's third law (For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction), for every new subculture created, there will be a group of people rallying against that subculture for one reason or another.

Another example of Japanese street fashion which may receive an equal amount of criticism/support, is that of Ganguro, where the look comprises "bleached hair, a deep tan, both black and white eyeliners, false eyelashes, platform shoes (usually sandals or boots), and brightly colored outfits" (Smith, 2015). Although there are critics who trace the roots of this trend back to Japan's own Noh theatre, others have speculated that this look might be an (un)intentional execution of Blackface, implying that the style promotes racism. Others also speculate that the origin of this look came from a rebellion against what was widely considered for a long time to be 'the perfect Japanese woman' eg. Black hair, pale skin, neutral coloured and underrated dress sense.

It continues (and will continue) to fascinate me to see what Japan, and the rest of the world come up with next to push the fashion boundaries past their currently limits. Whether or not the older generation accepts these changing trends is entirely reliant on how open minded they are, as well as how much they are willing to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. For the most part, my view is that there is nothing harmful about most of these fashion subcultures, as they are a way for people to express themselves authentically, and find other like-minded individuals in a world which is getting increasingly dispersonal

References:
Smith, Sonya. (2015). The Ganguro Girls (Blackface) Fashion Trend or Racism?. Retrieved from : http://soulfulbeauty.com/asian-obsession-the-ganguro-girls-blackface-fashion-trend-or-racism/

Love/Emotions

Whilst watching 2 documentaries, I stumbled across 2 instances which have made me suspect that in part, emotions are not celebrated in the way they are in western media. For example, Japanese people seem to have a more nuanced and subtle way of expressing their emotions and thoughts eg. through Japanese Aesthetics and Literature, as opposed to what I am used to: anger being expressed through loud shouting, intense sadness manifested in ugly-crying etc. It triggered a few questions in me which I'm looking forward to finding out more about (hopefully through this forum), such as why is everything in Japan so regulated and efficient(Including seemingly personal things such as having a separate train carriage to prevent molestation)?

The first instance was of the 'weeping boys' who induced sadness in an office environment through various methods. It was slightly funny to see women essentially line up to enter a room only to be coaxed into feeling emotions, and being comforted by semi-attractive men with varied talents. I, myself, have also become Jaded and numb over the years, so i can empathise with why the women might opt for this catalyst for an artificial (stress-relieving) catharsis not otherwise available to them in their real life. As a bonus, the company was funding this for the well-being of employees, which makes me think that maybe Singaporean companies might have something to learn from these Japanese companies! it might seem a little strange in this context, until one likens this experience to walking into a theatre with a boxful of tissues to watch a sad move, knowing full well that the main character dies at the end of the movie: that there is a voyeuristic pleasure we get in watching others live dramatic lives, taking us away from our own stakes and enabling us to feel emotions without having to deal with the consequences later.

Secondly, I found a documentary which showcased boyfriends for rental. my peers responded to this with shock and intrigue, whilst I seemed to see nothing out of the ordinary in this practice. To me, a boyfriend-for-hire is simply someone who fulfils the roles of a social escort, friend and counsellor all in one. At the end of the day, to me, nothing about this is perverse (as long as it is between 2 consenting adults of age). Most women who pay for this service are completely aware that what they are experiencing is not objective reality is we know it, but they play on the same suspension of disbelief that the rest of us experience when we enter the theatre to watch an immersive 3D movie, which i think is a brilliant way of repackaging a new innovative service in humanity's constant exploration of interaction and relations.

Links showcasing 2 instances:
1) Weeping boys - https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37178014
2) Rental Boyfriends - https://kotaku.com/renting-boyfriends-in-japan-can-get-expensive-1707399274