1 / 99

Japanese History & Culture: A Journey Through Time

"Explore the rich tapestry of Japan's history and culture, from ancient tribal civilizations to the modern era of peace and prosperity. Delve into the key concepts of Japanese identity and the spirit of 'Wa Kon Yo Sai'. Discover the historical timeline, from the Jomon period to the Meiji Restoration and beyond. Gain insights into Japanese chivalry with the code of Bushido and the Meiji modernization era. Unravel the complexities of Japanese pacifism and the Asia-Pacific War. Join us on a fascinating journey through the heart of Japanese history and culture."

kacevedo
Download Presentation

Japanese History & Culture: A Journey Through Time

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Modern History of Japan and The Heart of Japanese CultureKoji Nakamura,Professor of International Education, Konan University History is the consistency and changes of human society which can predict the future. The heart of Japanese culture is the spirit of 和　 魂　 洋 　才 • WA Kon Yo Sai. Japanese Spirit Western Knowledge • Japanese spirit and identity combined with Western knowledge, without losing Japanese cultural identity.

  2. The key Concepts of Japanese history and cultureWa Kon Yo Sai and Harmony. • Prince Shotoku (574-622) promulgated 17 Articles Constitutions in 604. He contributed to the spread of Buddhism and built many Buddhist temples.

  3. Japanese History: A Timeline JOMON (10,000 - 300 B.C.) Prehistoric period of tribal/clan organization. YAYOI (300 B.C. - A.D. 300) Rice cultivation, metalworking KOFUN (YAMATO) (300 - 645)State begins with emergence of clan rules ASUKA (645 -710) A great wave of reforms called the Taika no Kaishin NARA (710 - 794) Imperial court builds new capital in Nara, modeled on China HEIAN (794-1185) Imperial court moves to Heiankyo (now Kyoto) KAMAKURA (1185-1333) Military government established in Kamakura MUROMACHI (1333 -1568) Kyoto becomes base for Shogun Ashikaga AZUCHIMOMOYA MA (1568 -1600) Oda Nobunaga started to unify Japan EDO (TOKUGAWA) (1603 -1868) An age of peace and national isolation. MEIJI (1868 -1912) The emperor is restored; Japan makes transition to nation-state TAISHO [1912-1926] Japan expands economic base within Asia and the Pacific. SHOWA [1926 -1989] Japan experiences World War II and its aftermath, as well as economic recovery. 1937-1945: World War II; war in China followed by invasion of Southeast Asia. 1941: Pearl Harbor brings United States into war in the Pacific. August 1945: first atom bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, the second on Nagasaki 1945-1952: Allied occupation of Japan; democratic party government restored

  4. Modern History of Japan: A Timeline SENGOKU (1467-1568)A Series of Wars AZUCHIMOMOYA MA (1568 -1600) EDO (1600 -1868)(Unification and National Isolation Policy) MEIJI (1868 -1912)(Modernization and Nationalism) TAISHO [1912-1926](Economic Expansion) SHOWA [1926 -1989](Expansionism) Asia Pacific War (1931-1945) (Militarism) 1941: Pearl Harbor, War against allied nations August 1945:first and second atomic bombs 1945-1952:Allied Occupation 1952 Japan regained sovereignty

  5. 1467-1568 Period of SengokuMany Samurai clans (families) fought with each other.

  6. Battle of Sekigahara in 1600

  7. Japan was unified in 1603Tokugawa government ruled Japan for 264 years

  8. 武士道 Japanese Chivalry (Bushido) The seven Moral Code • Bushido is based on the harmony of Zen Buddhism and Shintoism, which emphasizes loyalty, respect for ancestor, filial piety and 惻隠の情(Consideration for enemies and the weak). • Ｒｅｃｔｉｔｕｄｅ 義Ｒｅｓｐｅｃｔ　尊敬 • Ｃｏｕｒａｇｅ　　勇　Ｂｅｎｅｖｏｌeｎｃｅ　仁 • Honor　　　名誉Honesty　　誠 • Loyalty　　　忠 • Sword and Chrysanthemum 1946 by Ruth Benedict • Bushido, The Soul of Japan 1900 by Inazo Nitobe

  9. Commodore Perry came to Japan with fleet of four US naval vessels in 1853 and they anchored in Edo bat in 1854.

  10. People who played key roles in MeijiRestoration

  11. People who contributed to Meiji Restoration

  12. The Meiji New Government and Japan’s Modernization 1868

  13. Was Japan a peace-loving country? The question of Japanese Ｐａｃｉｆｉｓｍ　 Japan’s long periods of peace: • Heian Period (794-1156) 362 years (Peace) • Edo Period (1603-1867) 264 years (Peace) • Meiji to Showa (1894-1945)49 years (Militarism) The way toGreat East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere 1868—1894--1904—1910--1931—1932—1933— 1937—1938—1940--1941—1942--1945 • After World War II (1945--) 61 years (Peace)

  14. Asia-Pacific War • It is 15 years of Anti-Japanese War for Chinese people (from 1931- 1945) • The Second Sino-Japanese War (July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was the largest Asian war in the twentieth century. From 1937 to 1941, it was fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. • After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Second Sino-Japanese War merged into the greater conflict of World War II as a major front in the Pacific Theatre. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_War)

  15. The Japanese Empire in 1942

  16. What was Asia-Pacific War? History • 1894 First Sino-Japanese War 日清戦争 • 1904~5 Russo-Japanese War日露戦争 • 1910Japan Annexed Korea日韓併合 • 1931 Japanese Kwantung Army seized Manchuria • 1932 Japanese puppet state of Manchuria満州国 • 1933 Japan withdrawal from League of Nations • 1937- 1945 War with China 日中戦争 • 1938 Nanking Massacre南京虐殺 • 1940 Tripartite Pact made with Germany and Italy • 1941 Japan attacked US (Pearl Harbor) Pacific War • 1942 Battle of Midway • 1945 Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and • Nagasaki and Japan surrendered unconditionally • Asia-pacific War (1931-1945) 1905-1945 (Militarism)

  17. In July 1937 the 2.Sino-Japanese War broke out. During the first months of the war, the city of Shanghai was brought under the control of the Japanese army.

  18. Shanghai Station in 1937 August 15

  19. Why did Japan invade China and controlled Manchuria in 1931? 1 The war was the result of a decades-long Japanese imperialist policy aiming to dominate China politically and militarily to secure its vast raw material reserves and other resources. At the same time, the rising tide of Chinese nationalism and notions of self determination stoked the coals of war. 2Kwangtung Army conspirators blew up a few meters of South Manchurian Railway Company track near Mukden, blamed it on Chinese saboteurs, and used the event as an excuse to invade and seize the vast territory. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_militarism) 3 The process is a part of building Japanese Empire to justify “ Asia for Asia” and to emancipate Asia from Western colonial rule. 4 There was Japanese centered-concept of Asia. (Asia for Asia): Japanese Orientalism)

  20. Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor? • In July 1941, the Japanese military invaded southern Indochina. In reaction, the US, then Great Britain and the Netherlands, announced an embargo on all exports to Japan and froze Japanese assets and stopped banking within their borders. • The American embargo was a response to the situation in Europe. US was concerned about the Tripartite Pact. American Mirror, Japan (1948) by Dr. Helen Mears The Rise of Modern Japan 2003 (University of Hawaii)

  21. Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor? • Japanese expansion into Southeast Asia—the location of the colonies of France, Great Britain, and Netherlands-was a threat to the Allies. The Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) was very rich in oil, a strategic resource. • The embargo took Japan by surprise. Furthermore, Japan felt frustrated because it had few natural resources. 80 percent of oil had come from US. 5 The only way Japan could survive as a world power was to invade the Indonesia and take over its oil fields. Because this action was certain to provoke an American counterattack, the Japanese military believed that Japan had to attack America first so as to gain a strategic advantage. 6. Japanese people became nationalistic obsessed by the illusion of Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere in order to justify their invasion • See American Mirror , Japan (1948) by Dr. Helen Mears • The Rise of Modern Japan 2003 (University of Hawaii)

  22. British Prime Minister Clement Atlee; U.S. President Harry S. Truman; Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin at Potsdam。July 26, 1945

  23. Most large cities in Japan were devastated by the carpet bombing in 1945.

  24. Tokyo, March 9, 1945

  25. Enola Gay and "Little Boy" Uranium Bomb B-29

  26. Hiroshima: August 6, 1945, am. 7:31

  27. Hiroshima right after the Atomic BombAugust 6, 19454

  28. Ｈｉｒｏｓｈｉｍａ　ｒｉｇｈｔ　ａｆｔｅｒ　ｔｈｅ　Ａｔｏｍｉｃ　ＢｏｍｂｉｎｇＨｉｒｏｓｈｉｍａ　ｒｉｇｈｔ　ａｆｔｅｒ　ｔｈｅ　Ａｔｏｍｉｃ　Ｂｏｍｂｉｎｇ

  29. Nagasaki:August 9, 1945,11:02 a.m.

  30. Religious figures stand watch on a hill above a tattered valley. Nagasaki, Japan.(September 24, 1945)

  31. Damage Photos Courtesy of Marvin Demanzuk, Radar Operator, P-02 (39th Bomb Group (VH) Association)Air Raid against Cities

  32. Why did USA drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? • Causes and Effects • Discussion • Can Hiroshima and Nagasaki become a point of departure for Peace?

  33. Historical background of Japan’s unconditional surrender • 1945 July 26Potsdam Declaration. (13 conditions) • Truman, Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek warned Japan that it must make a choice: Japan’s unconditional surrender, or utter destruction of Japan. This proposal was backed by the successfully tested atomic bomb in the Sates and promise from the Soviet Union to enter the war against Japan. • July 27 Prime Minister Suzuki’s response was to keep silent (to see what would happen. Also they worried about the fate of the Emperor. However, Suzuki’s response was translated into, “ ignore” by the Allied, which gave President Truman a good reason to use the atomic bomb on Japanese large cities and Churchill (UK) agreed with it.

  34. Historical background of Japan’s surrender • August 6, Atomic bombing on Hiroshima (150000 died) • August 8 Soviet Union declared war against Japan and attacked Manchuria • August 9, Atomic bombing on Nagasaki (75000died) • August 9At the Supreme Council, the top civilian and military leaders voted twice on the surrender question. Both time it became three to three. • August 14 Finally, the emperor choose the unconditional surrender to save Japan and Japanese people. • August 15The Emperor announced the unconditional surrender on radio. • September 2 Allied Powered nations signed the surrender document that formally ended the war on the American battle ship USS Missouri. • 1945 September 2-The Allied (American) Occupation 6年 • 1951 September 8 Prime Minister Yoshida signed San Francisco Peace Treaty with 48 nations. The treaty at last restored Japan’s independence.

  35. Why did USA drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? • 1. To end the Pacific War. • 2. To save American soldiers • 3. To save Japanese citizens • 4. To show off US nuclear power to Soviet Union and the world • 5. To prove the destructive power of the nuclear weapon • 6. American Orientalism • 7. To have superior position in the world after the war.

  36. Hiroshima Before the Atomic Bomb

  37. Hiroshima After the Atomic Bomb

  38. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Dome

  39. Poems written by victims of Atomic Bombs • An Atomic Bomb • “When an atomic bomb falls • A day becomes a night. • People become ghosts.” • -Hatsumi Sakamoto, 9ears old. • "I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world."- Sadako Sasaki

  40. Give Back Peace Give back father, give back mother,Give back grandpa, give back grandma,Give back boys, give back girls. Give me back myself, give me back men Linked to me. As long as men live as men,Give back peace, Peace that never crumbles. by Sankichi TogeJapan (1917-1953)

  41. The Article 9 (The Constitution of Japan) • 1)Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. • 2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained.The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

  42. A survey on Article 9 by NHK (2003) • According to a survey by NHK (2003), 70% of the people feel that Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is useful in maintaining safety and peace in Japan. • 30% of people feel there is a need for revision. • 52% say there is no need for revision.

  43. The Significance of Article 9 of the Japanese ConstitutionThe response from 216 Konan University students. 2005-2006

More Related