There is a statue of Saigo Takamori, the real last samurai, by Ueno Station right in the middle of Tokyo. For you Americans, that’s a bit like having Robert E. Lee a few stops away from Grand Central.
Krynn Brothers: I hope you know I love your work, and I love the impulse here to preserve history, tradition, and things like honor in the face of relentless modernity. So I say this without bitterness:
This seems to me to be selectively chosen history, and ignores a Mt.-Fuji-sized elephant in the room: Japan chose this “modernity” with more zeal than most, rapidly transforming itself into a predatory state from the time of Meiji until the utter collapse of that society in 1945—a collapse that was precipitated by several aggressive wars of Japans own choosing.
Japan burnt its society to ashes, taking huge swathes of Asia with it.
Modern Japan is built upon the ashes of the 1936-1945 Asia Pacific War, in which millions died so that Japan could become as “modern” society as possible. The current society is built largely with the help and benevolence of the “plastic toy” wielding America that you seem to dismiss here.
The “bushido” of the IJA/IJN wasn’t the bushido of the samurai any more than the “chivalry” of the SS was that of King Edward III. But saying that “Japan chose a better path” is, to me, choosing to ignore millions of graves, including those of my own countrymen.
Maybe there’s a case here that the older, pre-modern ideas about honor and self-sacrifice were lost and then that allowed for the horrors of the mid-20th Cent…. But I don’t quite think that’s what you’re saying.
Again, I say with respect and thanks for this post. I’ll be chewing on this all day, in a good way!
There is a Japanese production called “The Seven Samurai” is often mentioned as one of the finest movies ever made "The Seven Samurai" ("Shichinin no Samurai" in Japanese) is a landmark film in the history of cinema, directed by Akira Kurosawa and released in 1954. Kurosawa, one of Japan's most influential filmmakers, crafted a movie that has been celebrated for its storytelling, character development, and technical innovation. But it depicts the Samurai's authentic dress and runs over 3 hours was a landmark film in the use of slow motion and telephoto lenses, and numerous technical breakthroughs and innovations.
Britain didn’t do it seamlessly. I point you to “Blood in the Machine” by Brian Merchant (I’m one third of the way through it). Industrialization is built upon the end of pre-modern living. Hundreds starved because of the weaving machines. I don’t know much about the Samurai, but I would guess it was just as patriarchal as the West, so it’s a bit pot calling the kettle black, yes?
There is a statue of Saigo Takamori, the real last samurai, by Ueno Station right in the middle of Tokyo. For you Americans, that’s a bit like having Robert E. Lee a few stops away from Grand Central.
Krynn Brothers: I hope you know I love your work, and I love the impulse here to preserve history, tradition, and things like honor in the face of relentless modernity. So I say this without bitterness:
This seems to me to be selectively chosen history, and ignores a Mt.-Fuji-sized elephant in the room: Japan chose this “modernity” with more zeal than most, rapidly transforming itself into a predatory state from the time of Meiji until the utter collapse of that society in 1945—a collapse that was precipitated by several aggressive wars of Japans own choosing.
Japan burnt its society to ashes, taking huge swathes of Asia with it.
Modern Japan is built upon the ashes of the 1936-1945 Asia Pacific War, in which millions died so that Japan could become as “modern” society as possible. The current society is built largely with the help and benevolence of the “plastic toy” wielding America that you seem to dismiss here.
The “bushido” of the IJA/IJN wasn’t the bushido of the samurai any more than the “chivalry” of the SS was that of King Edward III. But saying that “Japan chose a better path” is, to me, choosing to ignore millions of graves, including those of my own countrymen.
Maybe there’s a case here that the older, pre-modern ideas about honor and self-sacrifice were lost and then that allowed for the horrors of the mid-20th Cent…. But I don’t quite think that’s what you’re saying.
Again, I say with respect and thanks for this post. I’ll be chewing on this all day, in a good way!
There is a Japanese production called “The Seven Samurai” is often mentioned as one of the finest movies ever made "The Seven Samurai" ("Shichinin no Samurai" in Japanese) is a landmark film in the history of cinema, directed by Akira Kurosawa and released in 1954. Kurosawa, one of Japan's most influential filmmakers, crafted a movie that has been celebrated for its storytelling, character development, and technical innovation. But it depicts the Samurai's authentic dress and runs over 3 hours was a landmark film in the use of slow motion and telephoto lenses, and numerous technical breakthroughs and innovations.
Britain didn’t do it seamlessly. I point you to “Blood in the Machine” by Brian Merchant (I’m one third of the way through it). Industrialization is built upon the end of pre-modern living. Hundreds starved because of the weaving machines. I don’t know much about the Samurai, but I would guess it was just as patriarchal as the West, so it’s a bit pot calling the kettle black, yes?