Japanese History

A Cartographic Fade to Black: Mapping the Destruction of Urban Japan

by cary karacas

Co-authored with David Fedman, Stanford University, Department of History

In this paper we examine the history, production, and use – practical and rhetorical – of maps created by the United... more In this paper we examine the history, production, and use – practical and rhetorical – of maps created by the United States government during World War II as related to the development and execution of aerial bombing policies against Japan. Drawing from a range of maps and primary documents culled from libraries and archives in the United States, we argue that maps provide an important, and hitherto neglected, means through which to trace the exploration and eventual embrace of the incendiary bombing of Japan’s cities. In particular, our aim is to show how maps, along with the men who made and used them, played a central role in the planning and prosecution of air raids on urban Japan. We also address the mobilization of American geographers into the war effort, the re-configuration of America’s spatial intelligence community during World War II, and the ways in which maps were constructed in the context of total war.

Japanese-Jewish Relations: Meiji to the End of the Second World War

by J. Holder Bennett

"Tokyo's Other Games: The Origins and Impact of the 1964 Paralympics"

by Dennis Frost

In November 1964, Japan became only the third country to host what quickly became known as the Paralympic Games.... more In November 1964, Japan became only the third country to host what quickly became known as the Paralympic Games. Tracing the origins of the Tokyo Paralympics, this article explores why Japan, a country largely overlooked in histories of disability sports and disability rights, opted to host these games. Examinations of the planning and preparations for the Paralympics reveals a complex picture involving intersecting personal, local, national, and transnational factors and actors, all of which culminated in intense pressure to hold the Games in Tokyo immediately following the Olympics. In the end, the 1964 Paralympics were widely hailed as a success and generally credited with raising disability awareness in Japan. Nevertheless, analyses of these Games and especially the ways in which they were presented suggest that organisers and promoters relied upon medicalised representations of disability that invoked transnational discourses without necessarily advocating broader changes in views of or approaches to disability in Japanese society. The Tokyo Paralympics also proved to be a critical forum for those looking to assess Japan's standing in the post-World War II global community.

The conflation of monastic and imperial lineage: a revisionist view of the Retired Emperors’ period.

by Mikael Bauer

Forthcoming in Monumenta Nipponica, issue 67/2 (2012) or 68/1 (2013)

Through an analysis of specific temples, lineages and rituals, I will approach the retired emperors as an evolution... more Through an analysis of specific temples, lineages and rituals, I will approach the retired emperors as an evolution dating back to Emperor Uda 宇多天皇 (867-931 ) and not as the outcome of a new form of sovereignty (ôken 王権) established by Fujiwara no Michinaga (966-1027). I argue that it makes more sense to explain particular institutional and doctrinal developments under the retired emperors from the point of view of newly established imperial vow temples surrounding Ninnaji and their connections with Nara/Nantô Buddhism from Emperor Uda on.

The Power of Ritual: An Integrated History of Medieval Kôfukuji

by Mikael Bauer

Dissertation

This dissertation examines the history of Kôfukuji temple from the 8th through the 13th centuries through the eyes of... more This dissertation examines the history of Kôfukuji temple from the 8th through the 13th centuries through the eyes of its main ritual, the Yuima-e. I consider this important state ritual as a 'Theatre of the State' in which all socio-political parties are present. Thus, I look at the history of Kôfukuji through an analysis of state ritual(s) to re-examine the exoteric-esoteric context (kenmitsu taisei) of the period under consideration.

In my analysis I stress the importance of looking at the slow development of particular exoteric-esoteric lineages from the tenth century on. By following this gradual development through an examination of Yuima-e participation and commentarial production, I show that the study of this particular ritual can provide a new way of looking at the larger socio-political developments in which the temple operated. This way, I use the Yuima-e as a vehicle to question particular categorizations and reconsider the shift from Fujiwara no Michinaga's height of power to the rise  of the powerful retired emperors. Central in my analysis is a close examination of the relations between inner and outer temple developments to thoroughly reformulate Kuroda Toshio's notion of exoteric-esoteric Buddhism.

Japanese Urban Artificial Islands: An Overview of Projects and Schemes for Marine Cities during 1960s-1990s

by Raffaele Pernice

published in: Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ - Architectural Institute of Japan), Tokyo, No. 642, August 2009, pp. 1847-1855

The aim of this paper is to provide a short but comprehensive overview of the historical evolution of the concepts of... more The aim of this paper is to provide a short but comprehensive overview of the historical evolution of the concepts of the “artificial urban island” and “marine city” devised and developed in the context of Japanese architecture and urban planning during the second-half of the twentieth century. These concepts were a consequence of the severe shortage of buildable land for new industrial and freight complexes, as well as for housing and public facilities. From the futuristic urban morphologies of Metabolism and Kenzo Tange's plans, which developed as polemic rejection of late modernist architectural principles, to the engineering approach of official government planning schemes, based on the provision of massive-scale public infrastructures, this study is a chronological survey of the main marine city projects conceived in Japan during the last 4 decades. This paper further analyzes and highlights the connection between the urban forms and planning paradigms of the artificial islands and briefly investigates the needs and ambitions behind these urban marine prototypes.

Encyclopedia of Chinese History (Selections)

by Joseph Elacqua

Forthcoming (2013) from Routledge.

I was contracted to compose thirteen articles for the "Encyclopedia of Chinese History" to be published by... more I was contracted to compose thirteen articles for the "Encyclopedia of Chinese History" to be published by Routledge in 2013. These articles include "Ennin," "Guan Zhong, "Huainanzi," "Japan," "Lü Buwei," "Qi State," "Sacrifices," "Shundi," "Toyotomi Hideyoshi," "Wudi," "Yao," "Yu," and "Zhang Daoling."

The Japanese Language Press in Hawaii

by Ryan Ozawa

Emperor, Aristocracy, and the Ritsuryo State: Court Politics in Nara

by Ross Bender

in JAPAN EMERGING: PREMODERN HISTORY TO 1850, edited by Karl F Friday, Westview Press, 2012

"In retrospect, we can see that by the close of the eighth century, several key patterns of institutional... more "In retrospect, we can see that by the close of the eighth century, several key patterns of institutional structure and political thought had been established in Japan."

The Ainu as 'Other': Representations of the Ainu and Japanese Identity Before 1905

by Katie Bresner

Platforum: Journal of Graduate Students in Anthropology

Pursuing the Ancient Shinmyōken

by Luke Crocker

draft only, independent research.

As initiated by a late night discussion, this short essay was originally going to be a short transcript, but then it... more As initiated by a late night discussion, this short essay was originally going to be a short transcript, but then it grew as I looked for more sources and use of the term 心妙剣 in relation to Buddhism, bujutsu and ninjutsu.

This is a rather early stage and will be better compiled in the future.

"The Legacies of Ming Taizu in Japan"

by Pär Cassel

Long Live the Emperor: The Uses of the Ming Founder across Six Centuries of East Asian History, edited by Sarah Schneewind, 329-44. Minneapolis: Society for Ming Studies, 2008.

Traditional Theatre: The Case of Japanese Noh

by Diego Pellecchia

In The Cambridge Companion to Theatre History. David Wiles, Christine Dymkowski, eds. Cambridge University Press. (Forthcoming)

The aircraft carrier in the Japanese naval doctrine

by jonckheere fabrice

Abstract of the article. January 2012 - To: Loss (Journal of Maritime History) ©jonckheere Fabrice

The aircraft carrier is now considered as the centerpiece of any fleet. However it has not always been so. If the... more The aircraft carrier is now considered as the centerpiece of any fleet. However it has not always been so. If the Second World War made it possible to understand her full potential, her emergence in the 1920 century has generated in the Staffs many questions and uncertainties. The Japanese pioneers in the field are no exception. A study of the ship so requires an understanding of the context she was born and her evolution through the decades. So what about the aircraft carrier as part of the Japanese naval doctrine in the first half of the twentieth century?

日本海軍ドクトリンで抽象的な空母。

by jonckheere fabrice

©jonckheere Fabrice

日本海軍のドクトリン（1920-1945）日本海軍の教義の一部として航空母艦の航空母艦
more 日本海軍のドクトリン（1920-1945）日本海軍の教義の一部として航空母艦の航空母艦

空母は、いずれの艦隊の中核として考えられている。しかしそれは必ずしもそうではなかった。第二次世界大戦は、彼女の全潜在能力を理解することを可能にした場合、1920年世紀の彼女の出現は、スタッフ、多くの疑問や不確実性に生成されています。分野における日本の先駆者も例外ではありません。船の研究は、その彼女が生まれた文脈と数十年を通じて、彼女の進化を理解する必要があります。それでは、20世紀前半における日本海軍の教義の一部として、空母はどうでしょうか

La Sphère de Coprospérité de la Grande Asie Orientale (Dai Tōa Kyōei-ken)大東亜共栄圏

by jonckheere fabrice

-Pour : Histoire de la dernière guerre n° 17 - ©jonckheere Fabrice
Jonckheere fabrice. Article. mars 2012.

The World of Bonsai Trees

by Jason Cole Jr

Co-authored with www.BonsaiTreeGardener.net

The meaning of the word “Bonsai” is one that refers to low pot planting. Although it was originated from the Chinese,... more The meaning of the word “Bonsai” is one that refers to low pot planting. Although it was originated from the Chinese, the craft has been far expanded upon by the Japanese culture. So much so, that the Bonsai can reasonably and fairly be claimed as an art of their very own.

Venti d'amicizia. Disegni d'amicizia italo-nipponici al tempo del Patto tripartito

by Juri Meda

Tra le sudate carte

by Juri Meda

Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens (OAG)

by Christian W. Spang

Ferne Gefährten. 150 Jahre deutsch-japanische Beziehungen. Begleitband zur Ausstellung, herausgegeben von der Curt-Engelhorn-Stiftung für die Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen und dem Verband der Deutsch- Japanischen Gesellschaft, Mannheim: Schnell & Steiner, 2011, pp. 185-187.

This is a very brief introduction to the history of the German East Asiatic Society (OAG), co-authored with Sven... more This is a very brief introduction to the history of the German East Asiatic Society (OAG), co-authored with Sven Saaler and Rolf-Harald Wippich.