Thoughts about session 6 (Japan w/Prof. Sam)

I have a passion for military history, and Professor Yamashita's military history knowledge really impressed me. It was not just his book knowledge of Pearl Harbor and military technology that impressed me, but the way he tied in his family's experiences and his own life experiences. That's the way that I myself teach my classes, tying in family background and experiences to history...though I doubt if I can top Yamashita's picture of his mom serving tea to the Japanese Admiral.
Regarding Japan's motivations in invading the Philippines, my Filipino relatives have told me that some Filipino historians say Japan invaded the Philippines because it was an American colony and that if the the US didn't have the Philippines as a colony, then Japan would not have invaded. Nevertheless, I feel this argument is not sound, and my relatives from the Philippines would agree as well. The Philippines had many resources(mostly agricultural) which would have motivated the Japanese military to invade...regardless of whether or not the Philippines was an independent country and regardless of which country may have had the Philippines as a colony. This just shows how historical perspectives can vary in views.

I agree with the two previous posts -- Professor Yamashita effectively used his personal and familial experiences to illustrate the events he was describing and so brought in a human element that allowed us to connect to his lecture (and kept us engaged after a long day!). Interestingly, despite the long-standing plan to create Japanese-American concentration camps in the event of war, Japanese-Americans in Hawaii weren't sent to internment camps even after the war began -- because of their economic importance on the islands and the large percentage of the population they represented.

I was also impressed with Professor Yamashita's ability to hold passionate personal opinions about politics and history, which he expressed openly, but also to treat historical facts objectively. For instance, he suggested that the US government's concerns about Nisei were justified, despite the fact that these concerns led to prejudicial treatment of his own family members. His deep knowledge of this history might make such fair-mindedness easier for him than for some others, but I still think it is quite commendable.

Session 6 was probably one of my favorite sessions thus far because of both the topics and the way the Professor kept us engaged with the personal stories he shared. I enjoyed hearing about the prelude to the Meiji Restoration. I couldn’t help think of my World History book, whose account of Perry’s visit (in a whopping ONE paragraph) can be summarized as follows – Perry came to Japan with a letter, made a friendly/subtle threat to the Japanese about opening up, and the Japanese obliged after being impressed by his fleet and technology. It was nice to hear about the reasons for Perry’s mission, as it validated many of the topics I discuss in my own classroom (Profit, Progress, and Military power). What surprised me about the Meiji Restoration as a political event was the emergence of a new intellectual current called kokugaku or National Learning. Members of the movement claimed that the emperor was the center of the world and must be restored. One question I wrote on the margin of my notes was “These guys claim to be ‘enlightened’ yet they wanted to be ruled?”. Not to say that those under a government in which one person is in charge cannot be enlightened, but it seemed to contradict the ideas of these “enlightened philosophes” (whom the Japanese undoubtedly studied). I know their sentiments were probably just rooted in their long history of having an emperor, but I just found that one point to be interesting.

The discussion about 20th Century Japan was the part of the session to which I took the greatest liking to. Professor Yamashita started off talking about the attitudes of the Japanese towards WWII. It really made me reflect on my desire to discover: (1) how history is taught, or not taught, in other countries (i.e. WWII and the Holocaust in Germany) and (2) how civilians of the time viewed the war, both as it was going on and afterwards (in the U.S., we mainly hear about the support for most of our wars, except for Vietnam and the recent conflicts in the Middle East, achieved through propaganda and mobilizing the home front). It was also very fascinating to hear about the extensive list of events and issues that led up to Pearl Harbor and the original plan to round up Japanese Americans in Hawaii in the 1930s. Again, in our history books, the explanation is limited to: the U.S. cut off oil shipments to Japan because they were threatened by Japan’s quest for an empire (directly affecting U.S. colonies like the Philippines), Japan was angered by this and other issues that strained relations, so they attacked Pearl Harbor. I definitely appreciate all the extra stories and details I can share with my students about this great historical event! One last piece of information I was intrigued by was the idea that the Japanese military promoted the idea of collective suicide of 100 million! Though seemingly unlikely, imagine the ramification of such an act!
edited by cbacon on 4/14/2011

I concur with all the praises to Professor Yamashita. Although I was not able to attend the second seminar due to being engaged with the WASC visit to our school, I was very impressed by his level of expertise and certainly feel as passionate as he does about history because as a literature teacher, I often take the historic approach to help students contextualize our readings. Learning about Japan has given me a broader vision and healthier respect for the peoples who contribute so richly to this heterogeneous society of ours called the proud U.S.A.

Professor Yamashita was very interesting; is he coming back to talk more about post-war Japan? I have some more questions for him, but I may just have to buy his book! There was a lot of information that I can use in my classroom and thanks also for the resource sugesstions. The primary sources that are about school children have so much more relevance to my students - they are usually easier to read, understand, and relate to. Although I have already taught WW II this year, these are readings that I plan on putting into my lessons for next year or in summer school (if I am so lucky to teach this summer!)

Session 6 was more interesting because of the personal stories and the connection to the United States. The attack on Pearl Harbor and the concentration camps stories were vivid and personal. I also found interesting that Hawaiians were not allowed to be
teachers until the 1960s.

After Sam's WWII lecture, I was thinking about Kurosawa's film, Rashomon" and discussed it with one of the participants on the way to the garage. I applaud Sam for openly sharing his perspective as a Japanese American living through hard time in the US. However, I happened to have opportunity to listen to 3 lectures on WWII from various parts of the world: One from Singapore, Japan and a view from US perspective. It was interesting for me to compare the 3 different perspectives from 3 different backgrounds with the one presented by Sam.
I strongly believe that History is not a literal record of the past but rather an interpretation of the past. That is why many history books are written by different people with different perspectives. Learning the facts is an important lesson, but we all need to facilitate students to be able to think deeply and analyze situations with adequate critical thinking skills. We need to teach students war is dirty, cruel and lacks the romanticism portrayed by world leader . Open the students eyes as to what can be done to prevent wars from starting in the first place might be interesting to corporate by increasing awareness in the world around them, starting with their own community....maybe interdisciplinary with Government class?

History is neither a fiction nor one’s interpretation based on a distorted fact. So I admire Professor Yamashita. He is a great historian. I appreciate his righteousness, sincerity, and professionalism when he delivered a lecture on some sensitive issues. He made the lesson more comprehensible and appealing by adding his personal experience and a very useful graphic organizer, which I can utilize it in my class. Thank you!