4/28 - Pitelka - The Rise of Modern Japan

I loved this lecture. I am truly fascinated by the rich culture and history of Japan. After learning about the warrior culture it was interesting to learn about the aftermath. The question what does a warrior do when there is no war....was answered...nothing. For me, as an art teacher, I enjoyed seeing the woodblocks. They really complimented Prof. Morgan Pitelks's lecture. I can really use those examples in my classes. I have yet to check out the website mentioned, but I look forward to it.

Professo Pitelka was a very engaging speaker, and I'm glad he is coming back this Saturday! One aspect of his lecture that I found particularly interesting was Japan's "Closed Country" policy. This had been mentioned in other lectures, but to really understand it from beginning to end was fascinating. It was also interesting to read the letters sent from the President of the U.S. with Perry to basically bully Japan into opening its borders. These primary source documents in the reading packet were great.

Continuing with Clay's post, there are still "burakumin" in Japan today and they still live in certain areas. It is no longer codified, but old habits die hard. Attitudes have changed, particularly among young Japanese who have grown up in the post WW2, post-boom days. They seem to have a curiosity and respect for other cultures that is glaringly absent in America. At the same time, Japanese do have a strong sense of uniqueness. It is difficult to become Japanese. An either "you are or you aren't" attitude exists. While in America, it is quite easy to naturalize and be accepted. In fact, many Americans assume others want to become American.

A Japanese friend of mine recently asked me "Do you consider Obama black and why? I said I considered him black based on his skin color and his fathers ancestry. He then told me he had asked his black friends the same question and that they had told him "no", Obama isn't black (the question may have become muddled at some point and have been more about being "African-American", but I don't know...the point was that Obama lacked some "cred." I found this somewhat similar to Japanese attitudes, so I asked him "Are my daughters Japanese?" (my wife is "full" Japanese). He hemmed and hawed and didn't answer the question. But the point was again obvious; even though my daughters have a Japanese mother and Japanese passports, they lack some "cred" in Japanese eyes.[Edit by="mlloyd on May 6, 11:02:02 AM"][/Edit]

Great website. Tons of interesting and user friendly information. Thanks

I used the MIT website about the Black Ships with my students this last week. They were surprised to see how different the east and the west depicted the same scenes. I had them discuss the reasons behind these ideas and it was amazing to see how they thought. 6th graders were a little young to think deeply about these issues, but they were able to come away with a new perspective on how countries interact with each other.

How did you present the MIT website? Did you take them to a lab or simply project the images onto a projector screen? How did you students react to the MIT website format? Did they get a chance to go into the text based pages? Please hit me back - thanks..

Much was gained from this session. Professor Pitelka's information was beautifully concise and easily understood. Thank you! The isolationist period of time in Japan's history seemed very poignant to me. They tried so hard to maintain their identity and in the end were forced to relinquish so much of it. We Westerners were so pushy as we labored to become industrialized, prosperous, and pompous. In some ways the Japanese are to be envied. They could choose with a great deal of clarity how they would change after WWII despite the influence of the Allies. It is much to their credit that their contemporary society has achieved a comfortable balance between their seats of power.

Admiral Perry's letters are a terrific primary source to teach from. They should certainly be incorporated, along with Fillmore's letter into a strong launching point to teach the end of the isolationist period in Japan's history. I think it ironic that we call this the "opening" of Japan. I wonder what the Japanese call it in their history books. It would be interesting to find a primary source that reflects current Japanese thinking on this topic. A good way to point out bias in writing for an ELA lesson co-taught with 7th grade history.

one more thing- I reviewed "Samurai Fiction" in the film festival thread under the Asia in my classroom-
This film can be used to illustrate society during this time period- it takes place during the Tokugawa Shogunate. It mentions the importance of clans, adoption and also, although maybe superficial, shows examples of the Floating World- gambling houses, geishas, etc.