November 25 - Pitelka - The Rise of Modern Japan

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Hello everyone,

Please share your thoughts about our November 25 session - "The Rise of Modern Japan" by Morgan Pitelka - by replying to this post.

-Miranda

[Anonymous]

Here is the link to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which Professor Pitelka recommended in class as a good resource for images on Japan and East Asia. You can use the "Search the Collections" function for images on specific topics, genres, etc.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/index.html

[Anonymous]

Here is the link to the "Black Ships and Samurai" website from the MIT Visualizing Cultures series which Professor Pitelka recommended in class:

http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/black_ships_and_samurai/index.html

[Anonymous]

Hi!

I really enjoyed this presentation--so much useful and clearly-presented information! I only wish I taught more modern US or European History--but you never know what may be in store for the future! I am going to do some more research on the aftermath of the Meiji Restoration. Clayton's 'voices' suggest that there was famine and starvation in the wake of the transition, but Morgan didn't go into that.

Becca

[Anonymous]

What a great website! I must say I disagree with the 'philosophy' of Zen calligraphy that "True creation arises from mushin, or the state of ‘no-mind’, which lies beyond thoughts, emotions and expectations." This may be true of calligraphy, but as an (indifferent) artist, I know a lot of thought and planning goes into some representational art--sketches, studies, maquettes, etc.

--Becca

[Anonymous]

This is a super cool website! The other collections are just as interesting as the one on 'Black Ships and Samurai'!

--Becca

[Anonymous]

I found last nights lecture very informative. I am not a history teacher, but the history of East Asia is one that I've always been interested in, but have never researched it. I can imagine how overwhelmed the Japanese were when the "Black Ships" arrived demanding that their ports be open for trade. I'm not sure how I feel about the Perry coming and demanding that Japan open up to the Western world, but I do see the benefit of a global unity. I think that all countries and cultures have something that the world can learn and benefit from, but I think that the process is just as important.

I would hope that we can find a way to communicate with people in a civil way. Demanding something can often lead to the opposite results, which can can war or civil unrest. I think that force should only become part of the equation when it has to do with one group harming another, and someone is stepping in for their safety, or when it is for the good of humanity. But I believe that the process is just as important as the end results.

[Anonymous]

I along with you, love this website. It is at times very difficult to find powerful resources that focus on topics that are not normally considered popular (i.e. industrial revolution, the world wars, etc...). I enjoyed the picture essay format and the variety of images that truly capture the essence of this event. The visuals for "Yellow Promise/Yellow Peril" are extremely engaging and power, especially those under the section "War Horrors." I truly feel that these postcards capture the brutal visual propaganda that motivates war. Last of all, as a teacher I am nothing but appreciative over the fact that these images are open/available for use in the classroom setting.

Manuel 😀

[Anonymous]

This lecture provided me with much needed assistance in my understanding of how Japan became such a dominant force in the 20th century world. I knew that the Meiji Restoration was the beginning of the economic turning point in Japan, but I had no idea that it was so much more. I am so thankful because Dr. Pitelka helped me walk away with a more grounded understanding of why Japan became the country it did by WWII. In explaining the "Fukoku Kyohei" (In rich the country; strengthen the army) ideology of the Meiji restoration, I was truly able to grasp the rapid rise of military and industry in Japan. Which would ultimately result in their war victory over the Russians, and their subsequent rise as an imperialist power leading up to WWII. What a great wealth of knowledge we all acquired this evening!

Manuel 😀

[Anonymous]

Miranda and Classmates:
I am catching up on this entry, but what I found interesting was the Tokugawa Shogunate, if I have the correct title of reference.
My interest would begin with how this person held his level of authority by requiring that all of his warlords attend the capitol, Edo, on a yearly basis. This, would be a sign of submission and subservience, not to mention having to keep one's wife/wives and family in the capitol, almost as live-in hostages. I can see why/how there would be very little to worry about in the form of treason or rebellion. Could/would our congressmen feel more inclined to support the president or the government if their wives/husbands/children were "required" to live in Washington? The implication might be enough, and it might be a good springboard for discussion in class.
Another idea I found interesting was the idea of one's name being associated with one's work. This, in turn, could be linked to some with the last name of "Smith"- blacksmith, goldsmith, coppersmith, tinsmith all having been a result of the work their ancestors did. I thought some Japanese names also came from the physical location of the family(i.e."down by the stream" or "under the trees"), but perhaps I was in error.
A final aspect of interest was the Tokugawa class system - the Shi No Ko Sho idea of "Samurai, Farmers, Artisans, and Merchants", merchants being at the bottom of the social spectrum if the Hinin/Eta outcasts are not factored in as sub-humans or beneath consideration. My question here would be as follows: During this time period, how were Westerners or non-Asians thought of? Were they "Novelties", "Threats," or the "Barbarians" of future times? How were the people of India factored in as non-Asians? The ethnic system of that(and subsequent)eras must have been quite a "Dog and Pony" show - Pocahontas in Europe being a comparative example(?).
The world that Mr. Pitelka opened up has generated a number of questions, the aforementioned being only a few. Would the "Black Ships" have been the "ignored world" that came home to roost?
Respectfully submitted,
Walt Banta

[Anonymous]

December 14, 2008

Coordinator and Professor of fall, 2008 USC’s China Seminar:

The chauvinism I was subjected to yesterday is not only invidious but also disheartening in this new age of Hope. I will write about its specifics in a later forum posting, addressing 3 iincidences.

I intend to write the Freeman Foundation.

In protest,

S. Rae, MA English
college / secondary instructor
33 years’ experience

[Anonymous]

Learning should be interactive.

Simply lecturing to students in the 2lst century is not a pedagogy I, as a progressive, subscribe to.

Students at the graduate level should be able to ask questions, feel as if their questions matter, be treated equitably by the coordinator and the professor, be allowed to have dissenting opinions, and have the opportunity to express themselves in an open environment--amenable to all students equally, no matter what one's age or what one's gender is.

The chauvinism the 2 leaders of this December 13, 2008 seminar displayed toward me were, to state it euphemisically, chauvinistic.

[Anonymous]

Two young women [and perhaps others less obviously] were sending text messages during class, which is supremely distrespectful and indecorous. Both have done this at other meetings.

Why is this allowed at a prestigious university's graduate seminar?

How embarrassing to be in the presence of California's renowned scholars, listening to their presentations, and seeing cell phones being flagrantly used INSIDE THE CLASSROOM.

This is an academic crime.

And a telling sign of the times.

[Anonymous]

Miranda,
Thank you for the opportunity to take a closer look at the "Black Ships" and read a bit more about their advent and their effect on Japan. It was fascinating to see how the Japanese envisioned the "Barbarians" and both feared and admired them with a healthy sense of curiosity mixed in. I have to believe the feeling was mutural; however, the United States doubtless felt itself to be in a position of technological superiority. It was especially interesting to note that the Japanese envisioned Adams' fifteen year old son to be the model of filial piety.
Respectfully submitted,
Walt Banta

[Anonymous]

Miranda and Classmates:

I took a look at the link that Miranda so graciously provided, and I found both the examples and the history of the Ukiyo-e(woodblock carving sketches) to be fascinating. The fact that they came from/portray the "low life" culture of Japan during the Edo Period might be intriguing enough to students to capture their fancy. Secondly, if one could obtain copies of the folk tale carvings, one might be able to overlap these with literature(and history?).

Of couse this begs the question: Where would one find photographic copies of the folk tale wood carvings so that one could use them in class? As near as I can tell, The V/A Museum has selected "examples" but not a full photographic library of examples(or did I miss something?). Would one of the books in our "Literature Package" be the source of these wood block examples?

Respectfully submitted,
Walt Banta

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