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clay dubeThe Charter Oath (1868) and the Meiji Constitution (1890)
http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/G369_2002/meijiconstitution.htm
Imperial Principles on Education (1879)
http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/teaching-modules/125?section=primarysources&source=134
Imperial Rescript on Education (1890)
http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/teaching-modules/125?section=primarysources&source=136
AnonymousIs it okay to use previews of these movies with my students? I will give them backgrounds for any of them before hand.
AnonymousAs I read it, much like Fukuzawa's dilemma when asking directions, there is a shift from the ideal expressed by the Charter Oath of 1868 of widespread education and the elimination of many social terms and divisions to the ideas expressed in the second note on elementary education at the end of "The Great Principles of Education, 1879," where it seems to be saying that sons of farmers and merchants are not up to the study of high-falutin' ideas of actual governance but should be turned to the study of practical work of agricultural and commercial studies. These are not bad things at all, but they sound like reactionary compromises to me. How do you read it?
I'm also reminded of the large debate among Chinese intellectuals in the nineteenth century on the ability of the Chinese general population to "handle" democracy, an argument we still hear today.
AnonymousI wonder if there is any connection between the samurai definition for ronin and the 1990's...? action movie "Ronin" starring Robert De Niro? As far as the movie trailer for "47 Ronin" I look forward to the movie release since I can't seem to get enough of the samurai culture!
AnonymousI love anything and everything related to NatGeo, the travel photo gallery of samurai is simply amazing! The craftsmanship of Shibata Kanjuro, the 21st generation bow-maker is awe inspiring. After viewing these photosIi have a deeper appreciation for "The Last Samurai" and it's effort to achieve a high level of accuracy in regard to samurai training and weaponry.
AnonymousThe 9th slide from the NatGeo photo essay caught my attention. The representation of the traditional (Kabuki child actors) with the new (cell phones).
AnonymousI found the "Imperial Rescript: The Great Principles of Education, 1879" interesting in that it seems to focus more on creating good citizens - "to make clear the ways of benevolence, justice, loyalty, and filial piety, and to master knowledge and skill and through these to pursue the Way of Man" rather than "fact-gathering and technique," which are seen as "violating the rules of good manners and bringing harm to our customary ways." This is especially interesting today as America is constantly under pressure to improve our students' ability to compete with other countries in math and science. Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan are ranked in the top 3 while America is ranked 25th. I realize this comparison is not pure, especially given the lecture today about how cheating or test prep is an "ancient" practice thanks to Confucius, but even based on several personal testimonies during seminar, Asian students tend to have an edge when it comes to taking education seriously. I also find it interesting that as a public educator, I am expected to rely heavily on fact gathering and technique and avoid teaching benevolence, justice, loyalty or filial piety in any overt manner.
AnonymousAs I read this all I could think of is the similarities that I have read about how knights became knights in England. I think this could be a good source to have students compare and contrast the requirements of a knight in England with a the requirements in Japan. The greatest difference that I see is a knight in England is a relatively low station where as a knight in Japan can move all the way up to Samurai warrior if they master the two levels of emergency principles. For those who know English history, is this a valad comparison?
AnonymousI have no idea who Ronin is, but the movie looks interesting. I will wait for DVD. After reading the warrior code, I will have to wait to see the whole movie before I can see Keanu is truely deserving of being a Samurai half breed. The trailer absolutely shows Hollywood's fingerprint on it with it's metaphysical beasts and sorcery.
Anonymous@vmarlen - The Ronin movie with De Niro did have connections to the Japanese description of "ronin". See the excerpt from IMDB below.
"Ronin is the Japanese word used for Samurai without a master. In this case, the Ronin are outcast specialists of every kind, whose services are available to everyone - for money. Dierdre (undoubtedly from Ireland) hires several Ronin to form a team in order to retrieve an important suitcase from a man who is about to sell it to the Russians. After the mission has been completed successfully, the suitcase immediately gets switched by a member of the team who seems to work into his own pocket. The complex net of everyone tricking everyone begins to surface slowly, and deadly..."
The "ronin" is a very fascinating aspect of Japanese feudal culture. As a historian, it always make me sad, however, when I see cultures where the lives of a powerful man's subjects or family is tied to his life or death. Examples of this can be found in cultures around the world. It is a reminder the the individual freedom that we believe people should possess is, in most cases, a recent idea in world history.
AnonymousThank you for taking the time to look up the background on Ronin. That will actually make the movie make a bit more sense.
AnonymousI have to agree western
AnonymousI have to agree western civil is about fact findiing and technique. There is no humanistic touches in our system.
AnonymousI'm wondering if the idea of the "half-breed" has a certain significance or stigma in Japanese society. The protagonist of the anime series Inuyasha is a half-human, half-demon who shares positive qualities of each side, yet is made to feel inferior. The Japanese video game series Devil May Cry also features a devil-human named Dante hybrid as its main protagonist who is a social outcast despite having enormous powers and ability.
AnonymousI think a half-breed in the past has always had a negative connotation. They are not fully accepted in either culture. I know we had that in our history. It seems from my observation of our history, we certainly did not accept "half-breeds" as equal citizens no matter what race they were mixed with. I am sure that Ronin will be an underdog story that elevates half-breed to be something that is accepted. I certainly know how some of my older relatives from the south felt about this topic. Mixed marriages were taboo.