My favourite is Meiji, then Showa to nowi, then everything betwee Heian and Edo, especially Azuchi-Momoyama.
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My favourite is Meiji, then Showa to nowi, then everything betwee Heian and Edo, especially Azuchi-Momoyama.
My favourite period of Japanese history is:
-The Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), and within this period it is (I have taught):
-Japan in the Cold War in general. (also economic and political history)
I picked Kofun and Asuka period because this period shows the relationship between the ancient Koreans and the Japanese.
Late Showa, before they had no good anime & hentai! :D
I know most about the Early Showa period, which covers World War II. The most fascinating, and shows how Japanese history just climaxes at this point.
late showa and heishei ^^
From feudalism to industry in 30 years. Just blows my mind.
yeah, and you did it (from what i know) pretty hasle free, unlike hard-headed russians who wiped out a 10th of their population. :(
True.Quote:
Originally Posted by blessed
But the Meiji government certainly was authoritarian. Under a facade of constitutional and political rule - Meiji Japan was one of the most authoritarian nations in the world - similar to the likes of today's Iran. Why? Simple - it was a theocratic regime based on Shintoism, which had been in decline for centuries and which had, since the sixth century, played second fiddle to the more secterian Buddhist religion.
All political parties had to be registered with the government. Radicals and many liberals were persecuted by their right-wing and conservative/royalist counterparts. This is before the political arrests of the 1930s.
Indeed, the period of thirty years between 1868 and 1898 transformed a feudalistic, authoritarian and backward country into a modern, powerful, and yet authoritarian country.
Kofun & asuka (early kingdoms : 300-710)
Nara & Heian (710-1185)
Kamakura (first, Minamoto-Hojo shogunate : 1185-1333)
Muromachi (Ashikaga shogunate 1333-1568)
:bluush:
Here, have a :balloon:
Thanks Escaflowne. :)
I have never studied early Japanese history in depth - because it is until the end a matter of opinion? Do you believe that His Majesty the Emperor is a descendent of Amaterasu? Or was he a Korean who migrated from his homeland? Was he nothing but a tribal chief? Another Caesar or Hitler who had the dreams of empire?
edo to meiji is mine favorite.
does anyone know any good site with info about all the periods, I love history ^^
Uh - Jref.com has great links, but wikipedia.org, an online encyclopedia, has a very detailed Japanese history section. I have submitted a few articles, mainly on politics.
I like the Bakumatsu, ok i admit cuz of Ruruoni Kenshin, but c'mon, is a time of change and just over all interesting to see the change in mentality.
I can see there are many here who are interested in feudal Japan, and perhaps also samurai.
Here is a good link, I have spent some time on it to recap and there are good summaries and it is very user-friendly.
The only minus is: It seems to be still under construction, or, the creators of the site seem to have missed some topics, names etc...however, very good site if you want to pass the time and just get a summary on stuff.
http://www.samurai-archives.com/
Kinda to dress it up again.. what period do you know least about in Japanese history? For me, it would probably have to be.. uh.. the Yayoi/Kofun periods, and also the Muromachi periods. The shogunal alliances changed so much during these years, I know more about Buddhism during these years rather than the actual politics involved.
everything before 12th century Japan I am not soooo interested in I'm afraid...Quote:
Originally Posted by Hiroshi66
In fact, my great interest concerning Japan is showa and especially occupation of Japan and Japan today, so everything before that is not my special area, although I feel I know the most important events and people....
:balloon:
Yes. The Heian Period isn't a very political area.. just know that the courtiers mistreated the people and "they had their heads in the clouds". And taxes were high on peasants.
i guess i like the Heisei period b/c...
I have a question - were there Korean troops who occupied Japan during the Japanese occupation?
I voted for Kamakura because I've actually studied the artwork of that time period. Maybe I'm little uninformed of what else happened outside of beautiful architecture and sculptures.
No, Korea was not a military force in Japan, but I will answer in more detail later, when I will take the opportunity to make a thread about occupation....for the sake of clarity and order. :balloon:Quote:
Originally Posted by Hiroshi66
Thanks1 =) I just saw your post, and I am going there write now to check it out.
Bakumatsu, by far, when taken with a dash of Meiji - watching a government rip itself appart and trying to find its feet again satisfies both historian and political scientist in me. Revolution, blood, sex, intrigue, international power politics - how can you not love it?!
I like the Kamakura period for a number of reasons. There was a lot of interesting infighting between the imperial court and the bakufu. In the religious world most of Japan's most important Buddhist sects were founded by various interesting characters in reaction to the natural disasters that were a constant during that time. Plus a lot of the best works of midieval literature were composed in that time, especially the military adventures like the Heike monogatari. Makes for interesting studying, though it must have been one of the worst eras in Japanese history to actually have lived through.
Jomon,Yayoi,Asuka,Kamakura,Bakumatsu
Interesting for me.
My first choice is Early Showa because its the time they occupied my country but for me past is past. :-)
Second choice is Edo to Meiji seeing how at first they were an 'island' to 'no man is an island' which is why they finally opened their doors.
Hehe - Bakumatsu was indeed. Thogu wouldn't the Meiji period also be one of mystery and intrigue? ;0
Yes, it was, I just realy like the gumption of Tosa, Satsuma, and Choshu and all them types...Quote:
Originally Posted by Hiroshi66
Yeah. :)
Shinsengumi is a pretty good example of that..
It's fascinating how differently Japan and China coped in the late 19th century. Japan embraced change and preserved its sovereignty, culture and traditions. China was too arrogant to admit that the 'foreign devils' had surpassed them in technology... and wanted to preted they didn't exist. Mind you, the Opium Wars were hardly a good PR exercise for the British Empire: Buy our drugs, or we'll wipe you out!
Mind you it is interesting to compare two different but similar countries: Germany and Japan. I am not really convinced that the Japanese (ie wider Japanese society) really confronted the reality of the atrocities that Japanese Forces committed in WWII. To their credit, US forced German townspeople to face up to what happened. People were made to see films. And if you lived near a camp, you had to help clean it up and bury the bodies, under armed supervision. Which meant that Germans couldn't deny what happened and couldn't NOT confront their action and inaction. German culture, identity were violently shaken and changed.
Japan, however, is different. I saw a documentary, in which Japanese veterans of the Chinese campaign admitted to the atrocities they had seen and committed. The men interviewed ranged from officers to privates. They were all in their eighties. Some of them were incacerated in Chinese prisons and released in the 50's. They said that people in Japan didn't believe them, and declared them to have been brain-washed by the Communist Chinese.
In addition to this I can speak from an australian perspective. My grandfather was a soldier in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Borneo. I talked to him and many other australian veterans of the Pacific war. One man I talked to had personally seen how native village children had been crippled by Japanese soldiers. Experiences like Changi POW Camp, the POW experiences of the Burma Railway, etc, scarred a generation of Australians. Young people are surprised at how the "Nips" or "Japs" are so detested by veterans, sometimes - but you need to understand this in context of the times. I saw an interview with an australian POW who was tortured, and part of the slave labour used in Burma. He said that he initially hated the Japanese, but after having 'worked' (=slave labour) in Japan, he saw that the other Japanese labourers were starving and suffering like him. He said that he realised, that in fact what he hated was militarism and fascism, and mindless, unconditional obedience to leaders.
My point in recounting this, is that I have never been convinced that Japan suffered the same shock that Germany did. Was their society shaken to the roots like German society? Do they remember these events now? Do they have a national musuem (like das Haus der Geschichte in Bonn) where you cannot enter without confronting the fascist past? I suspect that all these horrific events were not really comprehended and not really confronted. Is there a national memorial in Tokyo to the Chinese who were killed, enslaved, and raped? Are the Japanese paying money to survivors? They have certainly never compensated Australian victims, and to my knowledge won't even acknowledge that it happened. Germany is by no means perfect but it serves as a very interesting contrast.
One final point: are Japanese schoolchildren taught these things, or do we jump from Meiji to Manga without breaking a sweat?
PS There is a Holocaust memorial about the size of a football field in Berlin. Designed by Daniel Liebkind i believe. When I saw it in 2003 it wasn't yet built.
I think it depends on the district and the school. There have been accusations against Japanese textbooks not supplying material about World War II. China and South Korea have complained about this. Its wrong, don't get me the wrong way.. but let's take a look at the two nations who have complained. Do China's textbooks say of its atrocities in Tibet and against right-wings or even moderates? Do South Korea's textbooks tell of the violence of the Rhee regime against remaining Japanese left in South Korea? I know Australia's tells of its violence against aboriginal tribes, just like those of the US and Canada. But Japan isn't the only textbook editing country in East Asia.
Ah, I'm sad that the Heian period isn't so popular. The clothes alone are enough to make me fall in love with it. ;)
Hehe. Heian is more of the literary student's favorite period.
By the way, we have a new Japanese History section on Japan Reference. It is divided in 20 periods from Jomon to Heisei.
Nicely done. THanks for the link.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maciamo
Yes, indeed.
Have you noticed there are more college classes on Heian literature than on Heian history?>
I personally like the eras preceeding the WW era, especially preceeding the Genro, and their military agendas. The days of the Bakufu and their reign during the shogunate of the Tokugawa clan, I think were some of Japans greatest years. The Bakufu refined all of the Martial Arts of Japan, especially regarding the daimyo and their use of the samurai as a means of acquiring more land holdings. THe shogun was wise in consolidating the ninjas under his authority and placing them under his command.
Guys is it true that some peopel regard the capital of Japan to still be at Kyotou? I heard that somewhere.
No, this I never heard.....maybe ages ago it was still considered the capital in the years 794-1869, when it was the capital and the city where the Emperor resided.Quote:
Originally Posted by hiroshi66
However, one could say that Kyoto is still the capital of Japanese culture...(with its university, porcelain manufactory etc..)