Inventing the way of the samurai : nationalism, internationalism, and bushido in modern Japan / Oleg Benesch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Benesch, Oleg, author.

Series:

Past & present book series

The past & present book series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bushido.

Nationalism--Japan.

Nationalism.

Civilization.

History.

Japan.

Internationalism.

Japan--Civilization--History.

Physical Description:

viii, 284 pages ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford, England : Oxford University Press, 2014.

Summary:

Inventing the Way of the Samurai examines the development of the 'way of the samurai'-bushido-which is popularly viewed as a defining element of the Japanese national character and even the 'soul of Japan'. Rather than a continuation of ancient traditions, however, bushido developed from a search for identity during Japan's modernization in the late nineteenth century. The former samurai class were widely viewed as a relic of a bygone age in the 1880s, and the first significant discussions of bushido at the end of the decade were strongly influenced by contemporary European ideals of gentlemen and chivalry. At the same time, Japanese thinkers increasingly looked to their own traditions in search of sources of national identity and this process accelerated as national confidence grew with military victories over China and Russia. Inventing the Way of the Samurai considers the people, events, and writings that drove the rapid growth of bushido, which came to emphasize martial virtues and absolute loyalty to the emperor. In the early twentieth century, bushido became a core subject in civilian and military education, and was a key ideological pillar supporting the imperial state until its collapse in 1945. The close identification of bushido with Japanese militarism meant that it was rejected immediately after the war, but different interpretations of bushido were soon revived by both Japanese and foreign commentators seeking to explain Japan's past, present, and future. This volume further explores the factors behind the resurgence of bushido, which has proven resilient through 130 years of dramatic social, political, and cultural change. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

Bufore Bushido: Considering Samurai Thought and Indentity

First Explanations of Bushido in the Meiji Era

The Early Bushido Boom, 1894-1905

The Late Bushido Boom, 1905-1914

The End of the Bushido Boom

The Showa Bushido Resurgence

Bushido in Post-War Japan

Conclusions and Considerations

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [249]-272) and index.

ISBN:

9780198706625

0198706626

OCLC:

892843608