In the Realm of a Dying Emperor: Japan at Century's End

By Norma Field

Book Overview

When the Emperor Hirohito died in 1989, Japanese newspapers had to use a special, exalted word to refer to his death, and had to depict his life uncritically, as one beginning in turbulence but ending in magnificent accomplishment. To do otherwise would have exposed them to terrorism from the vigilant right wing. Yet this insightful book by a Japanese-American scholar who grew up in both cultures reveals the hidden fault lines in the realm of the dying emperor by telling the stories of three unlikely dissenters- a supermarket owner who burned the national flag; an aging widow who challenged the state's "deification" of fallen soldiers; and the mayor of Nagasaki, who risked his career and his life by suggesting that Hirohito bore some responsibility for World War II.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679741895
• ISBN13: 9780679741893
• Release Date: March 1993
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Okinawa cave

I was in Okinawa as a govt airforce civilan in the 1960's. I went on an Island tour with a local tour bus. Our first visit was this cave named something like The 20 maidens, where we were told that 20 (not sure of the exact number), committed suicide for fear of molestation by the American military during the battle for Okinawa. Wew also walked the cliff edges from which many Japanese women and children jumped to their deaths, with each site memorialized. My main point is the name of that cave in the 1960's when I was there.

Modern classic

This book continues to resonate. It was published in the early 1990s and sort of predicted the malaise that Japan went through for the past decade. Even with Japan's economy picking up now, these issues--the lack of dealing with the legacy of World War II--are still problems for Japan as it tries to find a place in the modern world. The writing is sparse and beautiful. Highly recommended.

Still worth reading if you want to understand the 'Japanese'

The book contains three episodes, a man who has lived in Okinawa and fired the (de facto at that time) national flag, a woman who has rejected the burial by the state of her hasband having been a member of the Self-Defense Force and the ex-mayor of Nagasaki City who has referred to the war responsibility of the Emperor, as well as a report on the very curious atomosphere prevailing in Japan on the death of the Showa Emperor. A reader could understand the true but hidden mentality of the Japanese from the contents explicitly and implicitly. The authour of course could have written the original in Japanese, but the fact that the work had to be translated itself has had a significance. I strongly recommend to read the work if you want to understand the Japanese who are now at the crossroad.

CONSTITUTIONALISM IN A CULTURALY EMPERIALISTIC STATE

Norma Fields eloquently provides a historical look at post World War II Japan. She utilizes personal memories as well as interviews with private and public citizens that recount their struggles as Japanese. Japanese life is one filled with contradiction. After Japan's surrender in August of 1945 they adopted an Americanized Constitution to symbolize to the world their commitment to peace. This Constitution has been at times nothing more than that, a symbol, because despite efforts to mimic the American guarantees of personal freedom and liberties, the Japanese traditions and cultural practes of Emperialism and Shinto overshadow these Constitutional gurantees, leaving citizens wondering where Japan's future lies. Norm Field puts faith in the Japanese people, that they as the people in her book have, will take the high road in Japan and except their past for all its good and bad and move bravely into the future.

Pulls back the curtain

Uncovers many of the hidden parts of Japan with interesting and thought-provoking stories. Anyone interested in the culture of Japan should give this book a good reading.