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History of Japan (HIS-9C) T Th 11:00-12:15Pm (Haines A18) Introduction to Asian Civilizations: History of Japan (HIS-9C) T Th 11:00-12:15pm (Haines A18) Prof. William Marotti Email: [email protected] Office: 5365 Bunche Hall, TEL 825-4368 Office hours T 12:30-2:30 or by appointment Teaching Assistants: Cheung, Roanna [email protected] Guldentops, Kurt [email protected] Guy, Gloria [email protected] Lakser, Moshe [email protected] Course Objectives: Welcome to a whirlwind survey of a complex and rich history. Rather than present a pat and pre-digested account of an unproblematic object of study—the Japanese nation—our approach in this class will be to apply proper historical methodology to a diverse body of sources to gain an appreciation of the wildly divergent experiences and politics in the Japanese archipelago over the past couple thousand years—and to think about the stakes for such considerations in the present. What is “Japan” exactly, and how far back does its history go? When we consider history, and historical claims, that stretch over a couple millennia, are we really talking about one, coherent object of study, a “nation” that moves intact through millennia? Conversely, how have people, and the state, conceptualized the relationship of modern Japan with the historical events that preceded its formation, but that transpired within its modern borders? How have all of these histories been entangled with broader regional and international historical events? And how do all of these answers matter in the present? In the first half of this class we will explore “Ancient Japan” as both an object for our own investigations and as a category deeply implicated in a variety of specifically modern concerns and practices. We will trace the rise of formalized Imperial authority and centralized polities; investigate the “rise of the warriors” and new religious and social practices; explore the politics of taste and knowledge in Edo Japan; and consider the internal and external collapse of the Tokugawa regime prior to the revolution known as the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The second half of the class will deal with the modern state: the crafting of a modern emperor; the struggles for power among the rulers; imperialist adventures in Asia; cultural anxiety at home and the rise of fascism; WWII and the Allied Occupation of Japan; postwar economic recovery and its ties to cold and hot wars; and the politics of nostalgia and remembrance. Our goal will be to address these issues from a proper historical perspective: you are called upon to actively participate in the discipline of history, instead of being its passive recipient. Hence our emphasis will be upon your evaluating and interpreting the varied course texts, forming coherent conclusions about that evidence, and participating in debates over the materials in discussion and in your written work. Students will have the opportunity to explore course themes through several short written assignments covering the course materials and discussions, and through a cumulative, essay-format final exam. Requirements: Regular attendance at lectures and discussion sections, along with participation in discussions. Unexcused absences and missing questions (see below) will reduce your overall grade; good participation will enhance it. o It is your responsibility to make sure you sign the attendance sheet each discussion session. If you are unavoidably absent, it is your responsibility to email your TA. All readings to be completed by the date of the lecture for which they are assigned. Bring readings with you to lecture and to your discussion sections. o We reserve the right to impose unannounced quizzes at any time. One quote selected from the readings, together with a short discussion of how it relates to the lectures, to be typed and submitted to your TA at the start of the discussion section. Your response should be approximately one paragraph in length. Three short papers (approximately 4 pages each, typed, double-spaced, 12 point font). Number and length of assignments may be adjusted at instructor’s discretion. All assignments must be completed to receive a grade (even if you are taking the course pass/fail). A final exam covering the entire course. Grading: Though challenging, the course is designed to reward consistent effort and preparation. Your base grade will be constituted by your written work: roughly 70% by your short papers and other written work, and 30% by your final exam. Participation in discussions and preparation of incisive written questions will improve this base grade, while unexcused absences and/or failing to submit written questions on the readings will decrease your grade. Instructions for Handing in Essays: Your essays are assigned on Tuesdays at the end of class, and are due the following MONDAY in your TA’s mailbox on the 6th floor of Bunche Hall (outside of the History Dept. office) by 4:00 pm. 2 The papers MUST include the following on the top: Your name, Your TA’s name, and The number of the essay prompt that you are responding to. The papers are short, which means you need to write concisely. This is only achievable through editing, so give yourself adequate time to reread and revise. I strongly encourage you to back up your work securely while writing (easily accomplished by emailing the paper to yourself). Do this FREQUENTLY! UCLA’s plagiarism policy applies. See http://www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu/paper.pdf and http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/col/bruinsuccess/05/01.cfm for further clarifications. All plagiarism cases will be referred to the Dean of Students for proper disposition. Texts: There is no one “textbook” for the course. Our readings combine primary and secondary materials, as well as portions of several online textbooks by Greg Smits. Unless otherwise marked, all readings are available: 1) via coursepack, available at Copymat Westwood, 925 Westwood Blvd., and 2) on electronic reserve to be downloaded, read, and printed by you. Electronic reserves are accessible via password on the course website via the History Dept.’s webpage, www.history.ucla.edu (under “courses”). You may choose to buy the coursepack or be responsible for printing the readings off the web page on your own---but either way you MUST bring the readings with you to class and discussion sections. Schedule of lectures and readings: Abbreviations: TMJH: Smits, Topics in Medieval Japanese History EMJL: Shirane, Early Modern Japanese Literature 1600-1900 SJT: De Bary, Gluck, and Tiedemann, Sources of Japanese Tradition: Volume 2, 1600 to 2000 3/30 Introduction: Dig it. Archaeology Frauds and the stakes of the Ancient in the Present “Archaelogist exposed as fraud,” BBC News 11/5/00 “Undermined archaeologist kills self” (NOT about Fujimura), Mainichi Daily News 3/11/2001 “Archaeological hoaxes spur history text rethink,” The Japan Times 11/9/2000 3 Shoh Yamada, “Politics and Personality: The Anatomy of Japan’s Worst Archaeology Scandal,” Harvard Asia Quarterly 4/1 Wa? No Wei. The Ancient Record Farris, “Ancient Japan’s Korean Connection,” Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures 55-122 AMINO Yoshihiko, “Forward,” in Rethinking Japanese History (trans. Alan Christy), x-xvii AMINO, Ch. 1, “Was Japanese Society Agricultural?” in Rethinking Japanese History (trans. Alan Christy), 23-48 “From the History of Wei,” in Lu, Japan: A Documentary History, 11-14 4/6 Imperial Politics and Symbolics I (guest lecturer: Herman Ooms) Greg Smits, “The Ancient Japanese Islands,” Topics in Japanese Cultural History http://www.east-asian-history.net/textbooks/172/ch2.htm Herman Ooms, Imperial Politics and Symbolics in Ancient Japan, pages 1-12, 86- 104 AMINO, "The Title of Emperor and the Name Nihon," in Rethinking Japanese History (trans. Alan Christy), 255-272 only Byron Earhart, Religion in the Japanese Experience 238-242 (Kokutai no hongi) 4/8 Imperial Politics and Symbolics II (guest lecturer: Herman Ooms) Herman Ooms, Imperial Politics and Symbolics in Ancient Japan, pages 49-59, 253-266 Borgen and Ury, “Readable Japanese Mythology” (Kojiki and Nihon Shoki 65-73 and 75-81 (the rest is recommended only) Philippi, trans., Kojiki, pp. 37-44, 139-41, 163-182 http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/japan/nara/todaiji (go through the photos and website; ignore the goofy domain name) 4/13 Heian The Tale of Genji, ch. 1-5, in McCullough, Genji and Heike, 25-130 Smits, ch. 5, “Heian Period Politics and Institutions” TMJH, (available online at: http://www.east-asian-history.net/textbooks/480/ch5.htm) Recommended: Smits, ch. 4 “Buddhism in Japan” in Topics in Premodern Japanese History, http://www.east-asian-history.net/textbooks/PM- Japan/ch4.htm First paper assigned; due MONDAY, 4/19 (see “Requirements” above for instructions on submitting) 4/15 New Buddhism, New Living Patterns 4 Film clip: Hoichi the Earless, from Kwaidan (view online or at Powell Hall, Instructional Media Services) Amino Yoshihiko, ch. 8 “Fear and Loathing,” in Rethinking Japanese History (trans. Alan Christy) 182-227 Pierre François Souyri, The World Turned Upside Down: Medieval Japanese Society 17-26, 70-99 Keirstead, “Medieval Japan: Taking the Middle Ages Outside Europe,” History Compass 2 (2004) AS 110, 1-14 Recommended: Smits, Ch. 12 “The Renewal of Buddhism: Pure Land, Zen, Women” TMJH, http://www.east-asian-history.net/textbooks/480/ch12.htm 4/19 First paper due 4/20 The Alchemy of Power: Sengoku and Tokugawa Sources of Japanese Tradition, 305-308 (burning of Enryakuji), 318-323 (Hideyoshi) William Cooper, They Came to Japan, 93-106 (on Oda Nobunaga)
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