JAPAN STUDIES REVIEW Volume Eleven 2007 Interdisciplinary Studies of Modern Japan Steven Heine Editor John A. Tucker Book Review Editor Editorial Board Yumiko Hulvey, University of Florida John Maraldo, University of North Florida Laura Nenzi, Florida International University Mark Ravina, Emory University Ann Wehmeyer, University of Florida Brian Woodall, Georgia Institute of Technology Copy and Production Aviva Menashe Emily Hutchinson Joanna Garcia JAPAN STUDIES REVIEW VOLUME ELEVEN 2007 A publication of Florida International University and the Southern Japan Seminar CONTENTS Editor’s Introduction i Re: Subscriptions, Submissions and Comments iii ARTICLES The Japanese Fear of Christianity and European Nationalism in the Diplomacy of Commodore Matthew C. Perry William J. Farge 3 Learning from Kobe: Complexity and Urgency in the Holistic Management Model Marilyn M. Helms, Ray Jones, & Margaret B. Takeda 23 Symbiotic Conflict in Snow Country Masaki Mori 51 Line in the Water: The Southern Kuriles and the Russian-Japanese Relationship Thomas E. Rotnem 73 The Genbun’itchi Society and the Drive to “Nationalize” the Japanese Language Paul Clark 99 FEATURED ESSAYS Esoteric Buddhism in the Works of Juan Valera Juan Torres-Pou 119 Modern Girls and New Women in Japanese Cinema Maureen Turim 129 Japan through Others’ Lenses: Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) and Lost in Translation (2003) Frank P. Tomasulo 143 Immaculate Confession Michael Alvarez 157 BOOK REVIEWS Beyond Bilateralism: U.S.-Japan Relations in the New Asia-Pacific By Ellis S. Krauss and T.J. Pempel, eds. Reviewed by Thomas E. Rotnem 167 Tora-san to Nihonjin: Eiga “Otokowa tsuraiyo” no shakaishinri By Hamaguchi Eshun and Kaneko Satoru, eds. Reviewed by Kinko Ito 169 Japonisme in Britain: Whistler, Menpes, Henry, Hornel and 19th-century Japan By Ayako Ono Reviewed by Linda Gertner Zatlin 172 A Yankee in Meiji Japan: The Crusading Journalist Edward H. House By James L. Huffman Reviewed by Daniel A. Metraux 175 To the Ends of Japan: Premodern Frontiers, Boundaries, and Interactions By Bruce L. Batten Reviewed by Yuki Takatori 178 Zen in Brazil: The Quest for Cosmopolitan Modernity By Cristina Rocha Reviewed by Ronan A. Pereira 181 The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Sōtō Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan By Duncan Ryūken Williams Reviewed by Steven Heine 186 Japanese Education and the Cram School Business: Functions, Challenges and Perspectives of the Juku By Marie Højlund Roesgaard Reviewed by Steven E. Gump 189 CONTRIBUTORS/EDITORS EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION Welcome to the eleventh volume of the Japan Studies Review (JSR), an annual peer-reviewed journal sponsored by the joint efforts of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University and the Southern Japan Seminar. JSR continues to be both an outlet for publications related to Southern Japan Seminar events and a journal that encourages submissions from a wide range of scholars in the field. Appearing in this issue are five articles dealing with a variety of topics on Japan, including Commodore Matthew Perry and Christianity in Japan, analysis of the disaster management of the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the award winning book, Snow Country, the debate over the Kurile islands between Russia and Japan, and a look at the establishment of modern Japanese language. The first article, “The Japanese Fear of Christianity and European Nationalism in the Diplomacy of Commodore Matthew C. Perry” by William J. Farge, looks closely at the changing Japanese view of Christians and Christianity at the time of Perry’s arrival in Japan. This article is a product of the Southern Japan Seminar held in Atlanta in fall of 2004. Following this, “Learning from Kobe: Complexity and Urgency in the Holistic Management Model” by Marilyn M. Helms, Ray Jones, and Margaret B. Takeda, studies the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake of 1995 and critiques the use (and lack) of management techniques and suggests future improvements for the Japanese post-disaster management system. The third article, “Symbiotic Conflict in Snow Country” by Masaki Mori, analyzes the significance of Snow Country, one of the most prominent works by 1969 Nobel-laureate for literature Kawabata Yasunari. The article details the particularly unusual literary style of the book and its innovative storytelling techniques and characters. The fourth article, “Line in the Water: The Southern Kuriles and the Russian-Japanese Relationship” by Thomas E. Rotnem, details the strained relations between Russia and Japan as both sides battle for control over the Kurile islands. Although the islands are quite small, they represent much more than their physical worth: they are symbols of the power of both sides. The final article, “The Genbun’itchi Society and the Drive to ‘Nationalize’ the Japanese Language” by Paul Clark, focuses on the ii Genbun’itchi Society in existence from 1900-1910 that helped reform and define contemporary Japanese language and standardize it for the modern era. The article also describes the socio-historical background for the establishment of the Society. Also appearing in this issue are four essays. The first essay, “Esoteric Buddhism in the Works of Juan Valera” by Juan Torres-Pou, was originally from a conference in spring of 2006 co-sponsored by the Institute for Asian Studies (IAS) at Florida International University (FIU). The next two essays, “Modern Girls and New Women in Japanese Cinema” by Maureen Turim and “Japan through Others’ Lenses: Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) and Lost in Translation (2003)” by Frank P. Tomasulo, share the theme of Japanese cinema and are both based on a conference at FIU sponsored by IAS in fall of 2004. The final essay, “Immaculate Confession” by Michael Alvarez details the author Mishima Yukio and his motivation for writing Confessions of a Mask, one of his best known works. Additionally, the volume contains eight book reviews of recent publications on Japanese studies. Ellis S. Krauss and T.J. Pempel’s edited volume on U.S.-Japan relations is reviewed by Thomas E. Rotnem of Southern Polytechnic State University; Hamaguchi Eshun and Kaneko Satoru’s edited work on Tora-san, the Japanese television and print hero, is reviewed by Kinko Ito of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Ayako Ono’s examination of japonisme is reviewed by Linda Gertner Zatlin of Morehouse College; James L. Huffman’s biography of Edward H. House is reviewed by Daniel A. Metraux of Mary Baldwin College; Bruce L. Batten’s exploration of the meaning of frontiers and boundaries regarding Japan is reviewed by Yuki Takatori of Georgia State University; and Cristina Rocha’s research on Zen in Brazil is reviewed by Ronan A. Pereira of University of Brasilia/Victoria University of Wellington. Also, I reviewed a work by Duncan Ryūken Williams on the history of Sōtō Zen Buddhism (originally appeared in the Journal of Buddhist Ethics 12 [2005]: 84-87). Finally, Marie Højlund Roesgaard’s book on juku, the Japanese cram school, is reviewed by Steven E. Gump. Please note: Japanese names are cited with surname first except for citations of works published in English. Steven Heine, Editor iii Re: Submissions, Subscriptions and Comments Submissions for publication, either articles, essays, or book reviews, should be made in both hard copy and electronic formats, preferably Word for Windows on a disk or CD (please inquire about other formats). The editor and members of the editorial board will referee all submissions. Annual Subscriptions are now $25.00 (US). Please send a check or money order payable to Florida International University to: C/o Steven Heine, Professor of Religious Studies and History Director of the Institute for Asian Studies Florida International University University Park Campus, DM 300 B Miami, FL 33199 Professor Heine’s office number is 305-348-1914. Faxes should be sent to 305-348-6586 and emails to [email protected]. Visit our website at asian.fiu.edu/jsr. PDF versions of past volumes are available online. All comments and feedback on the publications appearing in Japan Studies Review are welcome. ISSN 1550-0713 Articles THE JAPANESE FEAR OF CHRISTIANITY AND EUROPEAN NATIONALISM IN THE DIPLOMACY OF COMMODORE MATTHEW C. PERRY William J. Farge, SJ Georgetown University The United States ship, Preble, under the command of James Glynn (1800?-1871), was in the China seas in February 1849 as part of a large squadron of American ships that was patrolling Asian waters. While off the island of Batavia, Commander Glynn received information that sixteen American seamen, who had been shipwrecked not far from the coast of Japan, were under detention and were being treated with great cruelty. The Americans, already detained for seventeen months by the Japanese when Glynn received word of their capture, had been made to trample on a crucifix (fumie).1 The Japanese guards told the American prisoners that the figure on the crucifix was the “devil of Japan,” and that if they refused to step on it, they would be executed. The incident was resolved favorably for the Americans, Commander Glynn eventually being able to negotiate the release of the seamen. This incident took place three years before Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794-1858) set sail from the United States in 1852 to negotiate trade and diplomatic relations with Japan. It shows that even as late as the 1850s the Japanese were still using pictures of Christian figures to identify adherents of Christianity, a practice that had begun in the 1620s. Suspects were ordered to step on Christian images on the assumption that those who refused or hesitated would reveal themselves to be Christians. The practice was rarely used after the 1660s, and an inquisitor for the office of religious inquisition (shumon aratame yaku) was never appointed by the shogunate after 1792, but inquisition by fumie continued until 1857 when, under the terms of an agreement negotiated by the Dutch, the Japanese government (bakufu) abolished the practice of trampling upon a sacred image.