NEW FROM SHISEI-DO PUBLICATIONS: THE ANNOTATED REMINISCENCES OF LAFCADIO HEARN

Just published by Shisei-Do Publicatons

The Annotated Reminiscences 
of Lafcadio Hearn,

By Setsuko Koizumi (Mrs. Hearn)

Edited by Hayato Tokugawa.

There was no one who did more in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to bring the inner thoughts and ideals of Japan - its religions, its superstitions, its art, its way of thought, all that animates its people - to the West than did Lafcadio Hearn. He lived in Meiji Era Japan and became one of its citizens, linking East with West, but received no public recognition, no decorations; yet, the world places a crown of laurel upon his head. Todai moto kurashi - "The foot of the beacon is dark." In this deluxe editon of Reminiscences of Lafcadio Hearn, Setsuko Koizumi, Mrs. Hearn, has written wonderful, affectionate recollections of her life with Lafcadio Hearn in a book that is simply written, almost naive at times, sometimes funny yet at other times almost tragic, providing insights into herself, her family, and her husband and his wonderful writings on Old Japan. This volume is profusely illustrated with color-tinted or full-color rare, antique photographs from the editor's private collection of Setsuko Koizumi, Lafcadio Hearn, their children, their homes, the places they visited and saw, as well as Hearn's own sketches, including those from his final visit to Yaidzu, making the book an even more personal and enjoyable experience for the reader.

Setsuko Koizumi, the wife of famed author and journalist Lafcadio Hearn, who did so much to bring for the first time to readers in the West, true images and impressions of Japan, many of which still form our own romantic imaginings of Japan, came to the author as a young woman and remained for a lifetime; giving him four children and preserving his legacy. Here she has written wonderful, affectionate recollections of her lifer with Lafcadio Hearn in a book that is simply written, almost naïve at times; sometimes funny het at other times almost tragic, providing insights into herself, her family, and her husband and his Wonderful writings on Old Japan.

NOW AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM

http://www.amazon.com/The-Annotated-Reminiscences-Lafcadio-Hearn/dp/1482773090/ref=tmm_pap_title_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368237629&sr=1-1

The Tokugawa Period: An Overview of the Western Concept

My view of historical scholarship is that of an attempt to write about the events of the past and as such, it is dependant upon documents from the period(s) being studied. I have also pointed out that many historians, particularly in the West tend to “cherry-pick” their documents, selecting records that tend to match their preconceived notions of history. The result is that such written history fails, sometimes miserably, to provide clarity and truth.

I do not exempt Japanese historians from blame in this matter of imbalanced or distorted history, particularly in the portrayal of the Tokugawa Shōgunate and the period of Japanese history that it encompasses, 1603 to 1868; as a period marked by military dictatorship and oppression. In viewing the Mieji Restoration and the years that followed, one can come to understand how such distortions were possible. Meiji historians took on the attitude and viewpoint of the era, an obsession with Westernization. The entire country was lost in all things Western: Western culture, Western technology, Western politics, even Western scholarship. What was past, what was “Tokugawa” was cast away as unenlightened and thus, of no value to the “New Japan” and the age of Enlightened Rule.

With the end of World War II, during the Showa Era, historians both in the West and in Japan, looked for reasons for the war. Ultimately, their collective fingers pointed at the Tokugawa Period, not only as the Japanese dark ages, but as the root cause of the wars that followed the conclusion of that era. Japanese feudalism was equated with authoritarianism rather than the Confucian concept of a decentralized political system as evidenced in the Zhou Dynasty, a concept idealized by the Tokugawa. Certainly Japanese feudalism (hōken) was not compatible with liberal Western post-war views, often tainted by not so hidden traces of Marxism, political correctness and the European 18^th century “enlightened” view of Europe’s feudalism as their own dark ages. These historians thus superimposed their viewpoint over Japanese history, tainting what lay beneath.

Western history, particularly that of Europe is viewed as having three major eras: a classical era, a feudal era, and a modern era. Japanese history is far more complex, with a myriad of twists and turns, hundreds if not thousands of threads interwoven much the same as a fine tapestry. To overlay Japanese history with the restricted views of Western scholarship simply does not work: it is to ignore the depth and character of Japanese history and culture.

In conclusion, one should be more inclined to view the Tokugawa Period as a forerunner of modern Japanese social and political concepts rather than as the dark depths of tyranny. The Tokugawa brought unity to Japan, for the first time, an actual feeling of nation and country, unique in the Asia and the world, which continues to live in contemporary Japanese values.

THE EDO PERIOD'S POPULATION

THE EDO PERIODS'S POPULATION

Do you know how many people there were in Japan during the Edo Period? It is said that there were some thirty million (30,000,000) with the samurai population at about 2 million. The samurai therefore accounted for from 6.7% to 7% of the total Japanese population. At tat time there was no large-scale census conducted on a national level; rather, it was performed by each province and clan, to be recorded in the 宗門人別改帳 (Shumon Ninbetsu Aratame cho, しゅうもんにんべつあらためちょう) or Residential Register.

Edo’s (Tokyō’s) population began an upward trend from the Kaei era (1624 – 1644) and continued to increases through the Genroku era (1688 – 1704), when the population of the city was the largest urban population in the world; to the Tenmei era (1787) figures of 1,626,500, according the census performed in 1721 and then again in 1736. While the proportion of samurai in the national population did not significantly change through the Edo Period, the percentage was significantly higher in Edo, due to the policy of Sankinkoutai (the system of alternate annual attendance between the home of a daimyō in Edo and his home in his fief).

The general analysis of the Edo (Tokyō) population was as follows:

Farmers – 80%

Tradesmen – 10%

Samurai – 7%

Other – 3%

On a slightly different vein:

A scholar of Japanese history at Havard Universtiy, Harold Bolitho, wrote the following:

The Tokugawa Period, in fact, was a time of almost total samurai dominance; they dominated government, they dominated society, the dominated city life, they dominated education, they also dominated cultural life, providing most of the painter, most of the poets, most of the playwrights, and most of all the philosophers, mathematicians, and botanists…there was no government apart form them, no laws but what they devised, and no order save what they imposed.

Note that the word “dominated” is repeated – extensively. This ia a good writing technique by which to instill an image that one wants to impose on readers; yet actually, as I read this statement by Professor Bolitho, I could not but help to imagine the citizens of Japan in a jail, with no means of escape! What a terrible thought! According to the Professor, there was no freedom for the Japanese people; however, what he said was not entirely true; certainly, he need to add some supplementary notes or commentary. Keep in mind that the merchant culture of Edo flourished during the Edo period under the Tokugawa. Such things as Ukiyo-e or Kabuki, human splendor and tragedy there to see and experience in theaters or as woodblock prints found in the shops of the Yoshiwara, Edo’s largest, licensed “red light” district, thrived. Even the kimono was a product of the refined town culture, an outgrowth of the merchant class of the socially stable Edo Period.

It is easy for one to write that the samurai dominated Japanese society, laws, art, culture, etc.; yet in truth, how can a samurai population of approximately 7% dominate 93% of the entire Japanese population. Simple logic would dictate that it is not so easy to do. If 93% of the population was to riot or revolt, could the samurai put it down? Certainly not. Yet, the Tokugawa Shōgunate lasted for over 200 years. How could the Bakufu keep peace in a nation for such a long period of time? Simply wielding the sword and the power of a privileged class cannot dominate much of anything. Early in its history, the Tokugawa Shōgunate found a great way to “control” its citizens. This is not a simple topic and requires far more room and time than is available here today, but we will discuss it again soon; but for now, think about this, using your imagination. If you were samurai, a member of the privileged class, how would you bring peace to Japanese society? Before the Tokugawa Period, your job was fighting, but now that is no longer necessary because Japan has peace. What do you do? Do you sleep all day? Probably not. Nevertheless, if your people do not obey, do you bring them into submission by force? Remember that 93 % of the population watches you; how you speak and behave, solely on the basis of your social ranking. What could the samurai, the 7%, possibly use to control the other 93% of Japan? I think it was their dignity.

Yamaga Soko (1622 – 1685) said, “The peasant’s job is to plow a field, a craftsman’s job is to make things, the merchant’s job is to sell and buy [or barter].” What then is the samurai’s job? Think with all your heart about the question. The true answer will not come by just reading a book, but by also thinking with all your heart about what a samurai’s job was. Yamaga further added, “A samurai’s job is to achieive Jinrin no Michi in the world. Jinrin no Michi (人倫の道) is the way of humanity, morality. Jinrin means moral principle, that is, to behave in a moral way. Michi means the way, path, or journey. This is the most basic principle that a samurai must realize in Shidō a samurai code far different from Bushidō.

More on Tokugawa society and the samurai next time.

Submitted by Aoi Tokugawa-sensei

Copyright 2009 by Shisei-Do Publications and Aoi Tokugawa. All rights reserved.