Watching, Reading & Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

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Novels, Dramas, Films, Tourist Sites

The same contents(Russo-Japanese War):How do they differ in the

novel, drama, film and tourist site formats?

Production

Consumption

Identity

Regulation

Representation

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• One of Japan’s most prolific historical novelists.

• Born in Osaka, served in a tank unit during the war, and then became a journalist.

• Retired to become a full-time novelist.

• Published over 600 books selling 180 million copies.

Shiba Ryotaro

Shiba Ryotaro, 1923-1996www.philipseaton.net© Philip Seaton, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Representations of the Past 2019/11/15

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Clouds Above the Hill

Opening sequence.

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Reading and Watching Clouds Above the Hill

Novel Drama

Dramatized history textbook

Character study of 3 main characters and other minor

characters.

Long sections of “narration”

Short sections of “narration”

Shiki’s death a quarter of the way through the novel.

Shiki’s death half way through the

drama.

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• Led the operations to block the entrance to Port Arthur.

• Died in March 1904.

• Small part in the novel (Part II pp. 101-149), but a major character in the drama (star of episodes 6 & 9).

• Let’s watch a little (1:11:00 to 1:18:00) and read the equivalent passage (pp. 148-149).

The Takeo Hirose Story

Takeo Hirose, 1868-1904www.philipseaton.net© Philip Seaton, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Representations of the Past 2019/11/15

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• Let’s discuss the handout from last week.

• What do you think of this as a section from a novel?

• What do you think of its version of history?

• What do you think some of the issues are surrounding the “Shiba view of history”?

Excerpt from Clouds Above the Hill

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The “Shiba View of History”

“The novel is today recognized as a typical expression of Shiba shikan [the Shiba view of history].This view is based on a clearly positive evaluation of the Meiji Era before the Russo-Japanese War and a negative estimation of the following period (Nakamura 1997). From this point of view, people of the Meiji Era were energetic, ambitious and encouraged to pursue the great purpose of overtaking Europe. Winning the war against Russia symbolized the realization of the spirit of Meiji. This brilliant era, according to the Shiba shikan, fell into ruin after the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905: Japan became self-centered, turned towards imperialism and militarism, and finally plunged into the disaster of the Asian-Pacific War.” (p. 258)

Tatsushi Hirano, Sven Saaler and Stefan Säbel (2008) “Recent Developments in the Representation of National Memory and Local Identities: the politics of memory in

Tsushima, Matsuyama, and Maizuru”, Japanstudien 20, pp. 247-77.

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The “Abe (Shiba?) View of History”

More than one hundred years ago, vast colonies possessed mainly by the Western powers stretched out across the world. With their overwhelming supremacy in technology, waves of colonial rule surged toward Asia in the 19th century. There is no doubt that the resultant sense of crisis drove Japan forward to achieve modernization. Japan built a constitutional government earlier than any other nation in Asia. The country preserved its independence throughout. The Japan-Russia War gave encouragement to many people under colonial rule from Asia to Africa.

After World War I, which embroiled the world, the movement for self-determination gained momentum and put brakes on colonization that had been underway. It was a horrible war that claimed as many as ten million lives. With a strong desire for peace stirred in them, people founded the League of Nations and brought forth the General Treaty for Renunciation of War. There emerged in the international community a new tide of outlawing war itself.

At the beginning, Japan, too, kept steps with other nations. However, with the Great Depression setting in and the Western countries launching economic blocs by involving colonial economies, Japan's economy suffered a major blow. In such circumstances, Japan's sense of isolation deepened and it attempted to overcome its diplomatic and economic deadlock through the use of force. Its domestic political system could not serve as a brake to stop such attempts. In this way, Japan lost sight of the overall trends in the world.

With the Manchurian Incident, followed by the withdrawal from the League of Nations, Japan gradually transformed itself into a challenger to the new international order that the international community sought to establish after tremendous sacrifices. Japan took the wrong course and advanced along the road to war.

Statement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 14 August 2015.www.philipseaton.net© Philip Seaton, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Representations of the Past 2019/11/15

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• Nakatsuka Akira, Yasuwara Junosuke, Daigo Satoshi, Questioning the Historical Views in Clouds Above the Hill.

• Timing: Why did NHK make this in 2009 (so close to the centenary of the annexation of Korea)?

• Production: Why did NHK go against Shiba’s wishes that Clouds Above the Hill would not be dramatized?

• Interpretation: Are the idealized views of the Meiji period and main characters justified? Was the criticism of others (esp. Ito Hirobumi and Nogi Maresuke) justified?

• Content: What was omitted from Clouds Above the Hill (e.g. Port Arthur Massacre of 1894)?

Critiquing the “Shiba View of History”

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• Thoughts stemming from my previous research on Hokkaido and empire:

• Assertions about imperial history: Challenging Shiba’s assertion (Vol. 2, p.92) that Japan had “no colonies” before 1895.

• Double standards: You can’t have your cake and eat it (criticizing Western colonialism and then imitating it as a “bright period”).

Critiquing the “Shiba View of History”

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

Heritage Tourism (Actual sites)

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

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Local Identity and PrideTraveling Clouds Above the Hill

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

Heritage Tourism (Related sites)

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

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The Battleship Mikasa

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

Contents Tourism (Filming locations)

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

Shooting location, far from Matsuyama

Actual site (Matsuyama), shooting location on

Itsukushima.www.philipseaton.net© Philip Seaton, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Representations of the Past 2019/11/15

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Traveling Clouds Above the Hill

Matsuyama’s local branding strategy and machizukuri

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Tourist Numbers in Matsuyama

01,000,0002,000,0003,000,0004,000,0005,000,0006,000,0007,000,000

198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200320052006200720082009201020112012201320142015

Shimanami Kaido boom Clouds Above

the Hill boom

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www.philipseaton.net© Philip Seaton, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Representations of the Past 2019/11/15

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Clouds Above the Hill Museum Visitor Numbers

https://www.city.matsuyama.ehime.jp/shisei/kakukaichiran/sangyoukeizaibu/kankokokusai.files/kankokyakusuitei-H27.pdf

Dec. 2009, 2010, 2011

A classic pattern of “contents tourism”www.philipseaton.net© Philip Seaton, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Representations of the Past 2019/11/15

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Shiki Museum Visitor Numbers

https://www.city.matsuyama.ehime.jp/shisei/kakukaichiran/sangyoukeizaibu/kankokokusai.files/kankokyakusuitei-H27.pdf

Less obvious, but nevertheless visible, pattern of “contents tourism”www.philipseaton.net© Philip Seaton, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Representations of the Past 2019/11/15

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Machizukuri Zones

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The Battleship Mikasa

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The Battleship Mikasa

Panels explaining history on the Mikasa

Effectively the Shiba and Abe view …

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