Perceptions Toward Militarism and the Concept of Gyokusai in Hisae Sawachi’s Novel 14 Sai
The aim of this study is to examine the impact of Japanese militarism that was prevalent before World War II from the perspective of an author who had experienced Japanese colonialism. Hisae Sawachi’s work 14 Sai: Fōteen provides various examples of the pro-militarist attitudes of the Japanese peopl...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Arabic |
| Published: |
Istanbul University Press
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Şarkiyat Mecmuası |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/30197BD2C95A4703B586A89EDC4E8FFE |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The aim of this study is to examine the impact of Japanese militarism that was prevalent before World War II from the perspective of an author who had experienced Japanese colonialism. Hisae Sawachi’s work 14 Sai: Fōteen provides various examples of the pro-militarist attitudes of the Japanese people who lived outside from Japan’s territory and also sheds light on the social structure of the prewar period. “Death on the battlefield”, “sacrificing oneself in the name of Emperor”, were seen as sacred duties in Japan, and Japanese people faced these concepts mostly during World War II. The Japanese term gyokusai means “honorable suicide” or “honorable death instead of surrender” and this expression also sembolizes suppressing the personal ego and replacing personal/individual interests with a more sacred worldview, such as loyalty to the Emperor, social duty, and the transition to “achieving immortality” for the existence of the Emperor. This study, examines the novel 14 Sai, written by Hisae Sawachi and the relationship between the concepts of “militarism” and gyokusai. The relationship between Japan’s values and militarism is conveyed by the protagonist, a young girl who supports Japan’s pro-militarist attitude throughout the novel, and is an example that shows not only the Japanese dominance of Japanese colonial land, but also Japan’s perceptions toward militarism and its relationship with Japanese culture. As a result, the perceptions toward militarism, which forms the basis of the process that evolved into war in Japan, is seen to reflect a significant difference between the pre-war and post-war periods. It is examined how effective the Japanese military structure in the formation of that situation in this period. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2717-6916 |