| ID | 162708 |
| Title Proper | 50th and 60th anniversaries of the meiji restoration: memory, commemoration and political culture in the pre-war period |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Hiroshi Botsman, Takagi |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article explores how memories of the Boshin War (1868) and the Meiji Restoration changed over the course of the pre-World War II period, and how this was reflected in efforts to commemorate those events. It argues that for much of the Meiji period (1868–1912) the trauma experienced by those on the losing side of the Boshin War meant that acts of commemoration remained politically divisive. By the time of the 50th anniversary of the war, in 1917, regional antagonisms had begun to heal and a stronger sense of Japan as a nation united in its devotion to the Emperor led to a significant shift in how the conflicts of the Restoration period were remembered. Ten years later, at the time of the 60th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, in 1928, the idea of the Restoration as a time of heroic action by patriots on all sides of the political struggles of the time had begun to firmly take root, supported by both government efforts and an emerging mass culture. |
| `In' analytical Note |
Japanese Studies Vol. 38, No.3; Dec 2018: p.329-341 |
| Journal Source | Japanese Studies 2018-12 38, 3 |
| Key Words | Meiji Restoration |