Taishō period

To what extent was ‘Taisho Democracy’, between the years 1912-1926, democratic? The ‘Taisho Democracy’ was an era during the reign of Emperor Taisho, the 123rd Emperor of Japan, when the authoritarian political structure of Japan was challenged by a wave of mass politic and Liberalism. This challenge was sparked by the ‘Taisho Political Crisis’ in 1912, when the constitutional system was unable to appoint a military officer to a position within government, as the military forces postponed the…

elongated horizontal length of the work becomes evocative of the screen paintings or triptychs in early Japan. While this work of Aoki Shigeru is dated to be a part of the Meiji period, I believe it is more accurate to state that “The Gift of the Sea,” reflects the trend of yōga art during the early Taisho period. “The Gift of the Sea,” like the other Meiji yōga works of art, adopts various western attributes. The painting is made on a traditional western medium of oil, and the figures…

Appearing at a moment when the study of modernity has come to challenge the reified separation of text and society, this major work can be read as an engagement with modernity through its impact on the negotiation of an individual identity. I have taken up such concepts as they are represented in the works of the author Junichirō Tanizaki. Through examining two of Tanizaki’s defining novels, Naomi and Some Prefer Nettles, my critical response aims to critically evaluate Tanizaki’s literary…

example of modernisation made was the samurai who were recognised as a warrior could now be anything apart of a warrior, for example, farmers or traders, and the citizens with no background in military could join Japan’s new army. The reformers in Meiji period believed that changes were important in order to have diplomatic equality and military strength to create paths to democracy. Emperor Meiji himself shows his efforts for modernisation and westernisation in practice and in appearance.…

than silk, and allowed for spontaneous effects (“Technical Aspects of Chinese Painting” 1). The length of this scroll is rather long, about 5 feet tall, which is common for hanging scrolls. This work of art was created in 1924, during Japan’s Taisho Period, a brief era between 1912 and 1926, and can be found in the Pacific Asia Art Museum in Pasadena. This work of art depicts a mix of Japanese and Chinese literati styles combined into one. This Chinese influence was prone to show up onto…

ground with others. Despite often not being the source of power the Emperor was viewed as an absolute monarch that stayed the same despite the shifts of power in the government from the Emperor ruled by the Tokugawa Shogun, Meiji by an oligarchy, Taisho by the liberal party and in Showa by Militarisms. The emperor reflected the…

freedom of women. Most scholars argue that many conditions within Japanese history, culture, and society led to the system that ultimately enslaved women within institutionalized prostitution. The democratic practice that was developed in the Taisho Period was ended by the authoritarian system of “ultra-nationalistic ideology.” This forced the nation to take the “deviant path of mobilization for war.” The impact of colonialism in the development…

Cute is everywhere in Japan, from formal to casual use, from food to fashion. Kawaii or cute is defined as childlike with the celebration of sweet and vulnerable behavior and physical appearance. (Skov& Moeran, 1995) It is highly valued by Japanese, seems like a national ethos, but also the representation of Japan’s soft power. Its influence extended beyond the border of Japan and permeated into foreign countries due to consumerism, especially in the United States. Nevertheless, people seem to…