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This is not the first time I read the book “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”. The last time I read it was probably borrowed from the school library when I was in college. Now I only remember the title of the book but don’t remember the content at all.
Last week, I took my daughter to the Nanjing Library. Because she didn’t bring her daughter’s ID, she couldn’t apply for a children’s reading card to read in the children’s reading area, so she had to go home halfway. I happened to see the hardcover edition of “The Chrysanthemum and the Knife” published by Jiangsu People’s Publishing House recently returned by someone at the borrowing and returning office on the second floor. It contains illustrations and annotations selected by the editor, which can be said to be meaningful and rich in pictures and texts, so I borrowed it to read.
Here is also my “experience” when I went to the library to borrow books: If I don’t know what book to borrow, or if I can’t find the book I want to borrow, I will go to the cabinet next to the self-service book return machine and look through the books that others have just returned. Books, these are books that have been selected and borrowed by others. Most of them are of good quality, and they can also broaden their reading horizons.
Back to “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”, this is not a “book” in the strict sense, but a “research report” according to the author.
In 1944, World War II was coming to an end, and the U.S. military was about to occupy Japan. Americans began to think about how to transform Japanese society after the occupation of Japan, and whether to keep the emperor. Understanding Japanese thinking and behavior patterns became a top priority for the U.S. government. In June of the same year, the author of this book was ordered to study Japan from a cultural perspective in order to find the answer. “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword” is the answer sheet. It is actually a research submitted by the author to the U.S. government after analyzing Japanese culture. Report.
It has been 80 years since the book was written. Although the conclusions in this book are not completely in line with the status quo, you can still understand some of Japan’s historical and cultural characteristics after reading it.
Excerpts from the book below
The chrysanthemum was originally the family crest of the Japanese royal family, known as the “one line of life”, and the sword was the symbol of the Japanese warrior class and its spiritual pillar – bushido. By putting these two things together, the author intends to show two very different qualities deep in the soul of the Japanese nation. Why sometimes the Japanese give people the impression that they pay attention to etiquette, gentleness and modesty, but sometimes they are very barbaric; why some documents say that the Japanese like to pursue beautiful things, just like indulging in the cultivation of chrysanthemums, while some documents say , Japanese behavior is full of violence, advocating swords and samurai honor these contradictions are a manifestation of unique Japanese culture.
The narrow island country, barren land, fierce competition environment and the shackles of many obligations imposed on them make the Japanese have to brandish their knives at all times to create a living world for themselves; in their spare time, the Japanese He is also keen on romantic fantasies, such as “indulging in the cultivation of chrysanthemums” mentioned above. In essence, it is nothing more than escaping the cruelty of reality and soothing one’s fragile heart. In short, “chrysanthemum” and “sword” respectively represent the two mentalities of the Japanese when facing ideals and reality, and they are also the portrayal of two different living conditions.
The Japanese regard the emperor as the core of “Shinto.” If the Americans challenge and destroy the sanctity of the emperor, the entire social structure of Japan may collapse.
Taking advantage of the people’s reverence for the emperor, the Japanese military department rewards its subordinates with cigarettes “gifted by the emperor”; on Tianchang Festival, the leaders of the military department will lead all officers and soldiers to bow three times facing the east and shout “Long live the emperor”; During the bombing, the leaders of the military department and their subordinates would recite the “imperial decree” promulgated by the emperor in the “Rescript to the Soldiers” together sooner or later.
Taking advantage of the people’s loyalty to the emperor, Japanese militarists called on every officer and soldier to “obey the emperor’s will”, “don’t let the emperor worry”, “repay His Majesty’s kindness with a reverent heart”, “serve for the emperor Dedicated!” However, obedience to the emperor’s will is like a double-edged sword. Many Japanese prisoners of war said: “As long as the emperor has an order, even if there is only one bamboo spear, we must decisively go into battle; similarly, as long as the emperor has an order, we will stop fighting immediately”, “If the emperor gives an order, the Japanese army will be killed the next day. Lay down your arms”, “Even the toughest and belligerent Japanese Kwantung Army will obey the emperor’s order to lay down their arms”, “Only the emperor’s will can make the Japanese people admit defeat and survive to rebuild their homeland.”
The most extreme performance of the Japanese in the theory of troop consumption is that they will never surrender. A western army, if outnumbered after all it has done in battle, will surrender to the enemy; and even if he surrenders, he still considers himself honorable. Under international agreement, once prisoners of war surrender, their countries are notified, letting families know they are still alive. Neither soldiers nor civilians were humiliated by surrender, even in their own homes. But the Japanese are different. They believe that it is honor to die in battle. In desperation, Japanese soldiers would kill themselves with the last grenade, or charge into enemy lines with their bare hands in a suicide attack, but they would not surrender. If he is unable to resist due to injury, or becomes a prisoner because he is unconscious, he will feel that he “will never be able to lift his head after returning to China.” He will lose his reputation. There is no need for special education on this, and the Japanese army has always faithfully practiced this military discipline.
The Japanese view of international relations, as they view domestic relations, views the issue in terms of hierarchy. If the world hierarchy is a pyramid, for the past decade the Japanese have considered themselves at the top of the pyramid. Today, their international status has been replaced by Western countries. However, due to the profound influence of the hierarchy on the Japanese nation, the Japanese also accept the status quo.
The concept of family in Japan is relatively weak, which is similar to that of Westerners, especially similar to that of France.
In Japanese, people from the royal family are called “Yunshangren”, and only people from the royal family can inherit the throne. China is different. Chinese feudal society often changes dynasties, but Japan has never had a change of dynasties. In the hearts of the Japanese, the emperor is sacred and inviolable, and the emperor is a god.
Among the tribes in New Zealand, the head of the country is so sacred that when eating, he cannot take the food himself. He must be served by others to “feed” him. Even the spoon that brings soup to his mouth is not allowed to touch his. teeth. When going out, he has to be carried by others. If his feet touch the ground, that piece of land will be regarded as a “holy place” and belong to him, and no one can touch this piece of ground again. It is said that what he said could reach the ears of the gods believed by the tribe.
In traditional Japanese culture, samurai are required to be able to endure hunger, even if they are starving to death, they must pretend that they have just finished eating and pick their teeth with toothpicks. Therefore, there is a saying in Japan: “Children cry for food, and samurai hold toothpicks in their mouths.” In war, this sentence became a motto for soldiers to encourage themselves and not give in to pain.
The Tokugawa era also stipulated that children of different social classes should buy different dolls. For example, farmers can only buy one kind of doll for their children, merchants can only buy another kind of doll for their children, and so on. These laws shocked Americans. However, different classes in the United States sometimes face similar results, which are determined by income differences. For example, the children of factory owners can have an electric train, but the children of tenant farmers only need a doll made of corncobs. . Americans are comfortable acknowledging this fact because they accept income differences and think they are justified. Striving for high wages and rewards is part of American pride. Since the children’s possession of different toys is determined by the level of income, it does not violate the moral values of Americans. Rich people can buy high-end dolls for their children, while poor people can only buy the cheapest dolls for their children. But in Japan, money can make people feel confused and confused, and keeping one’s duty can make people feel at ease.
Even today, the habits of the poor and the rich in Japan are the same, and they maintain their self-esteem by adhering to the hierarchy.
In Japan, where self-defenses about pride run deep, it is both polite and wise not to speak up about professional lapses in the presence of Japanese people.
Americans condemn suicide as self-destruction in succumbing to despair. But the Japanese respect suicide and consider suicide an honorable and meaningful act.
According to the Japanese law at the time, those who want to take revenge must first write a plan, draw up a date for revenge, and report it to the higher authorities. Generally speaking, the revenge plan will be acquiesced, and the revenger is required to complete the plan within a time limit. If the time limit is reached and there is no revenge, the revenger must give up.
They believe that the more extreme the asceticism, the shorter the distance to reach the goal.
The Japanese have a special preference for hardy asceticism, either standing or sitting in a freezing waterfall before dawn, or bathing in cold water on a cold winter night. The purpose of the training is to exercise self-awareness until you feel nothing. until it hurts.
When Japan surrendered, an important question facing the Americans was, what was the nature of their occupation of Japan? Should Japan’s original government agencies, including the emperor, continue to exist or be completely abolished? Should the U.S. military government manage the administrative affairs of each prefecture and city in Japan?
There is a big difference between the management of Japan by the US military and the management of Germany and Italy by the Allied forces.
Specifically, the U.S. command was managed from the top down using various levels of the Japanese bureaucracy. The U.S. Supreme Command sends administrative circulars to the Japanese government, not Japanese nationals or residents of certain cities and counties.
People all over the world know about their wanton destruction and brutality against the Philippines. However, for a nation like Japan, which can change its moral standards at will according to the situation, such a conclusion is also inevitable.
It is impossible for the United States to establish a free and democratic Japan by coercion, and neither can any other country. Such an approach has never been successful in any governed country. No country can force a nation whose social customs and cultural ethics are very different from its own to live according to its own model. The Japanese do not recognize those who are elected as authority because of the law. Nor will they disregard the requirement of “everyone in his place” in the hierarchy because of the law.
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