This thesis asks the question of how we can understand the nature of ‘kyōka’ (lit. "crazy poems") in the centuries before they became a clearly established genre in early modern Japan. This is not...Show moreThis thesis asks the question of how we can understand the nature of ‘kyōka’ (lit. "crazy poems") in the centuries before they became a clearly established genre in early modern Japan. This is not so much done through a poet’s self-identification of a poem's genre as rather by attempting to chart the relative levels of ‘ga’ (refinement) and ‘zoku’ (‘vulgarity’) characteristics in the poems, and in this way create a new approach to the study of early kyōka. It is pointed out that ga and zoku are not equal categories, but rather that the degree of ‘infiltration’ of zoku determines how a poem can be understood. This approach is then used to look at the ‘Craftsmen’s Poetry Contest in Seventy-one Rounds’ (Shichijūichiban shokunin utaawase) from 1502. Situated in a genre of poem contests developed at the royal court, it ostensibly encompasses poems that sit firmly in a court tradition far removed from the early modern kyōka setting, yet shows remarkable zoku characteristics, and the question is raised whether this poem collection (and possibly others) can be considered 'kyōka hiding in plain sight'.Show less
This study explores the role of the qipao in shaping the representation and perception of Chinese women’s modern cultural identity during the early twentieth century. In a period of societal...Show moreThis study explores the role of the qipao in shaping the representation and perception of Chinese women’s modern cultural identity during the early twentieth century. In a period of societal instability, Chinese women sought a modern identity that harmonized with their cultural values. Utilizing visual research and literature analysis, the research underscores the qipao’s significance as both a tool and a symbol in popular visual culture forming women’s identities. Emphasizing the socio-historical context, the study highlights the qipao’s role as a bridge between tradition and modernization in Shanghai’s cosmopolitan environment. Through magazines, calendar posters, and cinema, the qipao emerges as a dynamic cultural dress, influencing representations and perceptions of the modern woman’s cultural identity.Show less
In this thesis, I argue that, perhaps more than any other contributing factor, the card game known as Hyakunin Isshu karuta plays a major role in the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology...Show moreIn this thesis, I argue that, perhaps more than any other contributing factor, the card game known as Hyakunin Isshu karuta plays a major role in the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology today, and has done so ever since the conception of the game. Where the once-popular woodblock printed parodies and educational books that featured the poems inevitably fell out of fashion, karuta has seen attempts at modernization, standardization and national organization that secured not only its own survival into the twenty-first century, but that of the anthology as well. As there was very little research on this specific topic at the time of writing, I sought to answer this question: how has karuta, and the popularity thereof, concretely contributed to the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu in the past 70 years?Show less
With the drastic shift started by the Meiji Revolution in 1868 and the opening of Japan’s borders also came a need to create a national Japanese identity, and one of several ways to achieve this...Show moreWith the drastic shift started by the Meiji Revolution in 1868 and the opening of Japan’s borders also came a need to create a national Japanese identity, and one of several ways to achieve this was to create a standardised national language. Ueda Kazutoshi stood at the forefront of this movement, advocating for the conceptualisation of kokugo, the national language, and in turn educational reforms which would implement this national language for the improvement and modernisation of the Japanese empire. In the book, Kokugo no tame, he goes into further detail on how to achieve this. This thesis looks at how idealistic and influenced by nationalism Ueda’s Kokugo no tame is by reading, interpreting and finally reflecting on his writings found in the book, as there is discourse on its abstract nature and its achievability. This thesis finds that Ueda’s writings were heavily influenced by the new social context of Meiji Japan and its recent victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, and that with the limitations that nationalism and racialisation bring, it also put limits on the feasibility of Ueda’s envisioned kokugo. While achievable in some ways with concrete ideas on how to implement kokugo, and indeed Ueda’s writings did set up the foundation of language standardisation, it is also the caveats made by Ueda on how kokugo should be educated under nationalist terms which made it more difficult to bring it to fruition according to Ueda’s ways.Show less
De casus die deze scriptie verkent is die van reactie van gebruikers van de Japanse ondertiteling van de film The Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring, welke leidde tot een aanpassing van...Show moreDe casus die deze scriptie verkent is die van reactie van gebruikers van de Japanse ondertiteling van de film The Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring, welke leidde tot een aanpassing van deze onderiteling voor DVD-uitgave van de film. Deze gebeurtenis kan worden gezien als een aanwijzing dat de geldende conventies voor het Japanse vakgebied van filmvertaling aan vernieuwing toe zijn.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
In this thesis, I focus the issue of alienation and estrangement of identity in the situation of Japan's cultural confrontation with the West, as (re)presented in the works of contemporary Japanese...Show moreIn this thesis, I focus the issue of alienation and estrangement of identity in the situation of Japan's cultural confrontation with the West, as (re)presented in the works of contemporary Japanese literature, from a postcolonial perspective. I refer to Frantz Fanon's theoretical narrative of the psychological alienation of (former) colonial subjects to construct my analytical framework, to examine the works of Fukuzawa Yukichi, Tawada Yōko and Mizumura Minae. In the case of Fukuzawa, one of the leading intellectuals in Meiji Japan, I unfold the complexity of local intellectual response to the invasion of Western civilization, to offer an overview of the historical background. In the case of Tawada and Mizumura, two distinctive figures in contemporary Japanese literature characterized by their transcultural writing that transgresses conventionally defined boundaries, I examine the theme of alienation and the distortion of identity in a situation where a Japanese is placed in confrontation with the overwhelming force of Western culture, as presented in their works.In my analysis, I hope reveal the resemblance between the situation that the authors in question deal with and the experience of the black population as is portrayed in Fanon's text, which hopefully would draw attention to the complicated picture of (post)colonial experience in Japan.Show less