In the early Edo period (17th century), Christianity was persecuted in Japan after about a century of missionary activities by European priests. The Japanese persecution used fumi-e, ‘trample...Show moreIn the early Edo period (17th century), Christianity was persecuted in Japan after about a century of missionary activities by European priests. The Japanese persecution used fumi-e, ‘trample images’, to force converts to apostatize. This thesis analyses an extant fumi-e from the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, and aims to answer how this fumi-e can be used as an illustration of the process of mutual exchange and adaptation, also called transculturation, that occured before and during the persecution. Using Panofsky’s iconological analysis, the image on the fumi-e can be identified as a depiction of the Madonna of the Rosary. Art featuring this motif was brought to Japan by European missionaries. The fumi-e shows stylistic influences from non-European artistic traditions. These are reminiscent of the art made by Japanese students of the Jesuits, Japanese Buddhist art, the yamato-e style, and nanban art. These influences can be explained by placing the object in the context of the persecution. The Volkenkunde fumi-e was specifically made for the persecution, as a replacement of the worn-out initial fumi-e that consisted of paintings and other fragile items. Using other extant fumi-e featuring the same motif, the development and gradual change of the ‘Madonna of the Rosary’ image can be seen. This change can be explained by the lack of European examples due to the ongoing persecution, and the process of transculturation that had already begun with the first missionaries. This process of transculturation can be seen in other aspects of the persecution as well. The government systematized three major ways of persecution, which can be seen as methods of surveillance and population control. These methods were social control in the form of the goningumi system and offering rewards to informants, monitoring in the form of obligatory registration at Buddhist temples and the compilation of population registers, and tests of faith using the fumi-e. These methods did not only impact Christians, but became part of the fabric of Japanese society, and affected the shape of Japanese Buddhism as well. Furthermore, they asserted the authority of the Tokugawa government. The persecution also helped shape a narrative about identity, in which Christians served as the ‘Other’ against which ‘Japaneseness’ could be contrasted. Echos of this narrative can be seen throughout the Edo period extending into early Meiji, and even in contemporary attitudes towards (Western) foreigners. The Volkenkunde fumi-e illustrates all these points. Its visual qualities show the artistic exchange in the ‘Christian Century’, while its purpose and use demonstrate how the subsequent persecution transformed society by providing methods for population control, assertion of authority for the Tokugawa bakufu, and creating a narrative about identity. It is therefore both a product and an illustration of the transcultural process that occured in the encounter between Japan and Christianity.Show less
The paper examines the discourse used by the VOC to describe the Shimabara Rebellion 1637-1638 (a rebellion with socio-economic reasons and strong Christian influences) and its own encounter with...Show moreThe paper examines the discourse used by the VOC to describe the Shimabara Rebellion 1637-1638 (a rebellion with socio-economic reasons and strong Christian influences) and its own encounter with Asian Christians during the Rebellion. The paper makes use of the Dagregisters of Hirado as primary sources to examine the changes in the used discourse. The paper shows that the changes in the discourse created a narrative that was best suited for the situation. The changes also show the difficulty the VOC had in positioning itself during the conflict. On the one hand, the Asian Christians were Catholic enemies, but on the other hand they were fellow Christians fighting non-Christians. The most distinct discourse change happened after the VOC offered its assistance in stopping the rebellion. After which the VOC completely removes the Christian element of the rebellion in their texts, while they had first focused on it.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis compares the texts of Vietnamese national history written in the colonial period by two competing reformist intellectuals Phan Bội Châu and Hoàng Cao Khải. Exposed to the currents of...Show moreThis thesis compares the texts of Vietnamese national history written in the colonial period by two competing reformist intellectuals Phan Bội Châu and Hoàng Cao Khải. Exposed to the currents of thought such as Social Darwinism and the theory of evolution in early twentieth century Asia, both of them realised the backwardness of Vietnam and stressed the necessity of reform. However, Phan decided to fight against the French while Hoàng chose to collaborate with them. As will be shown in this thesis, both Phan and Hoàng, despite the difference of their political stances, endeavoured to justify their respective propositions by constructing the historic past of Vietnam. As two reformist intellectuals, Phan Bội Châu and Hoàng Cao Khải regarded the introduction of Western civilisation in late nineteenth century Asia as a key moment for the Vietnamese people to get rid of their backward conditions and evolve into a civilised nation. However, they shared different opinions about the nature of this transition of Vietnam. Phan Bội Châu was inclined to view the French invasion as a “Messianic” moment which marked the “rupture” between the past and present in Vietnamese history. In his historiography, Vietnamese society in the past centuries was inherently barbarous, and this barbarousness led to the current backwardness of the country. Meanwhile, Phan Bội Châu, as an anti-French activist, emphasised that the salvation of the Vietnamese nation should never rely upon the assistance of France. He insisted that albeit France was a civilised state, it played an anti-progressive role in the process of Vietnam’s modernisation. Therefore, resisting against the French colonisation naturally became the most important step in the national salvation and rejuvenation. To justify his anti-French proposition, Phan constructed a genealogy of national heroes who, out of their inherent “anti-foreign nature”, participated in the resistance against China’s invasions in the previous millennia. Meanwhile, he included the present anti-French revolution into the glorious anti-foreign tradition of the Vietnamese nation. Hoàng Cao Khải systematically refuted Phan in Việt sử kính and Việt sử yếu. Based on the theory of the transition of models of civilisation, however, Hoàng Cao Khải argued that it was not the inherent barbarousness of the Vietnamese people but the decay of the model of civilisation that Vietnam followed in previous times that resulted in the inferior status of Vietnam in the current international competition. In Hoàng’s narrative, the history of Vietnam is depicted as a gradual and consistent process towards civilisation, in which China, because of its superiority in competition, functioned as the first model for Vietnam to follow and eventually made the later a domain of civilisation. Considering the power of France which had been demonstrated in its recent competitions with Vietnam, Hoàng suggested that France had already replaced China as the new model of civilisation for Vietnam to follow. In the face of Phan Bội Châu’s emphasis on the anti-foreignness of the Vietnamese nation, Hoàng employed the analytical framework of the dichotomy between “universal principle” and “brute force” to analyse those uprisings against the China’s colonisation and argued that most of them were merely contingent responses to inappropriate policies based on the “brute force”. Moreover, by utilising the ideas of Social Darwinism to reinterpret the connotation of “universal principle”, Hoàng justifies the behaviour which employed “brute force” in the process of disseminating so-called “universal principle” and civilisation. Apart from their interpretation of the past, this thesis examines their imagination of the future as well. Based on their discussions about the issue of Champa, it points out the shared “pro-imperial” orientation of Phan and Hoàng in their opinions on the international status of Vietnam after modernisation. That is, neither Phan (despite his anti-colonialist stance) nor Hoàngrealised the underlying nature of the phenomenon of colonialism itself let alone intending to challenge or subvert the current colonial order. The world they envisioned in which a decolonised Vietnam situated is still established upon asymmetrical relations of power.Show less
This thesis is a study of the role of one of the constituent domains of the early modern Japanese state, Hizen, in the Meiji Revolution which overthrew the Tokugawa state.
This study examines the unsuccessful peace negotiations that occurred during the Imjin War (1592-1598). Having recently unified Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched an invasion of the Korean...Show moreThis study examines the unsuccessful peace negotiations that occurred during the Imjin War (1592-1598). Having recently unified Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched an invasion of the Korean peninsula in 1592. With the fighting deadlocked, a ceasefire was concluded followed by intermittent bilateral peace talks between Japan and Ming China for the next three-and-a-half years, while simultaneous negotiations between Japan and Chosŏn Korea lasted merely nine months. The thesis applies D.G. Pruitt’s ‘readiness theory’ to help explain why both diplomatic channels ultimately collapsed, but also identifies a wide range of contextual factors that undermined the peace process. These factors include: fundamental disagreements over the war’s outcome; problems of miscommunication and deception; a lack of unity on all sides; diplomatic inexperience, and ignorance of the other sides’ political situation. It adopts a trilateral approach in order to understand the conflicting perspectives of the three combatants. Moreover, it reveals significant individual and institutional rivalries within each camp. The thesis draws on primary source materials in classical Chinese and classical Japanese, as well as recently published studies in Japanese and English.Show less
The following paper investigates the influence of the Confucian text on the author and Transcendentalist Philosopher, Henry David Thoreau(1817–1862), through the theoretical lens of post-colonial...Show moreThe following paper investigates the influence of the Confucian text on the author and Transcendentalist Philosopher, Henry David Thoreau(1817–1862), through the theoretical lens of post-colonial criticism . Through a thorough investigation of primary sources it is argued that Confucius thought was a serious influence upon the thinking and writings of one of America's most famous and influential authors, and an important element in the construction of America's national "identity." Furthermore, it is asserted that most past scholarship has failed to highlight this important influence of Confucius philosophy on Thoreau, or simply dismissed it out of hand.Show less
Propaganda exists in many shapes and sizes: pamphlets, stories in newspapers and magazines, film, leaflets or speeches on the radio. Around the world, this type of psychological warfare has been...Show morePropaganda exists in many shapes and sizes: pamphlets, stories in newspapers and magazines, film, leaflets or speeches on the radio. Around the world, this type of psychological warfare has been used to convince the enemy that their cause is lost and the home front that they are on the winning side.The same was the case in Southeast Asia during the Asia-Pacific War, where Japan propagated a Great East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. For this thesis I will examine Japanese propaganda in Indonesia and - more specifically - if this propaganda has developed or contributed to Indonesian national consciousness.Show less
This thesis employs literature on both foreign aid and media analysis to assist in an analysis of the representation of Japanese foreign aid in British media. Eventually, this thesis aims to...Show moreThis thesis employs literature on both foreign aid and media analysis to assist in an analysis of the representation of Japanese foreign aid in British media. Eventually, this thesis aims to conclude whether or not an anti-Japanese bias is seen in British media.Show less
This paper will deal with two Japanese television shows, and will go on to argue that foreigner casts contribute to the ongoing construction of Japanese national identity. Thus, foreigner casts do...Show moreThis paper will deal with two Japanese television shows, and will go on to argue that foreigner casts contribute to the ongoing construction of Japanese national identity. Thus, foreigner casts do not only reinforce a particular type of nationalism to the audiences, but instead are assigned specific tasks and roles, in which they fulfill in order to contribute to the construction of Japanese national identity. This paper is mainly divided in six parts.Show less
This thesis primary examines how historical memory in East Asia manifests itself into popular culture, specifically comic books. In both China and Japan there are many examples of media pertaining...Show moreThis thesis primary examines how historical memory in East Asia manifests itself into popular culture, specifically comic books. In both China and Japan there are many examples of media pertaining to national tragedy. These narratives often seek to educate their readership, in addition to entertaining readers. Historical comics are often overtly written with the aim of explaining or educating about national tragedies such as the Atomic Bombings in Japan and the Nanjing Massacre in China. This thesis seeks to position comic histories as a legitimate form of alternative historical narrative. Furthermore, it seeks to show that alternative narratives about national tragedy often align with or compliment canonical narratives within a nation-state.Show less
This thesis examines how English elite print media represent Doi Takako and Renho Murata; both women who have participated or participate at prominent positions in Japanese politics. The purpose is...Show moreThis thesis examines how English elite print media represent Doi Takako and Renho Murata; both women who have participated or participate at prominent positions in Japanese politics. The purpose is to shed light onto the notion that media may contribute to a social construction of gender for these Japanese political women, by analysing how their femininity within a leading position is discussed and portrayed by media discourse. This is done by answering the question whether representations of Doi Takako and Renho Murata by English elite print media be regarded as an anti-Japanese political discourse on gender.Show less
Van zowel de Engelsen als de Nederlanders kan vermoed worden dat zij hebben geprobeerd de Japanse Tokugawa-regering te beïnvloeden om hun Portugese concurrenten te verbannen. De reden die achter...Show moreVan zowel de Engelsen als de Nederlanders kan vermoed worden dat zij hebben geprobeerd de Japanse Tokugawa-regering te beïnvloeden om hun Portugese concurrenten te verbannen. De reden die achter deze verbanning ligt heeft echter niet zoveel te maken met de Engelsen of de Nederlanders, maar heeft meer te maken met de interne Japanse politiek.Show less
Japan and South-Korea reached an agreement in December 2015 to settle the issue on the comfort women "finally and irreversibly". The comfort women's issue has dominated relations between Japan and...Show moreJapan and South-Korea reached an agreement in December 2015 to settle the issue on the comfort women "finally and irreversibly". The comfort women's issue has dominated relations between Japan and South-Korea ever since it rose to prominence during the early 1990's. This thesis looks at the motivation of the current LDP government of Japan behind the agreement. The agreement is places into a historical context of Japanese post WWII history and politics. The main motivation appears to be the quest within Japan, and to some extend outside of Japan, for "normalization". In order to become a normal country the mainstream line of the LDP has adopted a policy called "apology diplomacy" which allowed them to keep the comfort women's issue from entering the political present, thus keeping the issue from truly being resolved.Show less
In the current field of Japanese research there is the somewhat dogmatic opinion that as a result of the prohibitions that were implemented with the isolation of Japan, the Dutch did not learn to...Show moreIn the current field of Japanese research there is the somewhat dogmatic opinion that as a result of the prohibitions that were implemented with the isolation of Japan, the Dutch did not learn to speak Japanese. Groom Hans Jurgen Keijser is an example of an exception to this idea. My goal in this paper is to analyze the influence Hans Jurgen Keijser had on the relationship between the Dutch and the Japanese and what role language played.Show less
