Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production
Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly
Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V.
Speaker 2: Wilson. I just got bay from Japan, you did, where
Speaker 2: I was a little longer than planned due to some
Speaker 2: travel delays, but that's fine.
Speaker 1: It's a lovely place and we visited some sites. I
Speaker 1: was there for a Star Wars convention, and then we
Speaker 1: tacked on additional days to do other things. And I
Speaker 1: will confess that I did not because I was kind
Speaker 1: of scrambling to make sure we had enough of this
Speaker 1: show's episodes and the other shows I work on all
Speaker 1: in the can. I did very little planning for this trip,
Speaker 1: so I was like, whatever y'all want to do. I
Speaker 1: went with my husband and my best friend, and I
Speaker 1: let them pick the itinerary, which was actually great, and
Speaker 1: we went to a lot of cool places. Listen, you
Speaker 1: may recall that when we travel internationally, my husband is
Speaker 1: ever on the lookout for was a John Wick filmed here,
Speaker 1: let me go and then we go but in this
Speaker 1: and we did do that in Japan. But one of
Speaker 1: the things that my best friend picked was visiting the
Speaker 1: Meiji Jingu Shrine, which was very, very cool, And it
Speaker 1: was kind of funny because as we were walking along,
Speaker 1: there's quite a long walk to get from the city
Speaker 1: street into the shrine, this beautiful walk. We'll talk about
Speaker 1: it a little at the end, and we were discussing
Speaker 1: how old it was or was not, And of course
Speaker 1: I am ever like, hey, we have magic boxes in
Speaker 1: our pockets, why don't we look this up? And we
Speaker 1: were all surprised that it was much newer than we thought,
Speaker 1: so because it doesn't feel new at all. And I
Speaker 1: was like, this is fascinating, and I want to talk
Speaker 1: about the whole story of this, which means that we
Speaker 1: have to talk about Emperor Meiji, which is also just
Speaker 1: an interesting story about an important and transitional part of
Speaker 1: Han's history. Yeah. I'm not a Japanese or Asian studies scholar,
Speaker 1: but I have sure read a lot of books, and
Speaker 1: I had a fourteen hour plane ride back to do
Speaker 1: some of that. So and it's in one case, you.
Speaker 2: Know, I'm just going to make direct quotes because it
Speaker 2: involves spiritual things that I would feel uncomfortable trying to parse, right,
Speaker 2: not having been a part of it in any way ever,
Speaker 2: accepted this visit to this shrine. So that's what's up,
Speaker 2: and we're going to talk about this little part of
Speaker 2: Japan's history. Yeah, So to talk about the Meiji Jingu Shrine,
Speaker 2: we first need to talk about who Emperor Meiji was.
Speaker 2: Emperor Meiji's reign began in eighteen sixty seven. Of course,
Speaker 2: this is going to be an incredibly abbreviated version of
Speaker 2: that whole reign. We could not talk about the entirety
Speaker 2: of it in an episode. Meiji is the name he
Speaker 2: took as emperor. He was born Mutsuhito on No. Eighteen
Speaker 2: fifty two. He was the second son of the preceding
Speaker 2: Emperor Kolme. Cole May's first son had died in infancy.
Speaker 2: During Koleme's reign, the emperor had largely been a figurehead,
Speaker 2: and Japan was mainly governed by the Tokugawa Shogunate. It
Speaker 2: was during the time of Coome that Japan, which had
Speaker 2: been mostly closed to foreigners, particularly foreigners from outside of
Speaker 2: Asia for about two hundred and fifty years, was opened
Speaker 2: up more Under Commodore Matthew Perry's arrival and request, he
Speaker 2: showed up a sort of a famous story at this point,
Speaker 2: backed up by a show of naval power, so at
Speaker 2: that point the country opened its ports to the US.
Speaker 2: The Treaty of Kanagawa was signed on March thirty first
Speaker 2: of eighteen fifty four, and while it was not a
Speaker 2: commercial treaty, it was really lopsided in favor of the
Speaker 2: United States. It made it possible for the US to
Speaker 2: make more finance strategic moves with Japan.
Speaker 1: So when Emperor Kome died in eighteen sixty seven, fourteen
Speaker 1: year old Meiji inherited the throne of a nation that
Speaker 1: was already in the midst of a great deal of change,
Speaker 1: both externally on the world stage, but also internally as
Speaker 1: its identity was evolving as a result of those external
Speaker 1: changes and exposure to new influences. Kome had not been
Speaker 1: in favor of modernizing to align with Western ideologies, including
Speaker 1: the dissolution of the shogunate and feudal ruling structure, but
Speaker 1: his son Meiji favored modernization and he made a lot
Speaker 1: of changes to Japan's governmental organization. And though he was
Speaker 1: emperor from the time his father died, it wasn't until
Speaker 1: eighteen sixty eight when the last Tokagawa shogun resigned after
Speaker 1: a bit of a power struggle that the role of
Speaker 1: emperor was actually seen as head of the country. This
Speaker 1: this important change and the taking of the name Meiji
Speaker 1: by the emperor is known as the Meiji Restoration, and
Speaker 1: it also signaled a lot more massive changes ahead.
Speaker 2: So there were a lot of reasons that a lot
Speaker 2: of people in Japan opposed these kinds of changes. And
Speaker 2: it's pretty easy from our Western perspective to boil this
Speaker 2: down in such a way that it makes it seem
Speaker 2: like the like pre modernization age was primitive or backwards,
Speaker 2: and there are a lot of Western texts that seemed
Speaker 2: to want to frame it in this way. But Japan
Speaker 2: had a really complex structure of governance and it was
Speaker 2: incredibly stable for a long time. Writing for the journal
Speaker 2: Southeast Asian Studies in nineteen ninety five, Hissaufruukawa explained quote
Speaker 2: under its seclusionist policy, Japan had achieved a balance among
Speaker 2: its disparate types of leadership, the imperial court, the nobility,
Speaker 2: and the shogun. Under the shogunate aland system of shared government,
Speaker 2: which rested on a rice stipend system, the clans functioned
Speaker 2: rather like one hundred or more self supporting companies competing
Speaker 2: economically with each other. A controlling organization of shogunate daimyo
Speaker 2: and clan executives, samurai village headman and nago servant peasants
Speaker 2: ran a complicated and subtle administrative organization. Not only commercial capital,
Speaker 2: but also industrial capital was sufficiently available. So thinking about
Speaker 2: this stability, it becomes more apparent why there would be
Speaker 2: some consternation and resistance to adopting practices and ideas from
Speaker 2: Western culture. In eighteen sixty eight, the young Emperor Meiji
Speaker 2: made a number of big changes, and one was that
Speaker 2: Edo was renamed Tokyo, which means Eastern Capital, and the
Speaker 2: imperial residence was moved there. Kyoto had been the imperial
Speaker 2: capital up to that point, but the move to Tokyo
Speaker 2: meant that the capital city, which sits on Tokyo Bay,
Speaker 2: which opens out into the Pacific Ocean, had a better
Speaker 2: position as an international shipping port. Another change was that
Speaker 2: he enacted the Charter Oath of five Principles written by
Speaker 2: a young group of samurai sometimes called the Meiji Oligarchs,
Speaker 2: who had fought to overthrow the shogunate, and these principles
Speaker 2: were designed to westernize and modernize the country and really
Speaker 2: make it a player on the global stage. This was
Speaker 2: a short document and it reads in its entirety as follows.
Speaker 1: Quote. By this oath, we set up as our aim
Speaker 1: the establishment of the national wheel on a broad basis,
Speaker 1: and the framing of a constitution and laws. One deliberative
Speaker 1: assemblies shall be widely established in all matters decided by
Speaker 1: public discussion. Two, All classes high and low shall unite
Speaker 1: in vigorously carrying out the administration of affairs of state.
Speaker 1: The common people, no less than the civil and military
Speaker 1: officials shall each be allowed to pursue his own calling,
Speaker 1: so that there may be no discontent. Four evil customs
Speaker 1: of the past shall be broken off, and everything based
Speaker 1: upon the just laws of nature. Five Knowledge shall be
Speaker 1: sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations
Speaker 1: of imperial rule.
Speaker 2: So two things. We just mentioned that a group of
Speaker 2: samurai wrote that document, not the Emperor, not even one
Speaker 2: of his close advisors, and that's indicative of how his
Speaker 2: reign played out. He ruled in a sort of indirect way,
Speaker 2: with a lot of input from various sectors. Second, if
Speaker 2: that language in the charter sounds kind of nebulous to you.
Speaker 1: You are not alone.
Speaker 2: It was two people in Japan at the time as well.
Speaker 2: It promises freedoms to the people, but it was also
Speaker 2: carefully crafted to ensure that restrictions could still be laid out,
Speaker 2: and the fourth point in particular offered some leeway. Quote
Speaker 2: evil customs of the past are not clearly defined, and
Speaker 2: neither was what would or would not be considered okay
Speaker 2: according to the quote just laws of nature, and there
Speaker 2: were restrictions. Political parties were not allowed, nor was rioting
Speaker 2: to protest the governments.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I didn't put it in the outline, but that
Speaker 1: phrase about being according to the just laws of nature
Speaker 1: falled very much in line with what we'll talk about
Speaker 1: in a bit, which was making shinto the national religion.
Speaker 1: And in reaction to the new government, which was seen
Speaker 1: as being led by a bunch of young upstarts, which
Speaker 1: it really was compared to the country's prior leadership, there
Speaker 1: was a conflict which came to be known as the
Speaker 1: Boshin War or the Boushin Civil War. The name Boshin
Speaker 1: refers to the year that the war started, and this war,
Speaker 1: which had a lot of other influences and a long
Speaker 1: lead up could certainly be its own episode, but in
Speaker 1: terms of Meijie's rule, the conflict lasted a year and
Speaker 1: a half, and it reflected the turmoil of the nation
Speaker 1: and a lot of fear about Japan losing that stability
Speaker 1: it had enjoyed for centuries. Ultimately, the shogunut was defeated
Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy one, the feudal system was abolished completely.
Speaker 1: The massive nature of this shift cannot be overstated. It
Speaker 1: changed a seven century practice of feudal domains run by
Speaker 1: local daimyo into a prefecture system that rolled up under
Speaker 1: the umbrella of the country's central government. But though the
Speaker 1: Meiji government got rid of the feudal system, it was
Speaker 1: not as though the entire previous organizational structure and its
Speaker 1: leadership was just thrown out entirely. In many cases, the
Speaker 1: feudal lords who had been in power became governors under
Speaker 1: this new structure, and there were still efforts to create
Speaker 1: new forces that were hoping to push back on the
Speaker 1: Meiji government. So there was ongoing conflict and ongoing fails
Speaker 1: to be like, let's reverse things and go back to
Speaker 1: the old way, and that led to ongoing concerns about
Speaker 1: rebellions and possible added civil wars as the transition known
Speaker 1: as the Meiji Reformation played out.
Speaker 2: Coming up, we'll talk about some additional changes to life
Speaker 2: in Japan during the Meiji period, but first we will
Speaker 2: pause or a sponsor break. The Meiji period, named for
Speaker 2: its progressive emperor, saw other massive shifts in the way
Speaker 2: Japan was run. As we mentioned each of these, just
Speaker 2: know that, just like the transition from the shogunate system,
Speaker 2: none of these were universally accepted or instantly implemented, and
Speaker 2: they all have their own very bumpy stories. A new
Speaker 2: school system was established in eighteen seventy two through the
Speaker 2: Education System Order, and this plan created a national standardization
Speaker 2: for education, and it made education universal throughout Japan, so
Speaker 2: that all children would receive an education in the population
Speaker 2: overall would see an increase in intellectual understanding and pursuits.
Speaker 2: In addition to education for all, the government sought to
Speaker 2: equalize the nation by declaring that the class system that
Speaker 2: had so long determined the course of the country was
Speaker 2: no longer in play. All classes were considered equal. The samurai,
Speaker 2: who had already lost their status in this change, were
Speaker 2: also banned from carrying their swords. Soon, many men who
Speaker 2: had been part of the samurai class started seeking out
Speaker 2: new professions. A national army was established in eighteen seventy two,
Speaker 2: with a conscription requirement that meant that all men, regardless
Speaker 2: of class, had to serve for three years. Again, not
Speaker 2: everyone liked these changes. While a lot of citizens saw
Speaker 2: an increase in their standing, others lost theirs and an
Speaker 2: effort to equalize, and samurai in particular felt like the
Speaker 2: rug had really been pulled out from under them.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a lot of complexity and nuance to that,
Speaker 1: because there were samurai that wanted the shogunate system changed
Speaker 1: and eradicated. But it wasn't like they were like, and
Speaker 1: we'll get rid of all of it. Like, there's more
Speaker 1: nuance to it.
Speaker 2: I feel like we have talked about the transition from
Speaker 2: the samurai class to an army before, and I could
Speaker 2: not tell you which episode that was in.
Speaker 1: I don't know either. But another massive reform came in
Speaker 1: the form of taxation. So taxation was not a new
Speaker 1: concept in Japan. But as we referenced in the passage
Speaker 1: that Tracy read earlier prior to Meiji's term as emperor,
Speaker 1: most of those taxes were paid in rice by the
Speaker 1: landowners who grew it. Taxation on other items was paid
Speaker 1: in cash, but an estimated ninety percent of the people
Speaker 1: of Japan were involved in growing rice in the nineteenth century,
Speaker 1: so the rice tax was the dominant part of the economy.
Speaker 1: Rice was and still is incredibly culturally significant and even sacred.
Speaker 1: So this was an important transition, not just from a
Speaker 1: logistical sense of providing food for the country, but also
Speaker 1: as a community gesture, providing for one another with a
Speaker 1: resource that was cultivated and tended by the people. Rice
Speaker 1: also had become a signifier of success and wealth. A
Speaker 1: man with a full grain store was considered rich, and
Speaker 1: the plant was used beyond its food possibilities. There are
Speaker 1: parts of it used to create mats, to make paste,
Speaker 1: et cetera. So people were all in on this whole
Speaker 1: system that for a very long time had been about
Speaker 1: how much rice do you have and how much rice
Speaker 1: do we pay so that everyone in the country eats,
Speaker 1: and that was all changing. The Land Tax Reform Law
Speaker 1: of eighteen seventy three changed this entire system by moving
Speaker 1: it to a cash based system with tax rates based
Speaker 1: on land holdings. The intention was.
Speaker 2: That This new system would get rid of inconsistencies that
Speaker 2: had been part of the feudal system, with different regions
Speaker 2: having completely different rates and different collection practices, and it
Speaker 2: was also intended to once again modernize the country. Everyone
Speaker 2: in the developed world used cash and to make deals
Speaker 2: with other countries, rice had to be sold or converted.
Speaker 2: But with cash taxation, money was going directly into the
Speaker 2: government's holdings and that could be leveraged for national growth
Speaker 2: and development projects. Unfortunately, this tax was really difficult for
Speaker 2: the farmers of Japan, and although it was revised to
Speaker 2: try to help the situation, agricultural communities really continued to struggle.
Speaker 1: Yeah, if you're using one currency and that has been
Speaker 1: your currency, and you are essentially making that currency and
Speaker 1: then people go no, no, we need different currency that
Speaker 1: you don't necessarily have on hand and have not built
Speaker 1: up any kind of store of that's a really difficult shift.
Speaker 1: And we've talked about that shift in other parts of
Speaker 1: the world too, when when people who didn't generally have
Speaker 1: access to currency were suddenly expected to pay things in currency. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's like it's like if tomorrow everyone said in the US,
Speaker 1: by the way, we're only accepting putting as payment. You
Speaker 1: can get a hold of pudding, but it would just
Speaker 1: be such an odd and different way of handling it
Speaker 1: that it would be very, very difficult even if you
Speaker 1: had access to putting. I know that's a weird comparison,
Speaker 1: but that's that's the best I can do at the moment.
Speaker 1: So a cabinet style of government was also adopted under
Speaker 1: Meiji in eighteen eighty five. This was not the first
Speaker 1: reorganization of government under Meiji's rule, but it became a
Speaker 1: significant and more lasting system designed to get rid of
Speaker 1: many of the inefficiencies of structures. So the cabinet established
Speaker 1: the role of prime Minister, who reports directly to the Emperor,
Speaker 1: and multiple ministers of state who report to the Prime minister.
Speaker 1: This government was further refined in the Meiji Constitution, which
Speaker 1: was created in eighteen eighty nine, and that new constitution
Speaker 1: called for the establishment of a bi cameral parliament. In
Speaker 1: addition to the prime minister and cabinet of ministers, it
Speaker 1: also gave command of the country's military forces to the emperor.
Speaker 1: They had not really had huge military forces before this,
Speaker 1: they were being built up. In eighteen ninety one, the
Speaker 1: bicameral legislature called for in the Constitution, known as the Diet,
Speaker 1: was officially established the House of Peers. The upper house
Speaker 1: consisted of officials who were appointed to their positions, while
Speaker 1: the lower House of Representatives was made up of elected officials.
Speaker 2: In addition to all of these and other reforms, Emperor Meiji,
Speaker 2: using the national arms that was established early in his time,
Speaker 2: made Japan a significant military presence on the world stage.
Speaker 2: The first major example of this was the First Sino
Speaker 2: Japanese War, which started in eighteen ninety four. China had
Speaker 2: long had a presence in Korea, and Korea was not
Speaker 2: part of China, but was subordinate to this larger nation.
Speaker 2: Korea was made dependent on China for a lot in
Speaker 2: a lot of ways for centuries, but as Japan westernized,
Speaker 2: it also started to take a more active interest in
Speaker 2: Korean resources. As Japan industrialized, its leaders started to realize
Speaker 2: they could get things like coal and iron from Korea,
Speaker 2: which was nearby, rather than from farther away resources. So
Speaker 2: from Japan's perspective, Korea offered a lot of economic possibility.
Speaker 2: Just as the United States had kind of forced Japan's
Speaker 2: hand in the mid eighteen hundreds move to open Japan's
Speaker 2: ports to North American trade. Japan made a similar move
Speaker 2: in Korea, and Japan also urged Korea to kind of
Speaker 2: get out from under China's shadow when it came to
Speaker 2: relationships with other countries, specifically its relationship with Japan.
Speaker 1: The very abbreviated version of what happened next is that
Speaker 1: Japan's involvement in Korea's status led to a division within Korea,
Speaker 1: and China supported the groups that wanted Japan to mind
Speaker 1: its business. In eighteen eighty four, this led to an
Speaker 1: attempted coup in Korea known as the gaps And Coup,
Speaker 1: with China stepping in to stop it and ensure the
Speaker 1: safety of the Korean monarch. The conflict did not escalate
Speaker 1: to war because China and Japan signed an agreement that
Speaker 1: they would both get their troops out of Korea. But
Speaker 1: ten years later, the leader of that eighteen eighty four coup,
Speaker 1: Kim Akkun, who was still in support of a Korean
Speaker 1: relationship with Japan, was a assassinated quartered and his body
Speaker 1: was publicly displayed to deter anyone else from joining the
Speaker 1: pro Japan movement within Korea. Soon, China had moved troops
Speaker 1: into Korea again to quell rebellions that sprang up in
Speaker 1: the wake of this assassination, and Japan, noting that this
Speaker 1: was a violation of their eighteen eighty four agreement, sent
Speaker 1: its own troops in response. The war ran from August
Speaker 1: eighteen ninety four to March eighteen ninety five, and in
Speaker 1: that time Japanese forces had bested the Chinese forces at
Speaker 1: sea and had invaded China on land. Chinese leadership finally
Speaker 1: asked for an end to the war, and in the
Speaker 1: Treaty of Shimonoseki, gave Korea its independence from China, seated
Speaker 1: Taiwan and other territory to Japan, opened its ports to
Speaker 1: Japanese trade, and agreed to pay a steep indemnity to Japan.
Speaker 1: But after another decade, japan interest in Korea once again
Speaker 1: led to war, this time with Russia. There's another parallel
Speaker 1: here as well. Russia had moved into Manchuria following the
Speaker 1: lease of the modern day Port of Lusha in China,
Speaker 1: which was called Port Arthur at the time. Japan was
Speaker 1: not pleased with this, and Russia eventually agreed to withdraw
Speaker 1: military forces from Manchuria after Japan made it clear that
Speaker 1: their presence there was perceived as a problem, but Russia
Speaker 1: did not withdraw troops, so Japan launched a surprise attack
Speaker 1: of Port Arthur on February eighth, nineteen oh four. This
Speaker 1: started an eighteen month conflict that overlapped with the nineteen
Speaker 1: oh five Revolution in Russia, leaving that country stretched really
Speaker 1: thin not in a good position to engage with Japan. Eventually,
Speaker 1: President Theodore Roosevelt got involved to negotiate a treaty. That agreement,
Speaker 1: the Treaty of Portsmouth, was signed on September fifth of
Speaker 1: nineteen oh five, and Roosevelt would later receive a Nobel
Speaker 1: Peace Prize for this effort. Emperor Meiji's government was not
Speaker 1: done with plans for Korea, though, the result of the
Speaker 1: Russo Japanese War was that Japan got control over the
Speaker 1: China Sea, which gave the country total access to Korea.
Speaker 1: In nineteen ten, Japan began colonial rule of Korea after
Speaker 1: the signing of the Japan Korea Annexation Treaty. This treaty,
Speaker 1: which was controversial then and has continued to be controversial
Speaker 1: since even after it has been revoked, begins with a
Speaker 1: proclamation that makes it sound like Korea is a big mess,
Speaker 1: and that Japan is somehow doing the country a favor
Speaker 1: by stepping in. It's a lot to read, but I
Speaker 1: want to include the whole thing because it's the language
Speaker 1: is really really to me. Kind of startling quote. Notwithstanding
Speaker 1: the earnest and laborious work of reforms in the administration
Speaker 1: of Korea in which the governments of Japan and Korea
Speaker 1: engaged for more than four years since the conclusion of
Speaker 1: the Agreement of nineteen oh five, the existing system of
Speaker 1: government in that country has not proved entirely equal to
Speaker 1: the duty of preserving public order and tranquility, and in addition,
Speaker 1: the spirit of suspicion and misgiving dominates the whole peninsula.
Speaker 1: In order to maintain peace and stability in Korea, to
Speaker 1: promote the prosperity and welfare of Koreans, and at the
Speaker 1: same time, to ensure the safety and repose of foreign residents,
Speaker 1: it has been made abundantly clear that fundamental changes in
Speaker 1: the actual regime of government are absolutely essential. The governments
Speaker 1: of Japan and Korea being convinced of the urgent necessity
Speaker 1: of introducing reforms responsive to the requirements of the situation
Speaker 1: and a furnishing sufficient guarantee for the future have with
Speaker 1: the approval of His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan and
Speaker 1: His Majesty the Emperor of Korea, concluded through their planetpotentiaries
Speaker 1: a tree providing for complete annexation of Korea to the
Speaker 1: Empire of Japan. By virtue of that important act, which
Speaker 1: shall take effect on its promulgation on August twenty ninth,
Speaker 1: nineteen ten, the Imperial Government of Japan shall undertake the
Speaker 1: entire government and administration of Korea.
Speaker 2: The first article of the treaty states, quote, His Majesty
Speaker 2: the Emperor of Korea makes the complete and permanent session
Speaker 2: to his Majesty the Emperor of Japan of all rights
Speaker 2: of sovereignty over the whole of Korea. And then the
Speaker 2: rest lays out various ways that the Emperor of Japan
Speaker 2: will govern Korea. There's also one article that reads, quote,
Speaker 2: the Government of Japan will, so far as circumstances permit,
Speaker 2: employ in the public service of Japan and Korea, those
Speaker 2: Koreans who accept the new regime loyally and in good faith,
Speaker 2: and who are duly qualified for such service. There is
Speaker 2: obviously a whole history with Japan and Korea, much of
Speaker 2: it deeply upsetting.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Following this, yes, and in some cases before this too,
Speaker 2: but like following this especially.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that whole idea of loyalty is going to come
Speaker 1: up here in a moment, and we're going to get
Speaker 1: to the shrine soon, but first we will hear from
Speaker 1: the sponsors that keep the show going. While the Meiji
Speaker 1: Restoration began with a sort of promise of equality for all,
Speaker 1: as it evolved in the forty five years of the
Speaker 1: emperor's reign, the focus started to become one of nationalist
Speaker 1: pride and the necessity of devotion to the emperor. This
Speaker 1: shift had started with the reforms of education and taxation
Speaker 1: that sought to make the people of the country more
Speaker 1: prepared for a new era in gauging with the rest
Speaker 1: of the world. But even in those early reforms, it
Speaker 1: also included a lot of requirements of loyalty to the emperor,
Speaker 1: and as Japan fought and won in military conflicts with
Speaker 1: major global powers, that sense of nationalism really crept in.
Speaker 2: Emperor Meiji died in Tokyo on July thirtieth, nineteen twelve.
Speaker 2: His consort, Empress Shokun, died two years after that, they
Speaker 2: were entombed outside of Kyoto, but the diet through a resolution,
Speaker 2: established a plan to memorialize Meiji and his empress and
Speaker 2: to enshrine their kami, which is sort of like their
Speaker 2: spiritual essence in Tokyo. The site was chosen because it
Speaker 2: was at the time a park that featured an iris
Speaker 2: garden that the couple really loved. This park was built
Speaker 2: on land that had been part of a daimyo's holdings
Speaker 2: in the era prior to the Meiji governmental restructuring, and
Speaker 2: it was taken by the government in Meiji's time to
Speaker 2: be turned into the Yoyogi Imperial Garden. It was at
Speaker 2: Meiji's order that the iris garden be planted in the
Speaker 2: park to delight Empress Shoken because irises were her favorite flower.
Speaker 1: Emperor Meiji and Empress shokn are important figures because they
Speaker 1: were the first modern imperial rulers of Japan, But as
Speaker 1: we've mentioned, Meiji was not operating as the final word
Speaker 1: in Japan's government, or even always as the primary decision
Speaker 1: maker in the changes that the country underwent during his time,
Speaker 1: but he represents the moment of modernization and a new
Speaker 1: age of Japanese identity, and though many of the reforms
Speaker 1: enacted during his reign had really problematic consequences later on,
Speaker 1: including some of the issues with Korea that Tracy and
Speaker 1: I had referenced just a moment ago, he was still
Speaker 1: recognized as ushering in a lot of significant change and
Speaker 1: bringing Japan out of isolation is thinking and into the
Speaker 1: global community.
Speaker 2: Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine, which makes sense as
Speaker 2: Shinto has made the state religion during the Meiji reign.
Speaker 2: We would never in any way consider ourselves experts on Shinto,
Speaker 2: so as an explainer we are quoting from the Meiji
Speaker 2: Jingu website quote. Shinto is Japan's ancient original religion and
Speaker 2: it is deeply rooted in the way of Japanese life.
Speaker 2: Shinto has no founder, no holy book, and not even
Speaker 2: the concept of religious conversion. But Shinto places value in
Speaker 2: harmony with nature and virtues such as mago koro sincere heart.
Speaker 2: In Shinto, something divine is regarded as kami, divine spirit,
Speaker 2: and it is believed that there is an unlimited number
Speaker 2: of kami. Kami can be found in mythology, in nature,
Speaker 2: and in human beings. From ancient times Japanese have felt
Speaker 2: awe and gratitude towards such kami and enshrined them to
Speaker 2: Shinto shrines. Shinto is such a part of Japanese culture
Speaker 2: that it almost transcends the idea of religion and becomes
Speaker 2: a more cultural practice. Writing for the Yale Forum for
Speaker 2: Religion and Ecology, Rosemary Bernard noted, quote, it is impossible
Speaker 2: to consider the topic of Shinto and ecology without making
Speaker 2: reference to the broader issue of Japanese cultural attitudes to
Speaker 2: the natural environment. This is because what one might describe
Speaker 2: as Shinto beliefs are often values that are entrenched in
Speaker 2: Japanese folk culture in general, and which find expression in
Speaker 2: other areas beyond religion, from socio political organization to esthetics
Speaker 2: and so on.
Speaker 1: So the setup of the park and the shrine is
Speaker 1: really incredible for a number of reasons. So for one,
Speaker 1: it offers this almost surreal complete sense of isolation and serenity,
Speaker 1: even though it is is right in the middle of
Speaker 1: the city, just steps from Harajuku Station. It's about a
Speaker 1: ten minute walk from the station to the entrance to
Speaker 1: the park. Once you enter the park area, which is
Speaker 1: far larger than the original park, it's about one hundred
Speaker 1: and seventy three acres in size. You are completely surrounded
Speaker 1: by trees as you make your way to the shrine's
Speaker 1: try gates, which separate the secular part of the grounds
Speaker 1: from the sacred section, and before you pass through the
Speaker 1: final gate, you pass through a font called the temezuya,
Speaker 1: where you wash your hands and rinse your mouth with
Speaker 1: water to be purified.
Speaker 2: The trees at the shrine have their own story because
Speaker 2: the Meiji Jingu Shrine is surrounded by a man made forest,
Speaker 2: and the trees that make up that forest were donated
Speaker 2: by the people of Japan from all over the country,
Speaker 2: with an estimated two hundred and forty five species represented.
Speaker 2: Holli saw several write ups that said there were one
Speaker 2: hundred thousand trees, but a twenty fifteen book on Shinto
Speaker 2: shrines written by Joseph Kelly and John Dougill gave the
Speaker 2: number of trees as one hundred and seventy thousand, so
Speaker 2: maybe that smaller number was more of the starting point
Speaker 2: when the shrine was completed in nineteen twenty. When you
Speaker 2: look at photos of the site from when it was
Speaker 2: first dedicated, you can see how much this forest has grown.
Speaker 2: In old aerial photos you can clearly see all the
Speaker 2: buildings with just the trees planted around them, but in
Speaker 2: photos today it is just a mass of green foliage
Speaker 2: with small glimpses of the structures peeking through.
Speaker 1: The shrine was designed by one of Japan's famous architects, Ittochuta,
Speaker 1: in a traditional Shinto style, and work began on the
Speaker 1: structure in nineteen fifteen. The main materials used were Japanese
Speaker 1: cypress and copper, and the site is really a full complex.
Speaker 1: In addition to the main shrine, there's also an ambulant
Speaker 1: office where visitors can purchase omamori to bring good fortune.
Speaker 1: There's a museum that includes various treasures related to the
Speaker 1: shrine into Emperor Meiji, and a secondary annex of the museum.
Speaker 1: There is also a sacred music hall known as the Kaguradin.
Speaker 1: There is a cafe and a martial arts dojo. Not
Speaker 1: all of these buildings, of course, were original to the site.
Speaker 1: In fact, none of the current buildings are from the
Speaker 1: original nineteen twenty opening. During World War.
Speaker 2: II, almost all of the buildings at Meiji Jengu burns
Speaker 2: and air raids. Surprisingly, the forests survived, though in nineteen
Speaker 2: fifty eight, after a public fundraising effort generated enough money
Speaker 2: to rebuild, the shrine was reconstructed using the original plans.
Speaker 1: There was also a lot of other stuff going on
Speaker 1: in Japan in the time between World War two and
Speaker 1: nineteen fifty eight when this rebuilt, but at this point
Speaker 1: I just wanted to focus on the shrine. It is
Speaker 1: very very easy to find photos of the Meiji Jingu
Speaker 1: Shrine online and in because it is very beautiful. It
Speaker 1: attracts a lot of tourists in addition to people visiting
Speaker 1: for their own spiritual reasons. But there are no photographs
Speaker 1: allowed beyond the outer worship hall, so if you're in
Speaker 1: the inner worship hall praying, there are no photographs in there.
Speaker 2: So this shrine is very easy to visit. The shrine
Speaker 2: grounds are free to enter and are open every day
Speaker 2: from sunrise to sunset. Some of the buildings, like the museum,
Speaker 2: have days when they're closed. The inner garden, where the
Speaker 2: Empress's irises were planted, has an entry fee of five
Speaker 2: hundred yen that goes toward upkeep. Visitors to the main
Speaker 2: shrine can make a small offering of a coin bow twice,
Speaker 2: clap their hands twice and bow again to show reverence.
Speaker 2: You can also purchase votive tablets called Emma for five
Speaker 2: hundred yen and write wishes and hopes and just gratitude
Speaker 2: on them. You can hang them around a camphor tree
Speaker 2: at the main shrine. There's also a letter verse of
Speaker 2: this ritual in which you can write your sentiment onto
Speaker 2: it and then tuck money into the letter to place
Speaker 2: it in an offering box.
Speaker 1: These offerings are given each morning by the people of
Speaker 1: the shrine to the spirits.
Speaker 2: It's quite lovely. I really found it a very moving experience.
Speaker 2: But that is, you know, a very abbreviated version of
Speaker 2: the Meiji of Meiji period and the shrine. It's kind
Speaker 2: of interesting because when you're at the shrine, you don't
Speaker 2: get all of unless you go in the museum. You're
Speaker 2: not getting all of the information about Emperor Meiji. Presumably
Speaker 2: to people of Japan the connection is obvious, but to turists,
Speaker 2: I feel like they may not always understand exactly like
Speaker 2: what is going on and why those people were chosen
Speaker 2: to have a shrine built to memorialize them. So if
Speaker 2: you go to Japan, highly recommend it. Do you have
Speaker 2: listener mail for us.
Speaker 1: I do. I do because of thank God, my listener
Speaker 1: mail is a little bit behind recent episodes, but we'll
Speaker 1: get caught up. But I wanted to read this because
Speaker 1: I loved it, and I really love the pet pictures
Speaker 1: in it. This is from our listener, Anita, who writes,
Speaker 1: Dear Tracy and Holly, thank you so much for bringing
Speaker 1: such wonderful history vignettes to life with your delightful personalities,
Speaker 1: thoughtful reflections and contextualization and humor. I've been listening on
Speaker 1: and off for about ten years and always enjoy hearing
Speaker 1: your voices and learning new things. I'm writing to tell
Speaker 1: you about several books I'm reading connected to your topics. First,
Speaker 1: I was completely floored by your recent show about the
Speaker 1: Lost Cause. I had never known that this take on
Speaker 1: the Civil War was a concerted effort to reframe reconstruction
Speaker 1: and motivations for the war, etc. I am from South
Speaker 1: Carolina and distinctly remember being taught in middle school in
Speaker 1: the nineteen nineties that slavery was not, in fact the
Speaker 1: reason for the Civil War, and that the teacher expected
Speaker 1: us to put states' rights as the top motivator on
Speaker 1: our test. I also clearly remember the text books, highlighting
Speaker 1: the vocabulary for carpetbaggers and scallowags in the description of
Speaker 1: Northerners coming to the South during reconstruction to take advantage
Speaker 1: of poor Southerners. I think on some level, I always
Speaker 1: knew that people from other states got different versions of history,
Speaker 1: but your thorough treatment of the Lost Cause was truly
Speaker 1: the first time this all came together for me. Y'all
Speaker 1: suggested books to read that treated the Civil War and
Speaker 1: Reconstruction with richer perspectives. I can't recall if you specifically
Speaker 1: recommended this book, but I was inspired to start reading
Speaker 1: A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Speaker 1: to get a fresh take on US history. I also
Speaker 1: have been enjoying Baking in the American South by Anne Burn.
Speaker 1: The book is beautifully photographed, and the stories behind the
Speaker 1: recipes are enchanting and informative about their history and local origin.
Speaker 1: I truly enjoyed the episode where you interviewed Anne Burn
Speaker 1: and find the book equally delightful. The chocolate chip cookie
Speaker 1: recipe is amazing, and someday I will master cornbread if
Speaker 1: I can ever remember not to use one percent milk
Speaker 1: instead of whole or buttermilk, just as in Aside. I
Speaker 1: can't get enough of Van Burne. I love her so much,
Speaker 1: and that book is spectacular. I know I've said it before,
Speaker 1: but it bears repeating. I'm now, Anita says on the
Speaker 1: episode about Kurt Vonnegut, which is quite timely because I
Speaker 1: just finished Cat's Cradle. She's just tied to our stories
Speaker 1: in her reading as pet tax, I'm attaching photos of
Speaker 1: my rescue pup, Juno, an Australian cattle dog mix who
Speaker 1: loves to eat grits, and heard my daughters around the house.
Speaker 1: Thank you again. I love the show. Okay, I'm obsessed
Speaker 1: with Juno. I'm obsessed with this dog.
Speaker 2: This dog is so stick and cute.
Speaker 1: I can't I can't. I can't function in the face
Speaker 1: of this cute puppy face. It's got one of those faces.
Speaker 1: He's a black and tan coat. He has these adorable
Speaker 1: stand up ears. The eyes are gorgeous. Juno, You're a gem.
Speaker 1: We can just tell. I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1: Although now I realize that Anita did not specify whether
Speaker 1: Juno was boy or a girl, so I called Juno him.
Speaker 1: I don't know. Juno, You're beautiful. Though telling you that
Speaker 1: dog Weaponiz is cute. It's the very best.
Speaker 2: If you would like to write to us, send us
Speaker 2: pictures of your painfully adorable pets.
Speaker 1: And remember I like them all. So have you got
Speaker 1: pet spiders? Send in my way? You can do that
Speaker 1: at History podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. I don't know
Speaker 1: if Tracy wants pictures of spiders. Maybe put spiders in
Speaker 1: all caps on any emails that might include them so
Speaker 1: she can make that choice. I'll be looking at him.
Speaker 1: You can also subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio
Speaker 1: app or wherever it is you listen to your favorite show.
Speaker 2: Stuff you Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio.
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