Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms: The Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History (review)

Abstract

Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney. Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms: Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History. University of Chicago Press, 2002. 411 pp. This curious title is in itself a good introduction to this book. It is not simply a history of kamikaze, symbol of cherry blossom, or development of nationalist ideology in Japan; rather these are threads interwoven into a more complex argument about role of aesthetics and symbolic communication in totalitarian ideologies. resulting discursive tapestry is detailed, dense and multi-layered. Essentially diachronic, book is divided into four distinct parts, each with separately titled chapters with several levels of discussion. focus of concern is question of what motivated young men to volunteer as kamikaze pilots. Part 3 of book, in this reader's view most interesting, deals with thoughts of these men as revealed in their diaries and other writings. complex forces that impacted upon their decision are analysed and interpreted in preceding and subsequent chapters. In preface, Ohnuki-Tierney recalls that she was inspired to write Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms out of a 'rage against forces that terminated these young brilliant minds', and because she felt a 'moral obligation to introduce them to non-Japanese readers' because of their stereotyped portrayal outside of Japan. Far from being ultra-nationalistic zealots, these students are shown to be intelligent individuals, extremely well-read and cosmopolitan in outlook, and sensitive to issues of war and death. Ohnuki-Tierney not only rehabilitates image of tokkotai pilots, but also makes a valuable contribution to scholarship on this generation of Japanese intellectuals. (The detailed list of their reading which forms appendix is in itself a valuable source for scholars.) This group has received little attention in English-language literature on Japan-its relative neglect is apparent from useful survey of related material in Part 3-and Japanese secondary-sources are frequently biased towards distinct political agenda. That access to important archival sources continues to be restricted indicates difficulty of conducting original research into this sensitive period of Japan's recent past. question of why intelligent and intellectual young men fight wars orchestrated by totalitarian states, or indeed, any state, is an important one, with contemporary relevance. Ohnuki-Tierney examines this in historical perspective, and offers valuable insight into mechanics of totalitarian ideology. While clear introductions to each section and frequent recapitulation guide lay reader through analysis of multiple complex processes, frequent digressions obfuscate rather than explicate author's attempts to answer her central question. first part of study examines polysemic nature of cherry blossom symbol through an exploration of its artistic and literary representations, from earliest history Kojiki (712) through to Edo period (1600-1867) kabuki theatre and woodblock prints. cherry blossom appears variously as a metaphor for agrarian productive force, reproductive power, celebration of love and display of pomp, celebration of life, and rebirth; Ohnuki-Tierney concludes that, '[u]ltimately, cherry blossoms symbolize processes and relationships' (p. 38). In premodern poetry and literature, cherry blossom in full bloom is associated with evanescence (youth, women, courtship), and falling cherry blossom with pathos (impermanencc, decline, sometimes death). Another set of meanings relate to depiction of identity: non-normative identity (the alternative universes of madness, the floating world, and homosexuality) and collective identity (the elite in ancient Japan, imperial court, and Japaneseness). Part 2, The Road to Pro Rege et Patria Mori: Naturalization of Imperial Nationalism, consists of three chapters which treat manipulation of cherry blossom metaphor by Japan's modern institutions, principally emperor system and military. …