The Japanese Perspective on "Chung Hua": A Narrative Analysis of Manga Chunka Ichiban
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Tsai, Chia-Tien
Abstract
Japan has lead Asia diplomatically as well as economically throughout much of modern history. Despite its preeminence in traditional realms of power, the atrocities inflicted by the Japanese war machine during the invasions has invited unrelenting criticism from many Asian countries. Japan’s interactions with Asia has inspired much skepticism and concern if not open hostility. When one examines Japanese domestic debates between the two sides of the political spectrum, from its aggression to its defeat, one could feel a sense of anxiety and self-contradictions concerning its self-identity. “China” has remained a key word and plays a substantial role with regard to the Japanese identity as well as its interaction with Asian countries. An effort has to be made to resolve the differences between the two. The boundaries of identity between Japan and China has always been a subject of interest in the realm of political philosophy, especially in the aftermath of the Second World War, when Japan’s cognition of China became more complicated as it tries to hold onto China on the one hand while attempting to let China go with the other. From Chugoku studies to Sinology, and China Studies that sets Asia as a point of reference, modern Japanese cognition of China has been an object of debate in both the academic realm and the political arena. Unable to sever its links with China politically and culturally, Japanese philosophers are burdened with conflicting emotions and memories when it comes to their perception of China. In the past, scholars often focus on China Studies of the Japanese academics to comprehend its cognition of China. Rare is the scholar that focuses on social, specifically popular culture. This paper seeks to fill in this blank with a research on Japanese academics and the cognition of “Chung Hua” manifest in Japanese Mangas. One had selected Chunka Ichiban as the object of study due its richness of Chinese elements. While employing the multitude thought approach, one seeks to outline the essence of Japanese cognition of Chung Hua. Mangas reflect a certain mode of existence for the modern Japanese people. From the study of the object, one could perceive how the author sorts out his self-identity through interaction with “Chung Hua.” From scholars in the Tokugawa Times to Etsushi Ogawa’s Chunghua Ichiban, one perceives a degree of anxiety and tension between established talents and the newcomers. In times of turbulence, “Chung Hua” acts not as a static view of the world, but a means of establishing oneself through endless efforts of deeds and reorganization. To put it simply, both the master and the apprentice examines oneself under the thought of “Chung Hua.”
Subjects
Manga
Chung Hua
Chunka Ichiban
the multitude thought
identity
SDGs
Type
thesis
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