Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms: The Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History by Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney

Author:Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Published: 2010-07-21T16:52:00+00:00

He heard in the news of Victor Emmanuel III's dismissal of Mussolini in July 1943. After hearing of the use of a treacherous tactic by the Germans against the British in Italy, Sasaki describes his loss of faith in Germany and envisions Germany as a country and the Germans as a people to be distasteful (38o-8i). He declares that it will be a matter of days before Germany and Italy surrender (381-82). His reaction to the Nazi propaganda film Triumph des Willen by Leni Riefenstahl is extremely negative. He is bored by its repetitiveness. He can see how one might be moved to join the Nazis because of the way they claim to represent the collective life of "one people." But he finds their techniques appalling: sanctification of labor for the "collectivity," turning people into idiots, and having them perform for the dictator. These techniques, for him, are "against humanity and against history" (301-2). His reaction to the other famous German film, Heimat, is not enthusiastic. He does not find "beauty" in it (182).

Patriot Critical of Japan: Despite Sasaki's critical stance he was deeply patriotic-patriotic for an idealized Japan. Even though he criticized his fellow Japanese for their joy over the victories in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, he was quite moved when he read about the mass suicide of the Japanese soldiers on Attu (363-64). The wounded who no longer could fight bowed toward the direction of the imperial palace and committed suicide, after which the rest attacked the enemy in the dark with a firm belief that their behavior would set a model for other Japanese to follow, leading to Japan's eventual victory. Sasaki was moved to tears when reading the will left by Captain Yamasaki, who led the last assault. He hoped that the war would be prolonged so that after finishing his university studies he would be able to join the military. He proclaims: "We must fight to the end so that the Japanese can create a new era by the Japanese ourselves. We cannot succumb to the 'red hair and blue eyes' (komo hekigan, term used to refer to Europeans)." Patriotism verging on nationalism is also found in Sasaki's favorite song (composer not identified), in which "the Japanese soul" (yamato damashii) is described as the motivation to act even if one knows it leads to death (Fujishiro 1981: 446).

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