The perception of “insular” England in “insular” Japan

Abstract

The insular position has serious influence on history and mentality. However, this provision “works” only in conjunction with other factors. Japan and England are island nations, but the history of England is characterized by the maximum number of foreign contacts, while that of Japan, until the middle of the 19th century, by the minimum one. The passive approach to space in Tokugawa period is explained by the following factors: high productivity of rice cultivation, lack of livestock farming, the conviction that Japan has the best climate, and the “closed country” policy. During the Meiji period, under the influence of the West (primarily Great Britain), the attitude towards space changed radically. The sea was conceptualized as a “conducting,” rather than “isolating” environment. The choice of Great Britain as a role model was determined, first of all, by its experience in the conquest of maritime space and the creation of a powerful colonial empire. The transition to a new model of “expanding space” was also justified by references to ancient times, when the Japanese had an “active” character, but the “closed country” policy “spoiled” the Japanese. As a result of military victories over China (1894–1895) and Russia (1904–1905), Japan began to be called “England of the East.” Great Britain ceased to be a role model after its withdrawal from the Japanese-British Alliance Treaty in 1922, and public discourse was directed towards justifying the uniqueness of the Japanese. The established characterization of the Japanese as adherents of tradition is dubious. The appeal to antiquity was indeed of great importance for the Japanese and, in this sense, they can be considered “traditionalists.” But, after the Meiji Revolution, they demonstrated amazing ability to embrace the “new” and destroy the “old,” but often boasted that they were “merely” recollecting their past. The concept of “traditionality” is too broad. Upon closer examination it does not provide much for understanding historical and cultural processes which require careful division into components that have an exact chronological and situational reference.

Keywords

• japan
• england
• island location
• insularity
• tokugawa period
• meiji period
• national character
• emigration