Perceptions of others in mass entertainment - from Edo to Meiji

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00920
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03020:Japanese history-related
• Research Institution: Fukushima University
• Principal Investigator: Ito Shunsuke 福島大学, 経済経営学類, 教授 (10737878)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 須田 努 明治大学, 情報コミュニケーション学部, 専任教授 (70468841)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 日本史 / 東アジア史 / 大衆娯楽 / 他者認識 / 唐人祭り / 新派劇 / 浪花節 / 唐人踊り

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examines the formation and transformation of people's perception of others based on the analysis of images of others depicted in popular entertainment under three themes: (1) "Recognition of Korea in 'Tojin Odori' and 'Tojin Matsuri'" (2) 'Images of China and Korea depicted in war plays' and (3) 'Nationalism depicted in Naniwa-bushi'. Theme (1) was not fully investigated due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. This Theme will be discussed in the future. Theme (2) examined Otojiro Kawakami's perception of others through the portrayal of Chinese and Koreans in the scripts of Sino-Japanese War plays. The results were published in a paper.Theme (3) examined how Toten Miyazaki, who became a Naniwa-bushi storyteller after being frustrated by his support activities for the Chinese Revolution, brought his own ideas to fruition. The results were published by a research collaborator.

Free Research Field

朝鮮近代史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで日本人の他者認識をめぐっては主に学者や政治家といった知識人の立場から語られた言説を検討したものがほとんどであったが、本研究ではそうした知識人層ではなく、広く一般の日本人における他者認識がどのように形成され、また変容していくのかという問題に焦点を当て、大衆娯楽という媒体を通してそれらを長期的スパンで捉えようと試みた。こうした試みは、グローバリゼーションや文化の多様性が声高に唱えられながらも、いまだに排外主義的な主張が繰り返されている現代の日本が抱える問題の淵源を考えるうえでも、極めて重要な作業である。