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Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan: A Political Biography (Nissan Institute Routledge Japanese Studies Series)
by Stephen Large
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Routledge (1992-10-22)
ISBN: 0415032032
EAN: 9780415032032
Dewy Decimal #: 952.033
Hardcover: 264 pages
Edition: 1
SKU: T070912-6298
Condition: Very Good
Comments: Very good + overall condition. No writing, very tight binding. A book plate on inside cover. Ships same day or next in a bubble mailer. Enjoy.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
For more than sixty years, Hirohito was Emperor a confusing blend of "absolute" ruler, constitutional monarch, and god. Although much was done in his name, we know little about Hirohito the man or the part he played in the making of modern Japan. In Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan, Stephen Large tests the controversies surrounding Hirohito against the written evidence from his entire reign.
This political history of Showa Japan is unique in its scope and objectivity. Many studies have focused on the War or on the imperial conspiracy theory of Showa politics. In this comprehensive study, Stephen Large provides a sweeping review of this era which spans enormous upheavals in state and society and identifies broad patterns of cause and effect while relating the monarchy to the complex problem of political power.
Hirohito was confronted first with the political ambitions of the military and then with the democratizing reforms of the Occupation period. In this informative study, Stephen Large shows how the Emperor's character and personal influence were to prove as crucial as his authority in preserving a significant monarchy.
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Customer Reviews
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Excellent, even-handed biography balances out Bix and Behr
Rating  (5)
Date: 2005-05-09
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
This biography goes a long way towards a balanced, even-handed, and realistic portrait of an Emperor who has been mischaracterized as either completely powerless or disingenuously powerful by recent biographers such as Herbert Bix. I believe Stephen Large's book is an excellent reference and goes a long way to exposing the overreach of Herbert Bix's interpretation of history while nevertheless agreeing that Hirohito had more involvement in the war effort than has been previously assumed. Citing numerous original source documents, of particular interest to me was the writings of the aged genro Saionji, it becomes quite clear that Hirohito was buffeted by several conflicting impulses: an initial desire to avoid war while remaining patriotic and a desire to avoid influencing government while at the same time willing to make exceptions in rare cases. I believe Large makes a convincing case that Hirohito was not, in fact, initially enthusiastic about the war, and he did side with the so-called "peace party" --- it was only later in the war that he became more involved, and Saionji lamented that the Emperor no longer listened to him --- however I think it's fairly clear that the Emperor was merely going along with a decision that was certainly not his to make, and by the end, when defeat became obvious, he gratefully came back to his "peace party" roots. I think there's little doubt that Hirohito was a man thrust into a position of symbolic influence when he wasn't well-suited for the task, and Large does a great job of documenting and validating this view.
I highly recommend this book for serious scholars of wartime Japan.
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Emperor Hirohito?
Rating  (1)
Date: 2003-07-28
0 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
When did he become Emperor and where did Mr. Lange get his information? Doesn't he know that President Wilson lied about Pearl Harbor and that the real Emperor is not from Tokyo Castle at all but south where the older castles are? Is he sane?
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