Comments on: Studying Keene’s Emperor Meiji

By: Jonathan Dresner

Jonathan Dresner — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:49:29 +0000

I was actually quite surprised at what seems to be a real lack of reviews of this work. Academic reviews take time, of course, but this is a major work by a founding scholar of modern Japanese studies. There were reviews in Monumenta Nipponica and JAS (both quite substantial, though I tend to agree with Large more than Colcutt on this) but not a lot of fanfare.

I think the scope of the book — and the generally slow pace of Meiji-era studies, not the hot topic it used to be — means that it’s taking time to absorb it into the canon.

I don’t think Keene was trying to prove definitively that Meiji was the “actual ruler” but to provide enough evidence that his role — which varies widely over the years of his reign — could be evaluated. I do agree that Keene’s narrative style leaves little room for critical analysis, and assumes things that really need to be addressed separately in future scholarship (or have been addressed, in some cases!).

By: Andres Perez

Andres Perez — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:20:20 +0000

Hello,
I started to use this book for my thesis about Meiji emperor and the construction of the Japanese nation. But I gave up completeley.
From the restoration chapters on, it seems as if Donald Keene is trying to defend something that it didnÂ´t happen: that the
Meiji emperor was the actual ruler of the country. IÂ´m sure that the protectors of the imperial house will be very happy with this
book but from the point of view of a historian it lacks rigour. Just follow the Meiji Tenno Ki doesnÂ´t make sense. For example, reading about
the junkÃ´ or imperial tours as if the emperor wanted to travel around the country because he was concerned about the Japanese people
without saying anything about the political meaning of these kind of measures (that he did not take) is unbeareable.
And telling how happy the people was because they could see the emperor as if it were some kind of a natural reaction of the people
is quite dissapointing.
Thank you for the review about this book! I was trying to look for one in the net but was quite difficult.
Andres

By: C. W. Hayford

C. W. Hayford — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 05:05:30 +0000

Hey — study guide, teacher guide: teachers can study too!

By: Jonathan Dresner

Jonathan Dresner — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:36:37 +0000

I really didn’t create it as a study guide; more of a teacher guide, really, making it easier to plan around it. Let me know if you get any feedback on it, please.

I should probably go back over the early chapters and give them a bit more of the detail I put in the later ones, but I don’t know that it’s going to be a high priority anytime soon.

By: C. W. Hayford

C. W. Hayford — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:19:58 +0000

This is great -- more people should do these study guides. I juggled the formatting into a .pdf table, which might be easier to download and use. I posted it on another blog, however: ASIA: LEARNING FROM, TEACHING ABOUT, where it is posted: Keene Meiji Table