What is this blog, anyway?

36viewsof.blogspot.com is my thesis project for my undergraduate studies at Baylor University. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that it is the road to and documentation of that thesis.

The real reason I've made this blog is that my last computer just died and this hand-me-down laptop is doing only marginally better, so I need a place online to back up all my thesis work, because I simply can't afford to lose it. However, I happen to think that what I'm studying is really interesting, and I'm delusional enough to presume that you might think so, too; so most if not all of this blog will be public for anyone with internet access to view.

"So, are you going to tell us what you're writing about?"

Yes, I am. If you are at all familiar with art history of the 19th century, you will know something about the phenomenon called Japonisme. If you are not (and I was not two years ago), Japonisme is what happened when America used naval leverage to force Japan to open up its ports to Western trade in 1853, and Japan and the West began to be hugely influenced by each other's cultures. Whereas the West had been constantly evolving in art, science, and technology, Japan decided in 1639 that it was a pretty alright place the way it was, kicked out all the Europeans, and closed it's borders for over 200 years to all Western trade (except eventually the Dutch) in an effort to stay exactly the same and thus preserve the beautiful Japanese culture just the way it was. So, when the Americans showed up and said, "Hey, Japan, you should trade with us... or else," Japan was in no position to say no, and the whole country was almost a museum, a living history stuck in time 200 years previous. The Western world was fascinated, saw Japan as a fantastic novelty, and Western culture started to reflect this in its arts, its fashion, its literature, and more--and this cultural exchange of course went both ways.

Plenty of scholars have discussed at length the Japanese-Western cultural exchange from 1853 to 1918, and I am very interested in that.

Shortly after being introduced to the idea of Japonisme in a class at Baylor, I attended a special lecture on it, and found myself asking a lot of questions: Did Japonisme affect other fields besides visual art? Wouldn’t the cultural exchange have been two-way? How was Japan affected by all this? Was it, generally, a good thing? When did Japonisme end?

Some of these questions had answers, and some of them didn’t—or, at least, no one at the presentation could give them to me. Thus, I began trying to find some answers on my own, and happily succeeding: Yes, Japonisme affected many fields outside of the visual arts of painting and sculpture, and these fields include fashion, furniture, architecture, design, agriculture, food, and more; Yes, the cultural exchange was a two-way road, and everything from painting to military technology in Japan was influenced by Western technology and ideas; Both good and bad has come from this exchange; and perhaps most importantly, Japonisme didn’t end.

That is to say, the cultural and technological exchange between Japan and the West didn’t end, although it is certainly no longer called Japonisme. It stopped being called that around 1918, when World War I made Japan kind of a taboo thing for Western countries (especially America) to be interested in and to look to for inspiration and ideas. However, if someone were to tell you that the cultural and technological exchange had ended, that person would be either lying or wrong.
Look around you. See any laptops? The first flat-panel displays were invented in Japan. Do you use CDs? Flash drives? Blu-ray? All of these storage devices were invented in Japan. Do you ever hear about Nokia phones? Japanese. Fujifilm, Nikon, or Canon cameras? Japanese. Sony, Toshiba, or Hitachi televisions and appliances? Japanese. Honda, Mazda, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Yamaha, Suzuki, or Toyota vehicles? All Japanese. These items affect you today, and me, and my family and friends and colleagues, and your family and your friends and your colleagues. Have you ever heard of Pokemon? What about Spirited Away, or other works by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli? These are all Japanese, and all brought to America because of the way America and the West have affected Japan over the past 150 years. I know I’ve been personally affected by this exchange, because I use a Sony camera, drive a Honda minivan, use a laptop with a flat-screen display, USB port, and CD drive; I have Van Gogh prints hanging in my house and rice vinegar in my cabinet, and I could go on.

The current Western influence on Japan is really interesting, as well--the youth of Japan have tried to revolt against traditional Japanese values and have created a series of subcultures (look to Harajuku: Visual Kei, Lolita, and Gyaru), but ironically their efforts have somewhat rebounded, and they have created not a culture outside that of traditional Japan, but rather a subculture as I mentioned before--the aesthetics are different, but the values are the same. Furthermore, the Japanese language is full of English and other Western import words (Tシャーツor “T-shaatsu” for T-shirt, アルバイト or “arubaito” from German arbeiten for work, and so on), and I could still list more, but I won't try your patience here anymore.

"Why should I care?"

The United States is not THE super power anymore. Developed countries are leveling out, and Asian countries are important. Japan is the 4th largest economy in the world (China is third, US second, EU first), and therefore a huge part of the global economy. Japan is ahead of most of the rest of the world in electronics, automobiles, robotics, etc. You may end up working for a Japanese company, or traveling to Japan for work. History has an irritating and incredibly useful tendency to repeat itself. These are all pragmatic reasons to be interested. Personally, I just think it's really cool. Humans seek out connections, and the study of Japanese language, art, and culture has led me to discover more connections than I would ever have believed possible of a little island country like Japan.

You don't have to care--but if you decide that you do, I'll be right here, writing about (hopefully) interesting things, and we can care together.

"By the way, what's this nifty background image?"

I'm so glad you asked! It's a crop of a woodblock print by Katsushike Hokusai, one of the most famous Japanese printmakers of the 19th century. Hokusai had a pretty big influence on the Impressionist painters and Japonisme of 19th-century Europe and America in general. The full print is one of my favorites of his, and looks like this: