The Corporate Sage: Japan: Disasters and Pop Culture

Last September 9^th, I went with my group, the “Tokyo Explorers”, together with the rest of the class to look at various places where Pop culture and disaster from history can be seen. We looked at some of the sites relating to Japanese history. These were the Kira Tei; the temple dedicated to the Edo fire victims; sumo museum, garden of a former daimyo, and the Edo-Tokyo Museum. As a college student to study about Japan, and as a foreigner, I was interested to have learned the history, culture, and events in Japan, even if it was just a small part of its great history.

The first place we visited was the Kira-tei. From what I have learned in the tour, it is a very small part of the real residence of a former daimyo. Also, this was where the vendetta of the 47 loyal rōnin took place. The story was that the master of the 47 ronin was ordered to commit suicide because he struck his official (named Kira) with his sword (which is supposed to be very unlawful). After the death of their master, the 47 ronin gathered and waited for a year to kill the official who caused the death of their master. Up until now, this story is being debated as to if the 47 ronin were really samurais, since they did not follow the way of the samurai, like a samurai should not strike a person unprepared, and that you should not wait and plan for a year in doing a vendetta. In my opinion, I believe that the 47 ronin were really samurais, as proven by their loyalty to their master. But because of their desperateness to kill and avenge their master, they wanted that nothing would go wrong and that they would really succeed, therefore forgetting the bushido. This story is significant in Japanese history since it talks not only in the history, but also on the culture like the bushido, social status of people before, and many more.

Another place that got my interest was at the cemetery and the temple for the great Kanto fire. In there we saw the graves of clans, pets, infants, and the grave of the famous robber named Goemon. Goemon was like the robin hood of Japan, where he stole wealth from the rich and shared it with the poor. Up until now, he is being remembered by his grave, where people chip off at his tombstone, in the belief that money will come. There was also the grave of a cat that got killed because it stole from other people and gave it to its master. The temple for the fire victims was huge. According to history in what I’ve heard during the tour, nearly an estimate of a hundred thousand deaths took place during the fire, and that temple was the place of burial of all the people who died in that event.

Moving on, the sumo museum was really interesting for me. In it, I saw the history of the sumo culture, some of the strongest sumos, the hierarchy, clothes, and more stuff. It was interesting because I got to know more about the way of life of the sumo. I believe that because of sumo’s popularity and uniqueness, this was one of the factors that made japan unique and popular.

There was also the garden of a former daimyo and the temple dedicated to the fire victims. The garden was really breathtaking, with the peaceful scenery and the tranquility of the place. I’ve also learned that the pond in the middle of the garden is heart-shaped, and is connected to the river, which makes the pond change in high and low tides. There was also another temple dedicated to the Great Kanto Earthquake and the victims of air raids from World War 2. In it, you can see paintings and pictures of the scenery of the aftermath of the earthquake and the air raids. Upon closer observation of the place, I saw little statues on the top of the temple, they were called “yokai” or ghosts, famous during the edo period, that were supposed to guard the souls in that place. There was a museum beside the temple that shows more artifacts from the earthquake and the air raids. What really got my attention was on the strength of the earthquake and its effect in Japan. Not only did it kill a lot of people, but historical architectures were also destroyed. There were also pictures and items that were donated from other countries to Japan during the air raids and the earthquake.

We ended our tour at the Edo-Tokyo Museum. I was amazed to see the size of the museum, especially their replica of the Edo Bridge. In the museum I was able to learn a lot off stuff. I learned the way of life of the Japanese in the Edo Period, their cultures, clothes, art on how they paint, and architecture styles. Through their model houses, we were able to inculcate the lifestyle of the Japanese before. There was also the replica of a kabuki theatre, the traditional Japanese play. There were also artifacts from the American occupation in Japan, showing the development and rapid change in Japan after it was occupied.

This tour was just a part of Japan’s great history. Even in this fraction of history, I learned a lot of things and was amazed in how Japan progressed through the years despite the disasters that it encountered. This just proves how Japan greatly differs from other countries in terms of history and survival.

Here's some pictures from the trip. Enjoy!