| Home | Gallery | Essays | About | Resources |
Introduction:On Shin Hanga (“New Prints”) and the Scopic Pleasures of Natural Disaster
by Deborah Stein
Comparative Chaos: Examining the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the 1923 Kanto Earthquake and their Respective Aftermaths
By Laura Buchan
Out of the Rubble: Japanese Printmaking and the Effects of the Kanto Earthquake
By Eunjee Lee and Jane Kennedy
The Image, Testimonial and Social Class
By Maria Quevado and Jennifer Martin
Natural Disaster and National Identity: The Impact of Earthquakes on Japanese Society
By Jennifer Rannells and Alicia Gallo
Comparative Chaos:
Examining the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the 1923 Kanto Earthquake
and their Respective Aftermaths
By Laura Buchan
Branner, John C. “The California Earthquake: Movements Along the Santa Cruz Fault
Line.” Engineering News 55, no. 20 (1906). http://www.sfmuseum.org/1906.2/ scfault.html (accessed April 2, 2009).
This article examines the geology of the areas affected by the 1906 earthquake from the author’s own research experience. The author provides basic data about the changes in the geology of the area as well as how the earthquake affected manmade structures in the state. Though it does not particularly focus on the geology of San Francisco, it is a good source in terms of constructing a portrait of post-earthquake California.
Cameron, James, Carol James, and Charles D. James. “The 1923 Tokyo Earthquake and
Fire.” The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive. National Information Service
for Earthquake Engineering, 2002. http://nisee.berkeley.edu/elibrary/Text/ 200510197 (accessed April 2, 2009).
This article recounts the Kanto earthquake and fire by combining official data and firsthand accounts. It is useful due to its technical information about the earthquake (including the reasons as to why it occurred) and the eyewitness based information.
Davison, Charles. “The Distortion of the Land in the Japanese Earthquake of 1923.” The Geographical Journal 70, no. 4 (October 1927): 390-392.
Although brief, this dense article examines the geological changes that the earthquake incurred. Davison includes a helpful diagram that illustrates these geological shifts nicely. This article could likely have benefited from being longer, or having been postponed until the research that was being conducted was completed, but still provides a good foundation for a discussion of the geological changes that occurred after the earthquake itself was over.
Davison, Charles. “The Japanese Earthquake of 1 September 1923.” The Geographical
Journal 65, no. 1 (January 1925): 41-61.
This article provides a technical and comparative account of the Kanto earthquake while examining the ramifications of the fires that ensued as well. The author provides much useful statistical information, defines the earthquake, and breaks the information into comprehensible sections, which he presents in tandem with diagrams, thereby making the information more digestible. All of the information is highly pertinent to the description of the Kanto earthquake in my own paper in terms of providing accurate data.
Fleury, Maureen K. “1923 Tokyo Earthquake: One of the World’s Worst disasters of the
20th Century.” Suite 101.com, July 19, 2008. http://earthquakes.suite101.com/ article.cfm/1923_tokyo_earthquake (accessed February 26, 2009).
This article provides a direct discussion of the earthquake with basic facts about the earthquake and its environmental aftermath and how the local people responded. Some of the information is rather ambiguous, however, what is presented is a decent basis for building a description of the event.
Hansen, Gladys. “A Great Civic Drama.” The Virtual Museum of the City of San
Francisco, 1996. http://www.sfmuseum.net/hist/timeline.html (accessed March 24, 2009).
This chronology focuses on the events of the 1906 earthquake and its aftermath, as well as a graft investigation that began a month prior to the earthquake. This account incorporates scientific data and information pertaining to particular events. The data is useful and the ordering of the information pertaining to the events aids in grasping the full breadth of the earthquake.
Kennedy, Lawrence J. “The Progress of the Fire in San Francisco April 18th-21st, 1906 As shown by an Analysis of Original Documents.” The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco, 1908. http://www.sfmuseum.org/1906/kennedy.html (accessed
March 24, 2009).
This thesis very carefully examines the progression of the fires that decimated San Francisco after the earthquake. The chronological progression is compartmentalized into periods, where the location and path of the fires are documented along with the damage that was caused. This source proves useful in constructing a portrait of the post-earthquake environment in San Francisco with the added benefit of providing statistical data about the fires.
Levy, Matthys, and Mario Salvadori. Why the Earth Quakes. New York, New York:
W.W.Norton & Company, 1995.
This book provides a variety of information about earthquakes in general, as well as examining the 1906 San Francisco and 1923 Kanto earthquakes. The basic information about the causes of earthquakes provides a solid foundation for the research of my paper, as does the direct discussions of the two earthquakes.
_______. “Remembering the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake: NPR.” NPR: National
Public Radio: News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts. http://www.npr.org/ templates/story/story.php?storyId=5334411 (accessed April 2, 2009).
This website illustrates the 1906 earthquake by guiding the reader through a timeline of the event interspersed with eyewitness accounts. While it is a good resource for testimonials, it unfortunately lacks hard data concerning the event. However, it is still helpful in terms of adding to the description of the earthquake and its aftermath.
Rodriguez, Marie. The Earthquake of 1906. San Francisco, California: Privately Printed,
1951.
This testimonial is an amalgam of one survivor’s eyewitness account of the earthquake and its aftermath with an inclusion of a variety of formal documentation and how it affected the survivors. Though it does not include much scientific documentation, this book is a great resource for examining the social ramifications of the earthquake, which proves useful in my comparison of the two earthquakes in that area.
______. “The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fire.” The Virtual Museum of San Francisco.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/1906/06.html (accessed February 26, 2009).
This website is host to an archive of information pertaining to the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires. The variety of eyewitness accounts and scientific research that is posted here makes it a great resource.
______. “The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906.” EyeWitness to History, 1997.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/sfeq.htm (accessed February 16, 2009).
This article provides an amalgam of scientific facts and first hand accounts concerning the 1906 earthquake. It works well as an initial reference between the eyewitness accounts and the scientific evaluation of the earthquake.
Woodblock construction, production, and transformation:
How the Kanto earthquake changed the art form
By Eunjee Lee and Jane Kennedy
Keene, Donald, Anne Nishimura Morse, Frederick A. Sharf, and Louise E. Virgin. Japan
At the Dawn of the Modern Age: Woodblock Prints From the Meiji Era, 1868-1912. Boston, Massachusetts: MFA Publications, 2001.
The essays in this catalog demonstrate the development of the modern Japanese Woodblock print and present these prints as repositories of historical representation: visual, intellectual or psychological.
Merrit, Helen, and Namako Yamada. Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints:
1900-1975. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 1992.
This book discusses the direct impact that the earthquake had on particular woodblock print artists and the artistic community in general, including the use of western/modern influences in the prints that were produced in the early twentieth century.
Munsterberg, Hugo. The Japanese Print: A Historical Guide. New York, New York:
Weatherhill, 1998.
Munsterberg provides a detailed discussion about the destruction and reproduction of the ukiyo-e blocks during and after the 1923 earthquake.
Rei Yoshida, Toshi, and Yuki Rei Yoshida. Japanese Print Making A Handbook of
Traditional & Modern Techniques. Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1966.
The authors of this book provide and in depth look at the technical aspect of woodblock print production. Their discussion of traditional Japanese woodblock print instruments and materials, and how modernization affected this art form, is helpful in examining the artistic climate of 1923 as it relates to woodblock prints.
Schencking, Charles J. “The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Culture of Catastrophe and
Reconstruction in 1920s Japan.” The Journal of Japanese Studies 34, no. 2 (2008): 295-331. http://muse.jhu.edu/ (accessed February 20, 2009).
This essay contains eyewitness accounts of the Kanto earthquake and describes the reconstruction of Tokyo.
Statler, Oliver, and James A. Michener. Modern Japanese Prints: An Art Reborn.
Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1956.
Statler and Michener demonstrate the changing styles and art practice in Japanese woodblock prints during the early twentieth century. The book also discusses how the 1923 earthquake affected on artist in particular (Koshiro Onchi), and in doing so, his experience can be thought of as similar his artist contemporaries.
Uhlenbeck, Chris. “Collecting Ukiyo-e Prints: Issues of Quality, Condition and Rarity.”
In The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints. Edited by Amy Reigle. Vol.1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2006.
Uhlenbeck discusses the multitude of factors that affect the economic value of woodblock prints; such factors include the condition of the print (i.e. fading, damage) and subject matter.
Yoshida, Hiroshi. Japanese Woodblock Printing. Tokyo & Osaka, Japan: The Sanseido
Company, Ltd., 1939.
This book discusses the woodblock print making process in relation to Japanese society and history; the sections on pre-modern and early twentieth century Japan are especially useful for this essay
Zeilinga de Boer, Jelle, and Donald Theordore Sanders. Earthquakes in Human History:
The Far-Reaching Effects of Seismic Disruptions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2007.
The authors of this book seek to understand the human toll of earthquake disasters as well as their long-term cultural repercussions. The informative chapter, “Hell let loose on earth” (pages 170-193), describes the effects of the Kanto earthquake in a general sense.
The Image, Testimonial and Social Class
By Maria Quevado and Jennifer Martin
Borland, Janet. “Capitalizing on Catastrophe: Reinvigorating the Japanese State with moral values through education following the 1923 great Kanto Earthquake.” Modern Asian Studies 40, no. 4 (2006): 875-907.
This article gives an in depth description of the long term governmental and social response to the Kanto earthquake, with a special focus on the role of the Ministry of Education, and the ideological foundation of the state based 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education. Information provided will be useful in determining what parts of the human response were based in compassion for an overwhelmed population and which were in retaliation to the perceived luxury and “sinful” modern- lives of the Japanese of the time.
Campanella, Thomas J., and Lawrence J. Vale. Resilient City: How modern cities recover from Disaster. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford: Oxford University, 2005.
This book offers a broad analysis of how cities reconstructed after natural and human-made catastrophes. This source explores common patterns of human reaction to disaster through an analysis of several disasters in history. It also examines the politics that affect reconstruction efforts on both local and global levels.
Clancey, Gregory K. Earthquake Nation: The cultural politics of Japanese Seismicity 1868-1930. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 2006.
This text provides a good explanation of the seismic patterns and geographical effects of the earthquake, and offers a view into the reactions of the people and the efforts to restore order; it compares the Japanese reaction to catastrophe with that of other peoples and nations. This source is useful in that it provides an analysis of the broader social context of natural disasters.
Clancey, Gregory. “The Meiji Earthquake: Nature, nation, and the ambiguities of Catastrophe.” Modern Asian Studies 40, no. 4 (October 2006): 909-51.
This article considers the cultural and social effects of the Meiji Earthquake. Clancey reviews how historians have "come to terms" with natural disasters, and introduces the idea of the connections between natural disasters and political disasters. The author provides a framework for the conceptualization of a disaster state where the opinions of experts, politicians, journalists, and everyday citizens blur together; and though he acknowledges that natural disasters cause a disruption to social order he also argues that they can be as socially and politically revealing as a political revolution.
Cockerell, T.D.A. “Japan in 1923.” The Scientific Monthly 20, no. 4 (April 1925): 405-15.
This article discusses the political and social currents in Japanese society during the year 1923. This source is useful because it provides a framework of Japanese culture, and relates the events of the earthquake to the larger social context of the time.
Davison, Charles. “The Japanese Earthquake of 1 September 1923.” The Geographical Journal 65, no. 1 (January 1925): 41-61.
This article gives an in depth explanation of the patterns and effects of the Kanto Earthquake on the land and reconstruction process. It is useful in providing a deeper understanding of the scale of the disaster.
Denawa, Mai. “Behind the Accounts of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.” Brown University Library Center for Digital Initiatives. http://dl.lib.brown.edu/ kanto/denewa.html (accessed February 4, 2009).
An extremely useful source that provides two examples of documentation used in recording testimony of the 1923 Japanese earthquake: the Taisho shinsai giseki (Taisho era Collection of Heartwarming Stories) published by the Tokyo Municipal government, and The Osamu Hiroi interviews, which were not edited or controlled by any government agencies. This article also includes a section on the Korean Massacre.
Hough, Susan Elizabeth. After the Earth Quakes: Elastic Rebound on an Urban Planet. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
This book has a section devoted to the Kanto Earthquake, which focuses on scientific concerns; special attention is on the physical and engineering aspects of the reconstruction. The information will provide an understanding of the earthquake and the reconstruction impact to Tokyo’s physical spaces, roads, buildings and areas of the city. Impact to traditional cultural practices is discussed along with the encroaching Western influences.
James, Charles, and Carol Cameron. “The 1923 Tokyo Earthquake and Fire.” National
Information Service for Earthquake Engineering. University of California, Berkeley. http://civserv.ing.unibs.it/users/riva/Sismica/Terremoti/Tokyo/ yokohama.html.
This article is a short but informative source that summarizes the physical effects
on the land and social changes that occurred after the 1923 Kanto Earthquake.
Kahn, David M. “Glimpses of Long-Ago Tokyo: Small, jewel-like museums evoke the look and feel of the city from the days when it was Edo A fire still burns in a late sculptor's tearoom.” New York Times (1857-CurrentFile), August 22, 1993. http://www.proquest.com (accessed February 19, 2009).
This newspaper article describes four museums in Tokyo, two of which provide full-scale recreations of life in Edo before the 1923 earthquake. This source is useful in providing the reader with details of Japanese life before the earthquake and in placing the great earthquake in a contemporary context.
Merritt, Helen, and Namako Yamada. Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 1992.
This text provides information on the artists, methods, styles, and signifying markers that can be used to unify certain aspects of design and artistic trends in woodblock printing. The book will provide a background in Japanese printmaking providing a sense of time and place in terms of art and themes in relation to social climate.
Perez, Louis G. History of Japan. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1998.
This book contains historical information on Japan. It serves as a resource for both ancient and contemporary Japanese history.
Ryang, Sonia. “The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Massacre of Koreans in 1923: Notes on Japan's modern national Sovereignty.” Anthropological Quarterly 76, no. 4 (2003): 731-48. http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.www.mills.edu:2048/ hww/results/getResults.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.21 (accessed February 25, 2009).
This journal article looks at the massacre of Koreans that occurred in Japan closely following the earthquake. The primary focus of this article is to explore, and in some cases, dispel theories of why the mass killings of Koreans took place. Eye witness accounts, details of government involvement, and an exploration of general power dynamics in Japan pre and post the 1923 earthquake makes this a useful resource.
Schencking, Charles J. “Catastrophe, Opportunism, Contestation: The fractured politics of reconstructing Tokyo following the great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.” Modern Asian Studies 40, no. 4 (September 18, 2006): 833-73.
This article provides factual information about the Kanto Earthquake and reconstruction in its aftermath; it provides a clear view into the rebuilding process from the physical to psychological rebuilding of Japan. Schencking suggests that reconstruction was the nexus where politics, economy, society, and technology came together. This article will also be a source for direct quotations from various government officials
Schencking, Charles J. “The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Culture of Catastrophe and Reconstruction in 1920s Japan.” Journal of Japanese Studies 34, no. 2 (2008): 295-31. http://muse.jhu.edu.www.mills.edu:2048/journals/ journal_of_japanese_studies/v034/34.2.schencking.pdf (accessed February 18, 2009).
This article looks at 1920's Japan through the lens of the Great Kanto Earthquake. Schencking’s work explores how responses to the earthquake cut across social, political, professional, and geographical boundaries, and makes a case for the way in which the disaster was used to create a new order in Japan. This is a helpful source in determining the governmental role in the reconstruction process.
Sontag, Susan. “Looking at War: Photography's view of devastation and death.” The New Yorker, December 9, 2002.
This essay by Susan Sontag, whose primary focus is on war photography, explores the role of photography in capturing images of suffering. Sontag raises interesting questions for anyone who is working with images that are representational of any kind of human suffering. The useful themes that she raises in this essay include “the dual power of photography,” desensitization, and consumerism.
Suter, Keith. “The 1923 Tokyo Earthquake: Implication for Today.” Contemporary Review, April 2005. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5009565815 (accessed February 25, 2009).
This short journal article has a double focus: it first looks at the details of the 1923 Japan earthquake, and then summarizes reconstruction efforts with the goal of presenting global implications of another Japanese earthquake. This article is useful in that it provides quantifiable information of loss of life, property, and government response.
Waley, Paul. “Review of Tokyo Rising: The city since the great Earthquake.” Monumenta Nipponica, 1991.
Paul Waley reviews Edward Seiden-Sticker's novel Tokyo Rising and argues that it is a critique of Japanese society. The commentary is useful because it provides the reader with a sense of the reaction that others have to stories of natural disasters. If available, the book will be examined to get an idea of the author’s critique of Japanese society.
Natural Disaster and National Identity:
The Impact of Earthquakes on Japanese Society
By Jennifer Rannells and Alicia Gallo
Adeney Thomas, Julia. Reconfiguring Modernity: Concepts of Nature in Japanese
Political Ideology. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2002.
This book is the culmination of Adeney Thomas’ work on the Japanese concept of Nature’s configuration within Japan as a modern nation. Adeney Thomas looks at multiple definitions of nature (as opposed to a singular Nature antithetical to modernity) that allowed for three fundamental shifts in Japanese national identity and modernization.
Adeney Thomas, Julia. “The Cage of Nature: Modernity’s History in Japan.” History and
Theory 40 (February 2001): 16-36.
Julia Adeney Thomas discusses Japanese modern political theorist Maruyama Masao’s theory about Japan’s relationship to nature as a nation in contrast with opposing contemporary western political theories thus placing Japan within the history of modernity.
Ashkenazi, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. ABC-CLIO, 2003.
http://books.google.com (accessed March 1, 2009).
An encyclopedia of terms and symbols in Japanese mythology including entries for Nai-No-Kami (earthquake deity) and Namazu.
Bates, Alex. “Catfish, Super Frog, and the End of the World: Earthquakes (and natural
disasters) in the Japanese Cultural Imagination.” Education About Asia 12,
no. 2 (Fall 2007): 13-19. http://www.aasianst.org/EAA/TOC-12-2.htm (accessed March 27, 2009).
Bates presents the catfish as a trope that in Japanese society has been used to embody the power of the earthquake, to call for social change and to label earthquakes as divine retribution. His use of prints and historical documents successfully argues that these sources provide clear examples of how each major earthquake in Japan was perceived and given different meanings.
Brown, Delmer Myers. Nationalism in Japan; an introductory historical analysis.
Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1955.
Brown gives a thorough introduction to the history of nationalism in Japan beginning in the eighth century to WWII. Brown approaches the subject with a keen awareness of the problems of defining nationalism in general and specific to Japan, as well as his limited outsider understanding. He uses quotes from primary sources such as Japanese journals, books, and political papers throughout the book to support his statements.
Brown, Kendall H. “Flowers of Taisho: Images of Women in Japanese Society and Art,
1915-1935.” In Taisho Chic: Japanese Modernity, Nostalgia and Deco. Edited by Kendall H. Brown and Sharon A. Minichiello, 17-25. Honolulu, Hawaii: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2002.
In this essay Brown discusses the effect that urban and industrial growth had on early twentieth century Japanese society and culture. Although perhaps somewhat oversimplified, Brown’s analysis draws a parallel between artistic expression (style) and cultural and national identity. In this way her essay supports the application of this analysis in Japanese art from this era.
Brown, Kendall H. “Prints and Modernity: Developments in the Early Twentieth
Century.” In The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints. Edited by Amy Reigle, 279-293. Vol.1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2006.
Brown offers a comprehensive study of the early twentieth century Japanese print by identifying the two categories of prints but does not strictly relegate all prints to this binary system of definition. The discussion of a new creative autonomy of artists, as well as the symbol of the Japanese woodblock print as tradition, places the prints within a complex social context; Kendall’s use of terminology such as “pre-” and “post- earthquake” suggests the transformative effect that the Kanto earthquake had on woodblock print production.
Clancey, Gregory. Earthquake Nation: The Cultural Politics of Japanese Seismicity,
1868-1930. University of California Press, 2006.
Gregory Clancey uses an interdisciplinary approach to create a history of Japan’s earthquakes, their meaning, significance, and effect on policy and nationalist identity. This book is perhaps the only study of the specific effects of earthquakes on Japanese cultural politics where areas of science, art, architecture, craftsmanship, and national identity meet.
Davison, Charles. “The Japanese Earthquake of 1 September 1923.” The Geographical
Journal 65, no. 1 (Jan. 2005): 41-61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1782347 (accessed March 5, 2009).
This article provides an exhaustive geological account of the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. Although Davison’s research focuses mainly on the scientific aspect of the earthquake, his information about how the earthquake affected traditional and modern buildings can be compared to the visual representation of this destruction in the Mills College Art Museum 1923 Kanto Earthquake prints.
Doak, Kevin M. A History of Nationalism in Modern Japan: Placing the People.
Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2007.
Doak expertly discusses the complex relationship between, and development of, Japanese nationalism (ethnic, cultural and state). Most importantly, perhaps, are Doak’s etymological and anthropological studies of the various Japanese nationalisms (most notably cultural and ethnic) and his discussion on how they operated within and formed Japanese society and culture.
Doak, Kevin M. “Culture, Ethnicity, and the State in Early Twentieth-Century Japan.” In
Japan’s Competing Modernities: Issues in Culture and Democracy 1900-1930. Edited by Sharon A. Minichiello, 181-205. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 1998. http://site.ebrary.com.www.mills.edu (accessed March 25, 2009).
In this essay, Doak discusses the complex relationship between and development of Japanese nationalism (ethnic, cultural and state). In doing so, he provides valuable anthropological and socio-political context for Japanese cultural identity in early twentieth century Japan.
Mason, J. W. T. The Meaning of Shinto. Trafford Publishing, 2002.
http://books.google.com (accessed March 1, 2009).
Mason describes the basic beliefs and ideas of the Shinto religion including a passage on the significance of earthquakes in Shinto.
Minichiello, Sharon A. “Greater Taisho: Japan 1900-1930.” In Taisho Chic: Japanese
Modernity, Nostaligia and Deco. Edited by Kendall H. Brown and Sharon A. Minichiello, 9-15. Honolulu, Hawaii: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2002.
Minichiello defines Japan’s Taisho era (1900-1930) and examines the social, political and economic contexts that shaped the cultural identity of prewar Japan. Although this essay ultimately focuses on the imaging of women during this time, it provides information pertaining to the complex relationship between social reform, modernization, and the reemergence of Imperial loyalism (1925).
Morris-Suzuki, Tessa. “The Invention and Reinvention of ‘Japanese Culture.’” The
Journal of Asian Studies 54, no. 3 (August 1995): 759-780.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2059450 (accessed March 1, 2009).
Morris-Suzuki gives a history of the modern Japanese concept of culture in relation to how it defined the modern Japanese national identity. Morris-Suzuki describes how the concept of culture as it is used in modern theory is a modern concept developed in western philosophy. Japanese theorists’ subsequent explorations of defining Japanese culture were thus problematic in that they were tied to western definitions and terminology.
Namazu-e: shinsai to Nihon bunka, edited by Miyata Noboru and Takada Mamoru.
Tokyo, Japan: Ribun Shuppan, 1995.
This source is a book that is devoted to the namazu-e prints from the 1855 Ansei Earthquake. Although it undoubtedly contains valuable information about each of these prints, it is written in Japanese and therefore cannot be used by the authors of this essay for any textual purposes. It is, however, extremely valuable in providing full color examples of the namazu-e prints that the authors of other sources have referenced.
Reynolds, Jonathan M. “The Bunriha and the Problem of “Tradition” for Modernist
Architecture in Japan, 1920– 1928.” In Japan’s Competing Modernities: Issues in Culture and Democracy 1900-1930. Edited by Sharon A. Minichiello, 242-260. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 1998. http://site.ebrary.com.www.mills.edu (accessed March 15, 2009).
This essay discusses the ideological foundation of the architect group Bunriha in early twentieth century Japan. Mirroring other art historical analyses that link visual art and cultural identity, Reynold’s exploration of Bunriha’s architectural theories and practice provides a basis upon which to analyze contemporaneous Japanese prints that depict architecture.
Sannosuke, Matsumoto. “The Significance of Nationalism in Modern Japanese Thought:
Some Theoretical Problems.” The Journal of Asian Studies 31, no. 1 (November 1971): 49-56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2053050 (accessed March 1, 2009).
Matsumoto Sannosuke discusses Japanese Nationalism as it contrasts theoretically and culturally with Western nationalism to help explicate the militaristic slant of Japanese nationalism as well as how nationalism manifested in political policy and “national mission.”
Schencking, Charles J. “The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Culture of Catastrophe and
Reconstruction in 1920s Japan.” The Journal of Japanese Studies 34, no. 2 (2008): 295-331. http://muse.jhu.edu/ (accessed February 24, 2009).
Schencking discusses the post Kanto earthquake rhetoric as one that presented the disaster as an opportunity for Japan to rebuild its destroyed cities and to morally rewire its own people. Although he admits that the radical, right wing social opportunist views met dissent and did not flourish considerably, I intent to use his essay to illustrate that in post-Kanto earthquake Japan we find socio-political beliefs that resemble nationalism and statism.
Smits, Gregory. “Shaking up Japan: Edo Society and the 1855 Catfish
Picture Prints.” Journal of Social History 39, no. 4 (July 1, 2006): 1045-
1078,1254. http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed March 28, 2009).
Smits analyzes the post-Ansei Earthquake of 1855 catfish prints and presents them as images that utilized Japanese folklore (which attributes earthquakes to the movement of a giant catfish that lives under Japan) in order to make political statements and to express an emerging Japanese national identity. His essay is also useful in establishing the tradition of using prints to illustrate disaster and form national identity in Japan.
Smits, Gregory and Ruth Ludwin. “Evolution of the Catfish (Namazu) as an Earthquake
Symbol in Japan.” 2006.
Smits and Ludwin provide a concise and thorough history of the folkloric use of the catfish as an earthquake symbol in Japan. Their analysis of these prints provide helpful historical and social backgrounds necessary for understanding the social and cultural significance of these prints.
Tinios, Ellis. “Diversification and Further Popularization of the Full-colour Woodblock
Print, c. 1804-68.” In The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints. Edited by Amy Reigle, 187-220. Vol.1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2006.
Although brief, Tinios’ discussion of the 1855 Ansei Earthquake strongly links the earthquake to the emergence of namazu-e and the proliferation of these prints.
Waswo, Ann. “The Meiji to Taisho Eras, 1868-1926.” In The Hotei Encyclopedia of
Japanese Woodblock Prints. Edited by Amy Reigle, 37-44. Vol.1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2006.
Waswo provides a short, yet comprehensive, discussion about the political impact of the Westernization of Japan; she also provides useful information regarding the restoration of Imperial rule. Waswo mentions Yokohama as paramount in the Westernization of Japan, which given the popular traditional Japanese belief in earthquakes as disasters that cleanse society of its non-traditional morals, offers an interesting connection between this rhetoric and the destruction of Yokohama by the 1923 Kanto Earthquake.
Weisenfeld, Gennifer. “Imaging Calamity: Artists in the Capital after the Great Kanto
Earthquake.” In Modern Boy, Modern Girl: Modernity in Japanese Art 1910-1935. Edited by Jakie Menzie, 125-29. Art Gallery in New South Wales: Sydney, Australia, 1998.
This essay makes reference to the social climate of post-Kanto Earthquake Japan, particularly to the Japanese tradition of viewing earthquakes as Nature’s way of cleansing Japan of its sinful behavior. Weisenfeld provides a resource that speaks of the social upheaval in this era of Japanese history.