Another six months

I just received news that my research grant has been extended for another six months, meaning that instead of leaving RERF at the end of November, I will now be staying on until May. I never thought I'd be grateful to the US Department of Energy (my funders), but I have to admit, I am.

More on Japanese right-wing neo-nationalists

Four uyoku ("right-wing," often with the connotation of extreme neo-nationalism) protesters were arrested in Tokyo on Friday for allegedly slandering the high priest of the Meiji Shrine near Harajuku. They apparently slandered the priest for embezzlement, though the claims remain unsubstantiated. Their motive for riding around downtown Tokyo in trucks launching ad hominem attacks via megaphone was apparently a shrine display that included the Japanese phrase refering to Emperor Meiji as "his highness"--as opposed to the desired "his majesty."

Past campaigns of these uyoku groups have included banning a cultural reference to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and the return of the emperor to power. According to a 1996 police estimate, the uyoku consist of over 1000 groups with in excess of 100,000 members.

These fascist groups are nothing new. Perhaps the best known uyoku story is that of famed author (and Bataillean?) Mishima Yukio's brown-shirted private army, the Tatenokai, established in 1968. In November 1970, the Tatenokai staged a coup, attempting to overthrow the constitutional government and reinstate the emperor, wholly of their own volition. After taking a general hostage, Mishima demanded that the military hear him out. The soldiers met his fanaticism with laughter, and he proceeded to commit seppuku, or ritual disembowlment. Per his request, he was then decapitated by fellow Tatenokai member Morita Masakatsu, rumored to be Mishima's lover.

Osaka High Court rules Yasukuni Shrine visits unconstitutional

I was walking to my favorite restaurant for lunch when I was temporarily blocked by an ongoing parade. I couldn't make out what was being celebrated, as all of the banners were Japanese brand names and all of the costumed characters were brand mascots. A multinational business conference? How to market products to even younger children? A red Power Ranger-looking guy--face mask and all--handed Sogo (a national Japanese department store chain) balloons to toddlers while various candy brands' mascots shook their booties to a band playing various jingles. I knew Japanese cities were bastions of crass consumerism, but wow.

I pressed onward and--what was it now?--noticed a large group of suits screaming into megaphones. A large megaphone was attached to the roof of a sedan, and the shouter was driving around the block. Another great feature of Japanese cities is the tendency of neo-nationalist proto-fascist groups to ride around daily in their cars shouting praises to the emperor and curses to Russia, China, and both Koreas. (They tend to refer to the unsigned WWII treaty between the USSR and Japan, according a coworker; I've heard them reference the Russo-Japanese War.) This was different, however. Rarely do the two-bit LaRouchies leave their cars. They were out in droves harrassing shoppers for their signatures on petitions. (Of course they didn't bother me, as they are neo-nationalists.) I approached them, however, and realized what was at stake: yesterday's Osaka High Court ruling contradicting an earlier ruling by the Tokyo High Court. The Japan Times reports that the ruling involves the separation of shrine and state, and that Koizumi is not permitted to visit religious sites in his official capacity. While the Prime Minister claims that he does not represent the state when he undertakes these visits, he has consistently represented them in interviews in this capacity in the past, and he has signed the guestbook as "Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro." The ruling comes at a time of both national and international outcry over these visits, including an August protest in Tokyo in which police assaulted the non-violent protesters with wooden batons and arrested six.

Rebenson goes to Shikoku

The equinox is a national holiday in Japan, so I was blessed with a second three-day weekend. I visited Matsuyama, Dougo, Kotohira, and Ooboke/Koboke in Shikoku, and Okayama in Honshu on the return trip. The five following posts contain pictures of these locations.


I traveled to Shikoku by ferry, and I got some great views of the Inland Sea from the boat, if by "great" I mean industrial wasteland.


In all fairness, there are some beautiful parts of the Inland Sea further east, but the area between Matsuyama and Hiroshima is almost entirely industrial. Here is one less industrial picture:

Matsuyama

My first stop in Shikoku was Matuyama, about two and a half hours by ferry from Hiroshima across the Inland Sea. I wasn't particularly interested in visiting Shikoku's biggest city, as the island is renowned for its temples, rivers, and ruralscapes, but I wanted to visit Dougo, located nearby. I decided to visit Matsuyama-jou, a mountaintop castle constructed in 1602. I rode a ski-lift to the top.


A guard near the entrance insisted on taking this corny tourist photo:


The view from the castle was great, but the castle itself was a disappointment. Unfortunately, the main building was under renovation, and thus entirely obsfuscated by scaffolding and wire mesh. Nevertheless, here are some good pictures of other buildings in the castle complex.




And to convey my disappointment:


A row of suits of armor in the main castle:


Nietzsche plays dress-up:


A view through a gunport:


A view of the castle grounds: