Center for Japanese Studies, UC Berkeley – serie

This short work presents a configuration of the important elements to be found in contemporary Japanese social life, and attempts to shed new light on Japanese society. Nakane deals with his own society as a social anthropologist using some of the methods which he was accustomed to applying in examining any other society. However, its form is not that of a scientific thesis (as may be seen at once from the absence of a bibliography; the author also refrains from quoting any statistical figures or precise data directly obtained from field surveys). Nakane has tried to construct a structural image of Japanese society, synthesizing the major distinguishing features to be found in Japanese life. He has drawn evidence almost at random from a number of different types of community to be found in Japan today--industrial enterprises, government organizations, educational institutions, intellectual groups, religious communities, political parties, village communities, individual household and so on.Throughout this investigation of groups in such varied fields, Nakane has concentrated my analysis on individual behavior and interpersonal relations which provide the base of both the group organization and the structural tendencies dominating in the development of a group.

"Rohten has demonstrated that traditional anthropological method and theory can be adjusted to the analysis of complex organizations. The book provides a holistic perspective of a Japanese bank and its more than 3,000 employees. Methodologically, Rohlen analyzed this bank in much the same fashion as he would have carried out the study of a small community. Eleven months of participant observation within the bank and among its employees after work provided the major source of data...Possibly the most important finding of the study is that despite surface similarities with banks throughout the world, the Japanese have evolved an institution which is radically different. This bank, like many modern Japanese businesses, is organized to secure a common livelihood and way of life for its employees ...more than the best cultural analysis of a Japanese business, for the book also contributes to the fields of Japanese cultural change and modernization process essential reading." (American Anthropologist)."The account is adorned with an unusually rich selection of illustration from the speeches of firm officers, company records and documents, and of course extensive observations from employees ...As a case study of a single Japanese organization, For Harmony and Strength is a superb effort that penetrates deeper than any other book in the English language." (Contemporary Sociology). "A first-rate contribution to the literature in applied anthropology and comparative and cross-cultural management for the insights it provides on management of white-collar employees in Japan." (Industrial and Labor Relations Review). "A well-written, thoroughly researched study of the internal life of a single Japanese organization. Unlike most previous writers, Aohlen deals with the separate recruitment, work, and leisure patterns of the bank's women employees. As an anthropologist he has particular sensitivity to the ritual meanings of bank songs, ceremonies, and extensive training activities ...one of the best analyses to date of how Japanese organization works." (Library Journal)."What emerges from Rohlen's convincing and penetrating analysis is a picture of a thoroughly 'Japanese' business organization deeply imbued with Japanese cultural values ...in its sensitivity to cultural meanings and in its analytical coherence in the presentation of data, this book is a model of scholarship matched by few ethnographies. It will be consulted by those specializing in Japan, those interested in organizational behavior, and those interested in seeing 'the meanings of fundamental matters, ' for a long time to come." (Journal of Asian Studies).

"...Rohlen's book achieves exciting conjectural stances while providing us with rich and trustworthy substantive data and description. His treatment of schools as 'moral communities,' his call for new, culturally sensitive definitions of moral and creative goals in children's education, his interest in the consensus between parent, school, and society which underlies effective schooling are reason alone why this book should be read by anyone interested in the context and future of any educational system ...A splendid book for non-specialists, as well as for policymakers ..." (Merry T. White, The Review of Education). "Rohlen uses education as the entering wedge for a good understanding of Japanese society in general. That the author was sensitive to and appreciative of Japanese ways is evident throughout." (Eloise Lee Leiterman, Christian Science Monitor). "Never have I encountered a work on modem Japan which so skillfully captures what is intrinsically unique about the society. Indeed, Rohlen proves that comparative education need not be a litany of lifeless facts." (Linda Joffe, London Times Educational Supplement)."On the basis of fourteen months of fieldwork in five Japanese high schools, the author integrates observation of the schools themselves with discussion of their relationships to higher education and society at large...Rowen's conclusions offer insightful contributions to the current debate on secondary education in the United States." (Harvard Educational Review). "The best introduction for many a year into the cultural mainsprings of Japanese society, the principles of its organization, and the way its citizens think and feel." (Ronald P. Dore, Journal of Japanese Studies).

On 22 July 1918 a group of Japanese fishermen's wives met in a small village on the coast to discuss what they could do to lower the spiraling cost of rice. This peaceful meeting gave rise to the 1918 race riots, a series of mass demonstrations and armed clashes that spread rapidly throughout the country on a scale unprecedented in modern Japanese history. In this penetrating study, Michael Lewis questions standard historical interpretations of the riots. What political significance did the riots have in the communities where they occurred? How and why did protest change from region to region or when carried out by different groups? How did officials, community leaders, and businessmen cope with the unrest? What effects did the riots have on national and local political relations and economic ties among these various groups? Lewis argues that the 1918 protests defy a single typology--urban and rural protests had different causes, patterns, forms of mediation, and resolutions. In 1918 Meiji leaders had been struggling for fifty years to create a new citizenry, unified ideologically and consistently supportive of national goals. The disunity revealed by the riots does not suggest that Japan had become polarized between the people and the state; rather, in the wake of the riots, new forms of social policy and public political involvement became possible. In analyzing the changing traditions of Japanese popular protest in the transition from a rural to an industrial economy, Rioters and Citizens suggests that the diversity of Japanese protests necessitates a rethinking of the stereotypical images of prewar Japanese society as blandly uniform and rigidly controlled by government ideology. It further suggests that in Japan, as in Europe, the action of the unenfranchised crowd came to influence the course of political and social change. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1990.

Socialization for Achievement: Essays on the Cultural Psychology of the Japanese by George A. De Vos offers a sweeping interdisciplinary inquiry into the ways Japanese culture shapes individual motivation, achievement, and social conformity. Drawing on decades of research that integrates psychology, anthropology, and sociology, De Vos situates Japanese patterns of socialization within a broader theoretical framework for understanding human development. The essays in this collection probe how cultural traditions, child-rearing practices, and enduring familial obligations cultivate deeply internalized needs for accomplishment and self-justification. From analyses of normative role behavior in rural villages to examinations of guilt, arranged marriage, and women’s roles, De Vos demonstrates how the dynamics of obligation and endurance anchor Japanese society even amid rapid modernization. His comparative use of psychological testing—including Rorschach and Thematic Apperception protocols—underscores the persistence of cultural continuities in shaping motivation and social identity across generations and settings.In its later sections, the volume turns from sanctioned achievement to the darker terrain of deviance, delinquency, and alienation, illustrating how Japan’s strong culture of obligation also produces patterned forms of failure and marginalization. Essays on youth delinquency, gang organization, the Burakumin minority, and suicide trace the interplay between cultural traditions, rapid social change, and the pressures of conformity. Particularly compelling are the accounts of “role narcissism” and the ways in which internalized guilt, rather than shame, drives much Japanese behavior. De Vos argues that Japanese society exemplifies a distinctive form of “socialization for achievement,” wherein continuity of cultural psychology tempers institutional transformation, resulting in both extraordinary economic growth and persistent psychological strain. By combining psychoanalytic perspectives with sociological theory, this landmark collection not only illuminates Japan but also advances a general theory of how cultural traditions mediate socialization, achievement, and deviance in human societies.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1973.

The Political Culture of Japan delves into the evolving political attitudes of the Japanese populace in the postwar period, focusing on the influence of democratization efforts introduced during the American occupation. This study aims to document the shifts in mass political attitudes rather than elite or group behaviors, offering a lens into the broader impacts of societal and institutional upheavals. By comparing prewar and postwar political cultures, the author sheds light on how democratic reforms have reshaped public opinion and contributed to Japan's modern political framework. Relying on nearly 300 public opinion surveys conducted between 1958 and 1967, the book identifies general trends and patterns that capture the transformation of Japan’s political landscape during a pivotal era.A central theme of the book is the contrast between the fragmented understanding of prewar political culture and the more systematic evaluation of postwar attitudes. The author carefully critiques the limitations of available historical data while using comparative insights from surveys to bridge this gap. By emphasizing methodological rigor and the significance of longitudinal patterns, the study not only provides a nuanced understanding of Japan's political evolution but also contributes to broader discussions on mass attitudinal changes in societies undergoing rapid democratization. This work serves as a valuable resource for scholars of political science and Japanese history, illuminating the enduring influence of societal reforms on political behavior.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1974.

The Mito Ideology: Discourse, Reform, and Insurrection in Late Tokugawa Japan, 1790–1864 provides a deep dive into the pivotal role played by the Mito branch of the Tokugawa family in shaping ideological activism and reformist discourse during the late Edo period. This groundbreaking study explores how Mito scholars and leaders combined historical reflection with political action to address both internal and external threats to Japan's stability. From the formulation of reformist slogans like "Revere the emperor and expel the barbarian" (sonnō jōi) to the violent activism culminating in the assassination of Ii Naosuke and the Tengu Rebellion, the book examines the ways in which Mito ideologues influenced Japan's trajectory toward modernization and the eventual collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate.The narrative contextualizes Mito's intellectual and political contributions within broader ideological trends of the time, including the interplay of neo-Confucianism, Shinto, and nativist thought. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from thinkers such as Paul Ricoeur and Michel Foucault, the author investigates how Mito discourse operated not only as a form of scholarly inquiry but as a practical tool for mobilizing social and political change. The book also highlights the paradox of Mito's ideological legacy: while its reformist zeal contributed significantly to the erosion of the Tokugawa order, its internal conflicts and premature insurrections sidelined its radicals from the ultimate Meiji Restoration. This meticulous study sheds light on the dynamic interaction between ideology, action, and historical transformation in a period of profound upheaval in Japan.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1987.

On 22 July 1918 a group of Japanese fishermen's wives met in a small village on the coast to discuss what they could do to lower the spiraling cost of rice. This peaceful meeting gave rise to the 1918 race riots, a series of mass demonstrations and armed clashes that spread rapidly throughout the country on a scale unprecedented in modern Japanese history. In this penetrating study, Michael Lewis questions standard historical interpretations of the riots. What political significance did the riots have in the communities where they occurred? How and why did protest change from region to region or when carried out by different groups? How did officials, community leaders, and businessmen cope with the unrest? What effects did the riots have on national and local political relations and economic ties among these various groups? Lewis argues that the 1918 protests defy a single typology--urban and rural protests had different causes, patterns, forms of mediation, and resolutions. In 1918 Meiji leaders had been struggling for fifty years to create a new citizenry, unified ideologically and consistently supportive of national goals. The disunity revealed by the riots does not suggest that Japan had become polarized between the people and the state; rather, in the wake of the riots, new forms of social policy and public political involvement became possible. In analyzing the changing traditions of Japanese popular protest in the transition from a rural to an industrial economy, Rioters and Citizens suggests that the diversity of Japanese protests necessitates a rethinking of the stereotypical images of prewar Japanese society as blandly uniform and rigidly controlled by government ideology. It further suggests that in Japan, as in Europe, the action of the unenfranchised crowd came to influence the course of political and social change. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1990.

Socialization for Achievement: Essays on the Cultural Psychology of the Japanese by George A. De Vos offers a sweeping interdisciplinary inquiry into the ways Japanese culture shapes individual motivation, achievement, and social conformity. Drawing on decades of research that integrates psychology, anthropology, and sociology, De Vos situates Japanese patterns of socialization within a broader theoretical framework for understanding human development. The essays in this collection probe how cultural traditions, child-rearing practices, and enduring familial obligations cultivate deeply internalized needs for accomplishment and self-justification. From analyses of normative role behavior in rural villages to examinations of guilt, arranged marriage, and women’s roles, De Vos demonstrates how the dynamics of obligation and endurance anchor Japanese society even amid rapid modernization. His comparative use of psychological testing—including Rorschach and Thematic Apperception protocols—underscores the persistence of cultural continuities in shaping motivation and social identity across generations and settings.In its later sections, the volume turns from sanctioned achievement to the darker terrain of deviance, delinquency, and alienation, illustrating how Japan’s strong culture of obligation also produces patterned forms of failure and marginalization. Essays on youth delinquency, gang organization, the Burakumin minority, and suicide trace the interplay between cultural traditions, rapid social change, and the pressures of conformity. Particularly compelling are the accounts of “role narcissism” and the ways in which internalized guilt, rather than shame, drives much Japanese behavior. De Vos argues that Japanese society exemplifies a distinctive form of “socialization for achievement,” wherein continuity of cultural psychology tempers institutional transformation, resulting in both extraordinary economic growth and persistent psychological strain. By combining psychoanalytic perspectives with sociological theory, this landmark collection not only illuminates Japan but also advances a general theory of how cultural traditions mediate socialization, achievement, and deviance in human societies.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1973.

The Mito Ideology: Discourse, Reform, and Insurrection in Late Tokugawa Japan, 1790–1864 provides a deep dive into the pivotal role played by the Mito branch of the Tokugawa family in shaping ideological activism and reformist discourse during the late Edo period. This groundbreaking study explores how Mito scholars and leaders combined historical reflection with political action to address both internal and external threats to Japan's stability. From the formulation of reformist slogans like "Revere the emperor and expel the barbarian" (sonnō jōi) to the violent activism culminating in the assassination of Ii Naosuke and the Tengu Rebellion, the book examines the ways in which Mito ideologues influenced Japan's trajectory toward modernization and the eventual collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate.The narrative contextualizes Mito's intellectual and political contributions within broader ideological trends of the time, including the interplay of neo-Confucianism, Shinto, and nativist thought. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from thinkers such as Paul Ricoeur and Michel Foucault, the author investigates how Mito discourse operated not only as a form of scholarly inquiry but as a practical tool for mobilizing social and political change. The book also highlights the paradox of Mito's ideological legacy: while its reformist zeal contributed significantly to the erosion of the Tokugawa order, its internal conflicts and premature insurrections sidelined its radicals from the ultimate Meiji Restoration. This meticulous study sheds light on the dynamic interaction between ideology, action, and historical transformation in a period of profound upheaval in Japan.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1987.