'Land of Kami, Land of the Dead': Paligenesis and the Aesthetics of Religious Revisionism in Kobayashi Yoshinori's 'On Yasukuni'

James Shields

'Land of Kami, Land of the Dead': Paligenesis and the Aesthetics of Religious Revisionism in Kobayashi Yoshinori's 'On Yasukuni'

James Shields

Bucknell University

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

In 2005, Japanese manga artist and conservative provocateur Kobayashi Yoshinori published a graphic work entitled Shin g&omacr;manizumu sengen special: Yasukuniron (Neo-G&omacr;manism Manifesto Special: On Yasukuni), which tackles the much-debated ‘problem’ of Yasukuni Shrine, the militaristic religious complex that has become a lightning-rod for debates regarding Japanese historical memory – especially with regard to the military expansionism in East Asia that led to the Asia-Pacific War (1931–45). Frequently overlooked in discussions of Yasukuni, however, are a number of complex issues related to its religious doctrines – in particular, the interpretation of Shinto presented at Yasukuni and the dominant ideology of Japan’s military era: ‘State Shinto’ ( kokka Shint&omacr; ). This essay examines the portrayal of the Yasukuni Issue within Yasukuniron , in order to: (a) flesh out the characteristics of Kobayashi’s Neo-G&omacr;manism in relation to the ‘theology’ of State Shinto; (b) examine the power and limits of manga as a representational form for teaching about the complex nexus of religion, politics and history in modern Japan; and (c) make the case that Yasukuni Shrine itself has long functioned as a form of ‘revisionist manga’ – and is thus the perfect subject for Kobayashi’s Neo-G&omacr;manist treatment.

Original language	American English
Title of host publication	Manga and the Representation of Japanese History
State	Published - Sep 1 2012

Keywords

Kobayashi Yoshinori
gomanism
Yasukuni Shrine
manga and religion
Shinto and politics

Disciplines

Asian History
Critical and Cultural Studies
Graphic Communications
History of Religion
History of Religions of Eastern Origins
Japanese Studies
Political History
Visual Studies

Access to Document

Land of Kami Land of the Dead Paligenesis and the AestheticsFinal published version, 2.46 MBLicense: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = " In 2005, Japanese manga artist and conservative provocateur Kobayashi Yoshinori published a graphic work entitled Shin g\&omacr;manizumu sengen special: Yasukuniron (Neo-G\&omacr;manism Manifesto Special: On Yasukuni), which tackles the much-debated \‘problem\’ of Yasukuni Shrine, the militaristic religious complex that has become a lightning-rod for debates regarding Japanese historical memory \– especially with regard to the military expansionism in East Asia that led to the Asia-Pacific War (1931\–45). Frequently overlooked in discussions of Yasukuni, however, are a number of complex issues related to its religious doctrines \– in particular, the interpretation of Shinto presented at Yasukuni and the dominant ideology of Japan\’s military era: \‘State Shinto\’ ( kokka Shint\&omacr; ). This essay examines the portrayal of the Yasukuni Issue within Yasukuniron , in order to: (a) flesh out the characteristics of Kobayashi\’s Neo-G\&omacr;manism in relation to the \‘theology\’ of State Shinto; (b) examine the power and limits of manga as a representational form for teaching about the complex nexus of religion, politics and history in modern Japan; and (c) make the case that Yasukuni Shrine itself has long functioned as a form of \‘revisionist manga\’ \– and is thus the perfect subject for Kobayashi\’s Neo-G\&omacr;manist treatment.",

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'Land of Kami, Land of the Dead': Paligenesis and the Aesthetics of Religious Revisionism in Kobayashi Yoshinori's 'On Yasukuni'

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