Episode 311 – Freedom and People’s Rights, Part 2

October 25, 2019 1 Comment

How do you talk about a movement without clear leaders? By breaking down its different levels. Plus, a look at how things came to a head between the Freedom and People’s Rights Movement and the government.

Sources

Jansen, Marius. The Making of Modern Japan

Ikegami, Eiko. Bonds of Civility

Irokawa, Daikichi. The Culture of the Meiji Period

Images

A woodblock print showing the assassination attempt on Itagaki. The moment was highly sensationalized in the press, with the Jiyuto-aligned papers blaming the government and its supporters for incitement and the government claiming this was all just a renegade act. This particular print is pro-Itagaki; note the defiant pose as Aikawa is arrested.
Chiba Takusaburo, leader of the Itsukaichi discussion group.
One of Chiba’s writings. This one is called the “Odoron”, or “Treatise on the Way of Kings.” The idea of “Odo”, the way followed by a true king, is a big part of Confucian historiography; Chiba is showing his continued Confucian impulses here.
There’s now a statue in Gifu Park commemorating the assassination attempt.

 

1 thought on “Episode 311 – Freedom and People’s Rights, Part 2”

  1. I’ve noticed here and on your Fall of the Samurai series that the art style of these Meiji woodblock prints is so different from earlier years. There’s so much more detail in the faces and clothes. How much were Bakumatsu and Meiji artists influenced by west?
    Can you please make your images expandable? It’s so hard see all the great art, especially on the mobile site.

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