This week, we’re continuing last week’s footnote on daily life in Meiji Japan. Topics covered this week include life as a conscript in the army, changes to Japanese cuisine during the Meiji years, and entertainment from kabuki to early movies.
Sources
Ishige, Naomichi. The History and Culture of Japanese Food
Drea, Edward. In the Service of The Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army
Fukushima, Shingo. “The Building of a National Army.” Developing Economies 3, No 4 (December, 1965)
Sayaka, Chatani, “A Man at Twenty, Aged ad Twenty-Five: The Conscription Exam Age in Japan.” The American Historical Review 125, No 2 (April, 2020)
A great essay on early Japanese film from Sato Tadao of Screening the Past
A fascinating talk by Dr. Jihye Kim on the evolution of kabuki during the Meiji years
An essay by Dr. Nina Anarina on Shingeki, Kabuki, and drama in the Meiji years.
Images
Momijigari, starring Ichikawa Danjuro IX. I’ll let you decide what you think of the performance