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Realm Of A Dying Emperor Term Paper

The tale of Chibana Shoichi's, the Okinawan supermarket owner, demonstrates how there is still a major segment of society that believes in the "emperor system," even in Okinawa. However, Field exposes how these people have been forced to conform with this system, though social pressure, threats, and even violence. But despite these obstacles, there are still people like Shoichi who will speak out against this system and its historical amnesia. However, this fight has only just begun and not all those who stand up against the system are successful. Mrs. Nakaya was unsuccessful in her attempt to stop the government from using her husband to reinforce a system that she felt was unjust and restricted her religious beliefs. The response by the government signifies how deeply ingrained into Japanese society is the "emperor system," and how many Japanese, including the Japanese Supreme Court, see no differentiation between tradition Shinto-based emperor worship, which includes the deification of those who die in service of the Japanese Emperor, and Japanese society and government. Traditional beliefs are completely fused within modern Japanese laws and government, as is the "emperor system;" as represented by the forced Shinto deification...

Nakaya's husband.
Mayor Motoshima's story once again demonstrates how there are elements in Japanese society that will stop at nothing to maintain the "emperor system," but it also illustrates the growing dissatisfaction among the Japanese people. Motoshima was a lifelong participant in the traditional "emperor system," but also a victim of that system as well. His city of Nagasaki was the target of one of only two atomic bombs ever used in warfare in the history of mankind, and he lived through the aftermath of such a tragic experience. If one who had been a participant and supporter of this system could bring himself to openly and publicly criticize the Emperor and his role in World War II, then Field seems to indicate that the "emperor system" has deeper faults in its foundation than previously thought. And with the death of Hirohito in January 1989, Japan was on the brink of a major transformation in Japanese society. However, this transformation would be fervently opposed by a large segment of Japanese society who would stop at nothing to maintain the "emperor system."

Works Cited

Field, Norma. In the Realm of a Dying Emperor. New York: Pantheon, 1991.…

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Works Cited

Field, Norma. In the Realm of a Dying Emperor. New York: Pantheon, 1991. Print.
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