Enigma of the Emperors: Sacred Subservience in Japanese History

Description

This important new and original study on the institution of the Japanese emperors, from their mythological beginnings to the present day, focuses on the enigma of the institution itself, namely, the extraordinary continuity of the Japanese dynasty, which is unknown anywhere else in the world, yet which is now at risk on account of more recent laws of succession. The prisms through which this remarkable achievement is examined are the notions of divinity, gender and subservience. The volume is divided into nine sections: Strange Survival; The Feminine Beginnings of the Japanese Monarchy; Empresses and Consorts; Subservience as Power; Rising Fortunes in an Era of Peace; Meiji: the National Father Figure; The Elusive Divinity of the Modern Emperors; Return to Sacred Subservience; Continuity in Danger. Based on earlier research first published in Japanese (Haha Naru Tenno), Enigma of the Emperors adds significantly to the existing corpus of work on this subject, addressing many traditional preconceptions and misconceptions along the way. Accordingly, it will undoubtedly be welcomed within scholarly circles, as well as being of particular interest to a wider readership, not least because of its relevance in the context of the major contemporary issues surrounding the future of the dynasty in the twenty-first century. Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction I. Strange Survival Chapter 2: The Riddle of Continuity Chapter 3: Were the Emperors Gods? II. The Feminine Beginnings of the Japanese Monarchy Chapter 4: Emperor and Goddess Chapter 5: The Shaman Queens III. Empresses and Consorts Chapter 6: The First Tennō was a Woman Chapter 7: Active Female Sovereigns Chapter 8: Procreation and Power IV. Subservience as Power Chapter 9: Playing with the Confucian Model Chapter 10: The Effete Sovereigns Chapter 11: Strength Behind Weakness V. Rising Fortunes in an Era of Peace Chapter 12: Cultural Emperors in a Golden Cage Chapter 13: Reappearance of Empresses Chapter 14: The Rising Relevance of the Emperor VI. Meiji: The National Father Figure Chapter 15: Restoring a Confucian Sage King Chapter 16: Building a Modern Father Figure Chapter 17: Retaining the Traditional Subservience Chapter 18: Consort and Concubines VII. The Elusive Divinity of the Modern Emperors Chapter 19: The Sacred Ruler Meiji Chapter 20: The Human Emperor Taishō Chapter 21: The Warrior Emperor Shōwa Chapter 22: The Scion of the Goddess and the Son of God VIII. Return to Sacred Subservience Chapter 23: Back to the Symbolic Throne Chapter 24: A New Kind of Crown Princess Chapter 25: Sex, Death and the Emperor Chapter 26: Hirohito, the Golden Years IX. Continuity in Danger Chapter 27: From Shōwa to Heisei Chapter 28: Will a Woman Save the Throne? Bibliography Index