The work present aims, by means of a comparative approach on the basis of the bilaterally contested narratives around the Himeyuri no Tō Memorial and Museum, to examine the predominant narratives about the HSC in Okinawa and Japan. After assessing the differences and possible overlapping areas of both narratives in consideration of the respective historical and socio-political contexts in which they developed, the next step will lead from description to analysis of current processes of politics of memory and identity. One particular interest is the question as to how the HSC narrative is utilized in Okinawan and mainland politics of memory and identity since 1945. Another question concerns the influence of Okinawa's politics of identity on Japan: How has the wartime past been depicted so far, and what are the bilateral claims to memory and its representation in the public sphere? Finally, to what extent is Okinawa able to influence the mainland's view of history, and what implications does this have for the possibility of and limits to both an Okinawan-Japanese identity, and a conceptual shift towards a broader understanding of “Japaneseness”?
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The History of the Himeyuri Student Corps, Memorial and Museum
2.1. Education in Okinawa since 1879 and the Himeyuri Girls as the New Elite
2.2. The Himeyuri Student Corps in the Battle of Okinawa
2.3. The Himeyuri no Tō Memorial and Museum
3 Okinawan and Japanese Narratives on the Himeyuri Corps in the Battle of Okinawa and the Reception of the Memorial and Museum
3.1. The Okinawan Narrative
3.1.1. Translation of Selected Survivors' Testimonials
3.1.2. The Okinawan Narrative in Social and Academic Discourse
3.2. Predominant Japanese Narratives
3.2.1. Translation: Mikame Tatsuji's “Himeyuri no Tō“
3.2.2. The Japanese Narrative in Social and Academic Discourse
4 Analysis: (Re-) Construction of History as Re-negotiation of Okinawan and Japanese Identity
4.1. Identity Politics and Discourses on War Memory since 1945: Distinct Courses
4.1.1. Okinawa: Okinawa no Kokoro and the Role of Women in the Representation of Okinawan War Memory and Pacifist Movements
4.1.2. Japan: Victims for the Nation – Rehabilitation of Military and State through the Glorification of Voluntary Sacrifice
4.2. Bilateral Claims to Public Memory and the Depiction of History
4.2.1. Japanese Claims toward Okinawa Concerning the Depiction of History around the Himeyuri Memorial and Museum
4.2.2. Okinawan Resistance to the Japanese Appropriation of the Narratives around the Battle of Okinawa and the Himeyuri Nurse Corps
4.3. Implications for the Forming of Identities and Current Inner-Japanese Processes
4.3.1. Processes and Limitations towards an Okinawan-Japanese Identity
4.3.2. Conceptual Shifts within the Japanese Society and the Need to Rethink “Japaneseness“
5 Conclusion and Outlook
Objectives and Core Topics
This thesis examines the conflicting memories of the Himeyuri Student Corps (HSC) in Okinawa and mainland Japan to understand how these narratives shape Okinawan and Japanese identity discourses. It explores how the HSC's experiences were instrumentalized by both Okinawan and Japanese political actors to construct distinct historical narratives—either as a symbol of Okinawan victimization and pacifism or as a nationalistic emblem of heroic sacrifice—and investigates the implications of these competing memories for contemporary Okinawan-Japanese relations.
- Comparative analysis of Okinawan and mainland Japanese war memory
- The role of the Himeyuri Peace Museum in shaping local and national identity
- Feminist critique of the “sacrificial daughter” trope in Japanese war memory
- The influence of Okinawa’s politics of identity on the concept of “Japaneseness”
- Critical examination of memorialization, museums, and war-related discourse
Excerpt from the Book
“Fatal Disbandment Order, Chapter 28: Unexpected Meeting; Records by Fukuchi Kiyoko [福地キヨ子]
June 19th . Where I belonged to was the Tama rearguard [division]. This evening, too, a relocation order came. Is it a strategical relocation, are we going to get ourselves to safety, we did not know at all. We merely descended to the Southern part of the island as ordered. Where we last pitched camp was the hill chain of Kyan, spanning Okinawa's southernmost tip.
On midday of June 19, the guard seized our heavy breathing, and reported: “Three American tanks. There are about 50 soldiers following behind each tank and they come attacking“.
The battle order came immediately. In the light of midday, we were targeted from the sky by American planes. Although the order had been issued, without being able to make even one step out of the cave, we simply waited for the American troops to close in on us attacking. After about half an hour had passed, upon thinking that [something in] the surroundings had rustled, the American troops, from the tip of the hill, poured a rain of bullets with automatic rifles and automatic machine guns and commenced a horse-mounting attack. Our weapons were but the hand grenades we all carried with us. We pulled the trigger and threw, pulled the trigger and threw, and resisted briefly, but since the soldiers, too, were fleeing the cave one after the other, I grabbed two hand grenades and rushed out as well. Amidst the rain of flying bullets, missing their targets overhead, around our waist, to our feet, going whoosh-whoosh, pew-pew, we ran with might and main.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Introduces the research question regarding the bilaterally contested narratives of the Himeyuri Student Corps and the historical context of war memory in Okinawa and Japan.
2 The History of the Himeyuri Student Corps, Memorial and Museum: Examines the mobilization of students in the Battle of Okinawa and the post-war efforts of survivors to build the Himeyuri memorial and museum.
3 Okinawan and Japanese Narratives on the Himeyuri Corps in the Battle of Okinawa and the Reception of the Memorial and Museum: Contrasts the survivor-led Okinawan narrative of victimization with the nationalist Japanese narrative of heroic sacrifice.
4 Analysis: (Re-) Construction of History as Re-negotiation of Okinawan and Japanese Identity: Analyzes how the politics of memory are used by both sides to influence identity and the perception of Japanese and Okinawan history.
5 Conclusion and Outlook: Summarizes findings and discusses the potential for a broader, more inclusive Okinawan-Japanese identity.
Keywords
Himeyuri Student Corps, Battle of Okinawa, War Memory, Politics of Identity, Yasukuni Shrine, Okinawan-Japanese Identity, Pacifism, Nationalism, Victimization, Historical Discourse, Commemoration, Museum Studies, Military Coercion, Postwar Japan, Ryukyu Kingdom
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work investigates the diverging narratives surrounding the Himeyuri Student Corps (HSC) in Okinawa and mainland Japan to analyze how memory is utilized in contemporary identity politics.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The study covers the history of the Battle of Okinawa, the role of women in war, the politics of memory, the formation of post-war identities, and the critique of nationalist war commemoration.
What is the primary research question?
The thesis asks how the HSC narrative is utilized in Okinawan and Japanese memory politics and to what extent this influences current processes of defining Okinawan-Japanese identity.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The work employs a comparative approach, analyzing survivor testimonials, museum exhibitions, government documents, and academic discourses on war memory.
What does the main body address?
It provides a historical overview of the HSC, details the distinct Okinawan and Japanese narratives, and performs an analysis of identity politics, bilateral claims to memory, and current inner-Japanese processes.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Himeyuri Student Corps, Battle of Okinawa, War Memory, Politics of Identity, Yasukuni Shrine, Okinawan-Japanese Identity, and Postwar Japan.
How does the Himeyuri museum specifically critique the Japanese military?
The museum portrays the mobilization of the students as forced and involuntary, identifying the Japanese military's unyielding adherence to national polity ideology as the cause of their sacrifice.
What is the role of Yasukuni Shrine in the narrative of the HSC?
Yasukuni Shrine frames the nurses' deaths as noble sacrifices for the nation, often silencing the traumatic reality of their disbandment and death by coercion to maintain a patriotic, gendered ideology.
- Citation du texte
- Julia Swoboda (Auteur), 2017, One Memorial, Many Narratives. A Comparison of Politics and Culture of Memory Between Okinawa and Mainland Japan, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/455779
