-
Miyazaki’s Utsinomiya Bombing
-
As a four-year-old, Miyazaki Hayao witnessed the devastating July 12, 1945, bombing of Utsinomiya, his hometown.
This experience left a lasting impression on him.
Speaker 1
In particular, the miazaki family was in utsinomia for the july twelfth, 19 forty five bombing raid that devastated the city, killing hundreds and making over forty thousand people Homeless. He would later write of remembering the bombings quite vividly. And one imagines that seeing your home town put to the torch from the air would indeed make quite the impression on any four year old. When the war ended, the miazaki family remained in its nomia for a time before doing what many people did during the post war years, relocating the tokio, the place where the economy Seemed to be getting back on its feet the fastest. Specifically, the family moved to sugi namiku, where they spent some time during the war years. During his school years, young miazaki hao began dabbling in drawing, specifically monga, spurred, among other things, by the growing popularity of one of japa s most popular artists At the time, teziko samu. You probably know him best as the inventor of astro. Boy artistry was apparently not usual in the miazaki family. The other three young boys in the family all gravitated heavily into business like their father. And apparently neither parent had much in the way of art ic talent. So it’s quite possible nothing could have come from this early interest, except for one of those funny coincidences of life-
Miyazaki’s Inspiration
-
While preparing for college entrance exams, Miyazaki skipped studying to watch Hakujaden (Legend of the White Snake).
Although he criticized the film as “cheap melodrama,” it deeply moved him and sparked a lifelong interest in earnest storytelling.
Speaker 1
Young miazaki hio therefore, got in the habit of going to the movies. And in 19 58, when he was supposed to actually be studying for his college entrance exams, he decided instead to go out and see an animated film called hak jadin, or legend of the white Snake. This particular story is based on a rather famous chinese folk tale about a magical white snake who seduces a young boy and ends up trapped by buddhist monks who imprison her in a pagoda. The tale itself goes back to mediaeval china, and we’ve discussed a few different variations on it over the course of this podcast. This specific film, however, is particularly well known because of its technologically ground breaking status. It was the first feature length color animated film from japan and the first film of the new animation division of one of japan’s most pretigious film houses. Toe apparently, it was such a monumental project that just under 14 thousand people worked on it in some capacity. And the film made quite an impression on young miazaki, though not quite the one you’d think. One of the things i really appreciate about miazaki hio as a person is that he’s very unsparing, let’s say, in his opinion, and not the sort of person sugar coat things. In a later interview, he described the film as, quote, cheap melodrama. Those are his exact words. But also saidqote, my soul was moved, and i stumbled back home in the snow that had just started, comparing my pitiful situation to the character’s earnestness. I was ashamed of myself and cried all night. That interest in something earnest and heartfelt followed him to university. Despite not studying as assiduously as he could have. Miazaki got admitted to and would attend the prostigious gakshuin university in tokio. Once upon a time, this was the school of choice for japan’s s and is still the alma matter for most of the imperial family.-
Onpo Protests and Miyazaki
-
Miyazaki Hayao, during his university years, was present in Tokyo during the Onpo protests of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The Onpo protests were against the US-Japan security treaty, which many felt gave the US too much power and put Japan at risk.
Speaker 1
On po is a contraction of onzen hosho joyaku, or security treaty, as in the us. Japan mutual security treaty. That mutual security treaty was signed backin 19 51 as part of the deals ending the american occupation of japan. The treaty made the united states responsible for japan’s defense, but also gave it access to strategic bases for use in the cold war and exchange. When we use the specific word onpo in the course of the fifties sixties, we’re usually not talking about the treaty itself. More often we’re talking about the extremely active opposition to the security treaty. I don’t want to rehash the entire background of this particular moment, just because it’s not the goal of the episode, but some background here is necessary. Basically, the 19 51 treaty was pretty driconian in its content. There was no clear method for abrogating it, meaning japan was kind of trapped in the treaty. And while the preamble of the treaty stated that the goal was to protect japan itself, the actual text of article one of the treaty said that american forces in japan, quote, may be utilized To contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security in the far east and to the security of japan against armed attack from without. That’s not very specific. And even the conservative leaders of the liberal democratic party, who came to dominate japan’s after 19 55, were not-
Miyazaki and the Anpo Protests
-
Hayao Miyazaki was in Tokyo during the 1960 Anpo treaty protests.
He was part of the Onpo Generation, who witnessed the protests as the first major political event broadcast on television.
Speaker 1
60, would often call themselves the onpo seda, or onpo generation. Miazaki ho was part of the onpo generation. And he was in tokio for the dramatic culmination of the treaty protests, which did see the new version of the security eaty signed, but only after tens of thousands of letists literally Put the national diet building under siege and-
Miyazaki’s Films Reflect Politics
-
Miyazaki’s films reflect a specific political moment in Japanese history, especially the Onpo generation’s views.
Key themes include environmentalism, modernity, and war.
Speaker 1
But anyway, the goal of this podcast is not to re run miazaki’s career. It’s to talk about how his films reflect a certain political moment in japanese history. And i think it’s easiest to see how they reflect the onpo generation by looking at three key themes as they appear in some of his films, environmentalism, modernity and war. Let’s start with environmentalism, something very much associated-
Spirited Away Opening Scene
-
In the opening of Spirited Away, Chihiro’s parents explore an abandoned amusement park, passing into the spirit world.
Their greed and disconnection from tradition, symbolized by their ravenous eating, transforms them into pigs.
Speaker 1
However, once they walk through the red barrier, the family passes into the spirit world. The greedy and shallow parents, who represent modern japanese people, disconnected from their traditions, find an open, but unattended restaurant. They ravenously eat the food there, which turns them-
Modernity in Miyazaki’s Spirited Away
-
For scholars, ‘modernity’ is a humanistic worldview emphasizing humans shaping the world through technology and economic development for progress.
It also implies a hierarchy where societies aligned with these principles are considered superior.
Speaker 1
And i should emphasize that when we use the word modernity as fancy scholarly type folks, we’re talking about a specific view of the world that is humanistic, emphasizing the idea that Humans can and should shape the world to their needs, and which emphasizes technology and economic development, geared towards progress and distinctly hierarchical, with societies That are more along these lines being better than those that are not.-
Amusement Parks as Symbols of Post-War Japan
-
Miyazaki uses the abandoned amusement park in Spirited Away to symbolize postwar Japan’s real estate boom and bust in the ’80s and ’90s.
The parks, built with excess cash, ultimately went bankrupt, leaving behind a legacy of environmental destruction.
Speaker 1
The amusement park that chihiro’s parents enter is emblematic, in a certain sense, of postwar japan. As miazaki himself has referenced in a few interviews, parks like it sprouted all around the country in the eighties and nineties, built by companies flush with real estate cash. Huge numbers of the parks then went bankrupt in the subsequent crash, their main legacy being the bulldozing of japan’s natural spaces. Then of course, there ar ci hero’s parents, who, as i mentioned earlier, are transformed into literal pigs because of their obsession with consumption.-
Miyazaki’s Ambiguous View of Modernity
-
Miyazaki’s films often explore themes of modernity, particularly its impact on Japan.
He presents an ambiguous view, acknowledging both the advancements and the spiritual bankruptcy it can bring.
Speaker 1
The amusement park that chihiro’s parents enter is emblematic, in a certain sense, of postwar japan. As miazaki himself has referenced in a few interviews, parks like it sprouted all around the country in the eighties and nineties, built by companies flush with real estate cash. Huge numbers of the parks then went bankrupt in the subsequent crash, their main legacy being the bulldozing of japan’s natural spaces. Then of course, there ar ci hero’s parents, who, as i mentioned earlier, are transformed into literal pigs because of their obsession with consumption. And yet, miasaki is not some uncompromising anti modernist who believes that all technology and development is bad. He’s sometimes caricatured that way, but i think that really misses the point. Look at the wind rises, for example, which is a film all about technology. The main character, hori coshe giro, based on a real person of the same name, is an engineer whose passion is the design of airplanes. The film is a celebration of technical accomplishment. Horicoci’s dreams where he speaks to his icon, giovanni, botista caproni are some of the most sereal and beautiful scenes in the whole movie. I don’t really think it’s possible to see that movie and think miazaki dislikes technology. Miazaki, i think, displays the same ambiguity about progress that defines his generation, who, after all, lived through an age of amazing technological and economic development That saw them go from living in poverty to the second wealthy society on earth.-
Miyazaki’s Ambiguous View of Modernity
-
Hayao Miyazaki isn’t strictly anti-modernist, despite sometimes being portrayed that way.
His films reflect the mixed impact of rapid technological and economic growth followed by collapse, mirroring his generation’s experience.
Speaker 1
And yet, miasaki is not some uncompromising anti modernist who believes that all technology and development is bad. He’s sometimes caricatured that way, but i think that really misses the point. Look at the wind rises, for example, which is a film all about technology. The main character, hori coshe giro, based on a real person of the same name, is an engineer whose passion is the design of airplanes. The film is a celebration of technical accomplishment. Horicoci’s dreams where he speaks to his icon, giovanni, botista caproni are some of the most sereal and beautiful scenes in the whole movie. I don’t really think it’s possible to see that movie and think miazaki dislikes technology. Miazaki, i think, displays the same ambiguity about progress that defines his generation, who, after all, lived through an age of amazing technological and economic development That saw them go from living in poverty to the second wealthy society on earth. That same generation then lived through a period of economic collapse and through periods like the eighties defined by an intense and, depending on your views, spiritually bankrupt Consumer culture. It’s fair to say that modernity has had ambiguous results for the ompo generation, and miazaki’s ambient view certainly make sense as a response to that.-
Miyazaki’s Blind Spots
-
Miyazaki’s work reflects common blind spots of his generation regarding World War II, particularly the victimization of Japan.
He often overlooks the suffering Japan inflicted on Asia and the widespread Japanese support for the war due to perceived economic benefits.
Speaker 1
At the same time, i do think miazaki shows a lot of the blind spots common to people of his generation, specifically when talking about second world war. The wind rises in particular, can read as almost naive in its emphasis on the victimization of japan at the hands of militarism. The critiques of the war essentially boil down to its impact on hory koshi’s innocent desires and on the wealth it drains away from the people of an in the name of conquest. Now certainly, and i do want to be clear here, japanese people did suffer during the war. We’ve talked about it on this very podcast. But the historical record is also clear that japan inflicted huge amounts of suffering on the rest of asia, and that most average panese people, including members of the middle class Like hori kochi giro, or like the mizaki family, supported the war because they believed colonial conquest would make them all rich. Yoshiaki yoshimi’s excellent book, grass roots fashism goes very in depth on the subject of domestic support for the world war.-
Miyazaki’s Blind Spots
-
Miyazaki’s films, particularly ‘The Wind Rises,’ often overlook Japan’s role as aggressor in WWII, focusing on Japan’s victimhood.
This perspective, while common among his generation, ignores the suffering inflicted by Japan on other Asian countries.
Speaker 1
Now certainly, and i do want to be clear here, japanese people did suffer during the war. We’ve talked about it on this very podcast. But the historical record is also clear that japan inflicted huge amounts of suffering on the rest of asia, and that most average panese people, including members of the middle class Like hori kochi giro, or like the mizaki family, supported the war because they believed colonial conquest would make them all rich. Yoshiaki yoshimi’s excellent book, grass roots fashism goes very in depth on the subject of domestic support for the world war. So w we’re not going to re hash that whole thing here. If you’re curious about this subject, that’s a definite recommend while it is certainly true, as miazaki has pointed out, that hori koshi giro himself was critical of the war during The post war era, though not so far as i know, before or during the war, i can still see why this film was very controversial in other parts of asia. It was condemned as a right wing film in south korea because it seemed to position japan as the primary victim of the war, but also denounced by some members of the japanese right as unpatriotic Because of its denunciation of the war itself, something more than a few right winger s considered to have been justified the whole time. But this sort of thinking about the war is not unique to meazaki, again, it’s pretty standard for people of his generation. The main example that comes to my mind, honestly, is the original version of heroshima’s peace-
Miyazaki’s Victimization Narrative
-
Miyazaki Hayao’s ‘The Wind Rises’ sparked controversy for portraying Japan as the primary victim of World War II.
This perspective, while not unique to Miyazaki, reflects a common sentiment among his generation, influenced by narratives like the original Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
Speaker 1
It was condemned as a right wing film in south korea because it seemed to position japan as the primary victim of the war, but also denounced by some members of the japanese right as unpatriotic Because of its denunciation of the war itself, something more than a few right winger s considered to have been justified the whole time. But this sort of thinking about the war is not unique to meazaki, again, it’s pretty standard for people of his generation. The main example that comes to my mind, honestly, is the original version of heroshima’s peace memorial museum, which used to describe war and the bomb is something that just kind of Happened to japan, this moment of victimization, out of the blue. And regardless of your feelings about the bomb, it’s a bit disingenuous to, as the museum used to just skip past japan’s war of aggression in asia as the actual reason that the war itself Happened. That old narrative has been reframed in the museum to day, but it still had a big influence on an entire generation of young japanese people, who could easily conceive of the war, first And foremost as something that happened to japan, rather than as something japan inflicted on other people. Thus, in a certain sense, the wind rises is the ultimate example of a seemingly obvious truth, that miazaki hio, like basically everyone else, is a man of the times in which he has lived. And that’s part, just a part of what i-
Miyazaki: A Man of His Times
-
Miyazaki, like everyone, is a product of his time.
This is part of what makes him and his work so interesting.
Speaker 1
Thus, in a certain sense, the wind rises is the ultimate example of a seemingly obvious truth, that miazaki hio, like basically everyone else, is a man of the times in which he has lived. And that’s part, just a part of what i think makes him so interesting. I mentioned earlier that i’m not big on anima, but even so, i’d unhesitatingly put miazaki up as one of the titans of the japanese film industry. I absolutely believe his name belongs up there with kurasaa and ozo and others in that respect. And just like kurasaa and ozo, part of appreciating his work is the sheer aesthetic beauty of it. But part of it is appreciating the work in its context, thinking about how it is shaped by and is responding to the times it was made in. So there’s my take on measaki, for what it’s
