Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan: A Political Biography (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies) [Hardcover]

Stephen Large (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0415032032 | ISBN-13: 978-0415032032 | Edition: 1

For more than 60 years Hirohito was Emperor - a confusing mixture of "absolute" ruler, constitutional monarch and god. Much was done in his name, yet we know little about him or the part he really played in the making of modern Japan. This political history of Showa Japan tests the controversies surrounding Hirohito against the written evidence of his entire reign. The result is a review of that era. It spans enormous upheavals in state and society, identifying broad patterns of cause and effect and relating the monarchy to the complex problem of political power. Hirohito was confronted first with the political ambitions of the military and then with the democratizing reforms of the occupation period. The author shows how the Emperor's character and personal influence were to prove as crucial as his national authority in preserving a significant monarchy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

At last . . . a sound, readable, well researched and balanced book about the late Emperor has been produced. Dr. Large is to be congratulated on this welcome contribution to the study of modern Japanese history. It should be a standard work for all students of the Showa period.
–Sir Hugh Cortazzi, Proceedings of the Japan Society

Stephen Large's persuasively even-handed biography makes it clear that Hirohito's advisers misled him from the start.
–The Guardian

About the Author

Stephen Large is Lecturer in Modern Japanese Studies at Cambridge University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (October 22, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415032032
• ISBN-13: 978-0415032032
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,389,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, even-handed biography balances out Bix and Behr, May 8, 2005

By 

M. Hadeishi "synthetic zero" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan: A Political Biography (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies) (Hardcover)

This biography goes a long way towards a balanced, even-handed, and realistic portrait of an Emperor who has been mischaracterized as either completely powerless or disingenuously powerful by recent biographers such as Herbert Bix. I believe Stephen Large's book is an excellent reference and goes a long way to exposing the overreach of Herbert Bix's interpretation of history while nevertheless agreeing that Hirohito had more involvement in the war effort than has been previously assumed. Citing numerous original source documents, of particular interest to me was the writings of the aged genro Saionji, it becomes quite clear that Hirohito was buffeted by several conflicting impulses: an initial desire to avoid war while remaining patriotic and a desire to avoid influencing government while at the same time willing to make exceptions in rare cases. I believe Large makes a convincing case that Hirohito was not, in fact, initially enthusiastic about the war, and he did side with the so-called "peace party" --- it was only later in the war that he became more involved, and Saionji lamented that the Emperor no longer listened to him --- however I think it's fairly clear that the Emperor was merely going along with a decision that was certainly not his to make, and by the end, when defeat became obvious, he gratefully came back to his "peace party" roots. I think there's little doubt that Hirohito was a man thrust into a position of symbolic influence when he wasn't well-suited for the task, and Large does a great job of documenting and validating this view.

I highly recommend this book for serious scholars of wartime Japan.

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Emperor Hirohito?, July 27, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan: A Political Biography (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies) (Hardcover)

When did he become Emperor and where did Mr. Lange get his information? Doesn't he know that President Wilson lied about Pearl Harbor and that the real Emperor is not from Tokyo Castle at all but south where the older castles are? Is he sane?