literary subjects adrift

434 Pages·2009·7.13 MB·English

LITERARY SUBJECTS ADRIFT: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF EARLY MODERN
JAPANESE CASTAWAYNARRATIVES, CA. 1780-1880
by
MICHAEL S. WOOD
A DISSERTATION
Presentedto the Department ofEast Asian
Languages and Literatures
and the Graduate School ofthe University ofOregon
in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements
for the degree of
Doctor ofPhilosophy
March2009
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University ofOregon Graduate School
Confirmation ofApproval and Acceptance ofDissertation prepared by:
Michael Wood
Title:
"Literary Subjects Adrift: A Cultural History ofEarlyModemJapanese Castaway
Narrratives, ca. 1780-1880"
This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment ofthe
requirements for the DoctorofPhilosophy degree inthe Department ofEastAsian
Languages & Literature by:
StephenKohl, Chairperson, EastAsian Languages & Literature
AlisaFreedman, Member, EastAsian Languages & Literature
MaramEpstein, Member, EastAsian Languages & Literature
Jeffrey Hanes, Outside Member, History
and Richard Linton, Vice Presidentfor Research and Graduate Studies/Deanofthe
Graduate School for the University ofOregon.
March 20, 2009
Original approval signatures are on file withthe Graduate School and the University of
Oregon Libraries.
III
© 2009 Michael S. Wood
IV
An Abstractofthe Dissertation of
Michael S. Wood forthe degree of Doctor ofPhilosophy
inthe DepartmentofEastAsian Languages and Literatures
to betaken March 2009
Title: LITERARY SUBJECTS ADRIFT: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF EARLY
MODERN JAPANESE CASTAWAY NARRATIVES, CA. 1780-1880
Approved: _
Dr. Stephen W. Kohl
In the postwar era, early modemofEdo period (1600-1868) Japan has most
often beenrepresented as a culture in isolation due to ostensibly draconian Bakufu regime
policies thatpromised death to anyone returning from abroad (sakokuron, orthe
"Closed-Country" theory). While historians ofJapan acknowledge limited contact with
Dutch, Chinese, Korean, and Tyukyuans, the two hundred and sixty-some years ofthe
Edo Periodhas consistently been interpreted as atime in which an indigenous Japanese
culture developed and flourished without the corrupting influence ofextensive foreign
contact. This projecttakes as its subjectthe stories ofthousands ofJapanese fisherman
and sailors who became distressed at sea(hy6ryumin) and subsequently drifted
throughout the Pacificbefore beingrescued and repatriated by foreigners during the late
18th and 19th centuries. The hundreds ofnarratives thatcomprise this textual category of
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early modemhy6ryuki or "castaway narratives" served as the primary means of
representing encounters with foreigners in and around the Pacific regionand, inturn
projecting anemerging Japanese national consciousness. The origins ofthese hy6ryuki
are tied to the earlier establishment ofdiplomaticprotocol for handling repatriated
castaways primarily within an East Asiancontextand the kuchigaki ("oral testimonial")
narrative records that resulted from interrogations ofthe repatriated subjects by both
bakufu and domain officials. Late Edo castaways also had their stories ofdrift recorded in
kuchigaki form, however withthe encroachmentoffirst Russian, and later English,
American, and other western ships inthe waters offthe coast ofJapan inthe late Edo
period (post-1780) other hy6ryuki forms-both scholarly and popular-came to
proliferate, as it became imperative to translate and re-imagine geopolitical developments
inthe greater Pacific. This dissertation not only uncovers a diverse textual and cultural
category ofhy6ryuki, but also the complicated interrelationship between cultural
production and concrete territorial and political concerns ofthe State. In so doing, itnot
only challenges traditional historiography ofearly modem Japan, but also reclaims a
certain cultural specificity for the late Edo Japanese hy6ryuki, contextualizing these texts
within a more global process ofcolonizationand modemNation-State formation.
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CURRICULUM VITAE
NAME OF AUTHOR: Michael S. Wood
PLACE OF BIRTH: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DATE OF BIRTH: November 17,1969
GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED:
University ofOregon, Eugene
Meiji University, Tokyo
Tokyo University
Kenyon College, Gambier
DEGREES AWARDED:
Doctor ofPhilosophy, Japanese Literature, September 2008, University ofOregon
Master ofArts, 1999, University ofOregon
Certificate in Japanese Linguistics and Language Education, 1994, Council of
Local Authorities for International Relations (Tokyo)
Bachelor ofArts, 1992, Kenyon College
AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST:
Japanese and East Asian Cultural Studies
Pacific Maritime History
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Professor ofPractice in Asian Studies, Tulane University, from summerof2008
Teaching Assistant, Department ofEast Asian Languages and Literatures,
University ofOregon, Eugene, 1996-2001,2003-2006,2008
VB
Visiting Instructor, DepartmentofCultural Studies, Fuji Women's University,
Sapporo, April 2007 to September2007
Joshu, Faculty ofLawand Politics, University ofHokkaid6, Sapporo, April 2006
to March2007
GRANTS, AWARDS AND HONORS:
2004 Esterline Award for Outstanding Conference Paper, "Masculinism,
Colonialism, and the Late-Edo CastawayNarrative," Asian Studies onthe
Pacific Coast Awards Committee, 2004
Yamada OsamitsuResearch Fellowship, April 200I-March2002
Meiji University Graduate School Fellowship for Foreign Students, Meiji
University, Tokyo, April 2002-March 2003
PUBLICATIONS:
Wood, Michael. "Masculinism, Colonialism, and the Late-Edo Castaway
Narrative: Japanese Accounts ofPortBrothels in the Pacific." InE
ASPAC: A Peer-Reviewed Electronic Journal for Asian Studies (2005
Issue).
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have benefited immensely from having had many caring friends and generous
mentors at several institutionsduring the courseresearch for this dissertation. I am
grateful for the training I received atthe University ofOregon duringmy Master's degree
program and in the first year ofmy Doctoral program, from the following professors: the
late Alan Wolfe, Steven Brown, Andrew Goble, Yoko McClain, Michael Fishlen,
Stephen Durrant, Bob Felsing, Eric Cazdyn, Michael Baskett, Joe Fraccia, Liz Bohls, and
Kyoko Tokuno. From 2001-2003, I carried outresearch in Japan and studied Edo period
cultural and intellectual history at Meiji University Graduate School under the guidance
ofProfessor Hirano Mitsuru. At the same time, Iwas taking seminars inEast Asian
history with Professor Ronald Toby atTokyo University. I was also fortunate enoughto
have met Professor Haruna Akira while in Tokyo. My two years inTokyo were an
exciting time oflearning and discovery, and Iammost grateful to Professors Hirano,
Toby, and Harunafor making it so stimulating. Professor Hirano's tutorials using Edo
period handwritten manuscripts and his suggestions for certainarchival research were
most helpful. Professor Toby, perhaps more thananyone else, has opened my eyesto
new ways ofseeing history and culture. In bothhis marathon seminars at Tokyo
University and his helpful guidance as a mentor, he has been an inspirational scholarand
teacher. I only regret that I could not arrange for him to be part ofthe formal dissertation
committee. The advice and generosity ofHaruna Sensei both inTokyo, and later as a
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fellow participant in a series ofconference panels on castaways, are most appreciated. I
am also thankful for the kindness ofall my seminar mates at Meiji and Tokyo University.
While I cannot name them all, I must note Saito Tomomi, Kato kun, and Fujii kun at
Meiji, as well as Watanabe Miki and Peter Shapinsky at Tokyo University. Itwas in
conversations with them that I was able to work out some ofthe early kinks in my
research. The Yamamoto family was most kind to let me stay in their guesthouse in
Tokyo for two years. I spent another two years, from 2006-2007, in Sapporo as ajoshu
in the Faculty ofLaw and Politics at Hokkaido University, and later, as aresearcher at the
Center for the Advanced Study ofLaw and Politics and as a part-time lecturer in
Japanese history at Fuji Women's University. During this time I was fortunate enoughto
worked with so many outstanding colleagues from whose kindnesses I benefited. While
space does not allow me to mention everyone by name, Iwould liketo thank Professors
Matsuura Masataka, Hasegawa Ko, Makabe Jin, and Sorai Mamoru ofthe H6gakubu;
Professor Inoue Katsuo ofthe Bungakubu; as well as Professor Imanishi Hajime ofOtaru
University ofCommerce. Participation inthe Inoue zemi was a wonderful chance to
refine my thoughts as Iwas begim1ingto write thefinal two chapters. I am also grateful
to my fellow seminar mates in Hokkaido (particularly Asai san and Matsumoto san), the
graduate students with whom I shared research space, Maeda san ofHokkaido University
Press, Michael Burtscher now at Tokyo University, Ishihara san ofSapporodo, and
Akizuki Sensei. The companionship ofmy fellow graduate students at the University of
Oregon over the lastten years has also been appreciated. While I cannot name everyone,
I would like to personally thank Kyle, Ken-, Sudeshna, Peter, Masako, Junji, Takashi,
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Celia, Charles, Nate, Paulo, Tom, Roberto, Madoka, Tony, Kathryn, Miwako, Akiko,
Alex, Dave, Rod, Jayson, Eric, and all the Friday night musicians.
I reserve my greatest gratitude for my committee members who have given
selflessly while I have tried to finish this project, and my family members, who have
patiently waited for me to finish. Professor Jeffrey Hanes who, beforeI was ever inthe
doctoral program, gently guided me with questions and at times, more direct advice, has
also been one ofmy closest and most careful readers. ProfessorMaram Epstein has
offered me fresh eyes and helped immensely in getting me to say what Iwant to say.
Going over drafts in her backyard will be one ofmy fond memories ofthe dissertation
writing process. I am also grateful to Professor Alisa Freedman, who managed to
participate in a dissertation defense despite her most hectic and busy summer inTokyo.
However, withoutthe enduringmentoring ofmy committee chair-Professor Stephen
Kohl-this project would not be what it is today. How many advisors would drive half
way across the country with a canoe atop their car in orderto go camping for a week with
one oftheir graduate students? Not only did he first introduce me to this topic ofEdo
period castaway accounts, he has spentyears translating documents with me, engaging
my thoughts, and serving as amodel teacher. To both him and his wife, Katie, Ipartially
dedicate this dissertation. I wish we hadmore time to visit before I leave Eugene.
Without the help ofsuch committed committee members, I would never have finished
this project. However, any shortcomings are mine and mine alone.
I much appreciate the concern and support ofmy parents and in-laws, the
Kanazawa's. But it is with love and gratitudethat I also dedicate this dissertation to my