Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the often-neglected history of castles in modern Japan, and how they were transformed from unwanted “feudal” relics to symbols of Japan’s proud martial heritage. It further explores the central role castles played in the militarization of society in imperial Japan.

Paper long abstract:

In 1931, following months of construction work, the great keep of Osaka Castle was opened to the public to great fanfare, 270 years after the last keep on the site had burned down due to a lightning strike. The new massive concrete structure was now the largest keep in Japan, and was the culmination of an unprecedented push by civil society groups to reconstruct “their” castle.

By the 1920s, castles were firmly established as key symbols of local and national heritage, but this was a recent development. Only 50 years earlier, the vast majority of Japan’s castles were destroyed as unwanted “feudal” relics in the drive towards “civilization and enlightenment” at the start of the Meiji period.

This paper looks at the role of castles in the transition from the Tokugawa to Meiji periods. Like samurai, castles were seen by many in Japan as embarrassing reminders of the discredited old order. There was little nostalgic feeling towards castles, and they were auctioned off, torn down, or left to decay, just as former samurai received scant consolation from the majority of the population that saw them as its oppressors. By 1900, however, both samurai and castles had become established as positive symbols of Japan’s proud and supposedly ancient martial heritage. This transformation was driven by events in Japan, but was also closely tied to global developments in attitudes to history, heritage, and the growth of nationalism throughout the world. In Japan specifically, while inextricably tied to the premodern past, castles became directly linked to the military and imperial house, playing a vital role in the militarization of society in Imperial Japan.