The Representation of Japanese American History in Mother Country (1962) (66229)
Session Chair: Nan Wang
Friday, January 6, 2023 (10:55)
Session: Session 2
Room: 318A
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
Mother Country or Sanga ari (1962) is an epic film directed and written by Zenzo Matsuyama, and his wife Hideko Takamine, one of the big stars of the Japanese cinema in the post-WWII era, played the leading role. The film set between 1918 to 1946 depicts the hardships experienced by Japanese immigrants in Hawaii. As the Japan/US relations improved after the war, Japanese films began to utilize the image of Hawaii as a paradise to promote tourism, which was similar to the tendency of the Hollywood films set in Hawaii. Therefore, Mother Country was unprecedented in that it portrays a history of Japanese Americans in Hawaii, especially focusing on their sufferings and resilience. Yet, the contemporary reviews were not all positive. The director’s incompetence could be to blame, however, Japanese people’s lack of understanding on how and why Japanese Americans fought against Japan during the war and how they contributed to the post-war restoration of Japan could make the film underrated. This paper analyses the image of Japanese Americans in Mother Country and attempts to elucidate some characteristics of the representation of Hawaii in Japanese film. The paper surveys Japanese films set in Hawaii, and explains how Japanese Americans cooperated the production and how location shooting affects the text of those films. By analyzing the image of Japanese Americans in the scenes of wartime cooperation and comparing both Japanese and Hawaiian reviews, the paper explains the distinctive features and historical importance ofMother Country from various viewpoints.
Authors:
Miyoko Shimura, Nihon University, Japan
Risa Nakayama, Wako University, Japan
About the Presenter(s)
Professor Miyoko Shimura is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Nihon University in Japan
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