Post by Tori on Aug 18, 2010 0:37:49 GMT 1
Country: Nihon/Nippon/The Land of the Rising Sun/Japan
Real name: Honda Kiku
Personality: Japan is a shy, quiet, reserved nation - so reserved, in fact, that even those nations who have known him longest still find his behaviour to be at times inscrutable. While the rest of the world may find his island customs mysterious, to Japan they are quite normal.
Owing to the small, secluded area in which he grew up, Japan is very hard-working and disciplined. While proud of his own traditions, Japan is also intensely interested in the customs of other nations, and readily adopts those that he feels would be beneficial for himself, changing them to fit his own lifestyle.
In general, Japan is very calm and pragmatic and polite, to the point of acting like an old man. He is very difficult to upset, although it is said that Japan's anger would be "the scariest". Due to the 250 years he spent in voluntary isolation from the rest of the world, Japan seems to find social or intimate situations intensely awkward. Nevertheless, Japan is also known to be something of a pervert and an otaku.
Likes:
- Reading the atmosphere
- Cute things, especially animals like cats and dogs
- Order, simplicity, routine, proper behaviour, wabi-sabi
- The art, history, and culture of other nations
- Electronics, technology, and industry
- Fishing, manga, gardening, tea, etc
Dislikes:
- Improper or 'shameless' behaviour
- Russia. Just Russia.
- Discussion of the events of WWII
History:
Asuka Period - 530 to 710
Japan came into being in the year 660 BC, on February 11th.
During this time Buddhism was introduced to Japan, originally by Korea, but eventually spread primarily through the influence of China.
Nara Period - 710 to 793
Struggles over political power began between the court, influential Buddhist priests, and the military clan of Fujiwara. Historical writing was prevalent during this time, with the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki establishing the mythological origins of Japan as the domain of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu.
Heian Period - 794 to 1185
The Fujiwara Clan established its predominance in the Imperial Court. The oldest Japanese literature was written and compiled during this time, including Genji no Monogatari and Kokin Wakashu. By the end of this period, four powerful clans, including the Fujiwara Clan, had begun to vie for power.
Feudal Japan - 1185 to 1603
Political power in Japan became dominated by regional, feudal families (daimyo) the military might of the ruling warlord (shogun), and the legal and social pre-eminence of the samurai. Between 1274 and 1281, the Mongol invasions of Japan were twice repelled by typhoons, thereafter referred to as kamikaze or divine wind by Japan. During this time the Emperor and his Imperial Court were relegated to mere figureheads, and power changed hands several times as one warlord was defeated by another.
Edo or Tokugawa Period - 1603 to 1866
Japan was successfully united by the Tokugawa Clan following the Battle of Sekigahara into a powerful, centralized government. The longest lasting period of peace in Japanese history, many artistic developments occurred, among them the emergence of ukiyo-e, kabuki, and geisha. In the early part of this period, Christianity spread amongst the peasantry. The new and still-fragile Tokugawa shogunate viewed this new religion and its missionaries as the forerunners of a Western invasion of Japan. It violently expelled priests, forced Christian peasants to renounce their religion through torture, and placed increasingly restrictive laws on foreigners in Japan.
This eventually resulted in the peasant-led Shimabara Rebellion, and in order to curb any further revolts, Japan adopted a policy of nearly complete seclusion from the outside world which would last almost 250 years. This seclusion was only reversed with the arrival of Commodore Perry, who forced the Tokugawa shogunate to sign several unequal trade agreements with his superior military display.
Meiji Period - 1868 to 1912
Viewed as a profoundly humiliating experience, the 'opening of Japan' forced the nation to make abrupt changes to both society and government in order to protect himself against any further Western imperialism. Only 14 years after the United States' arrival in Japan, the Tokugawa Government was forced to resign from power and a parliamentary constitutional government was adopted in its place. Japan's military was modernized and industry, under the guidance of the new government, took hold throughout the state.
Seeking to establish a 'line of advantage' beyond his borders from which Japan could draw resources and maintain military advantage against Western encroachment, Japan would become involved in battles both with China (Sino-Japanese War 1894-1895) and Russia (Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905) over, respectively, the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria. Following the end of the conflict with China, the little island of Taiwan came to live with Japan. Korea was also formally annexed by Japan in 1910, although allowed to remain in his own home.
World War One - 1914 to 1918
In accordance with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance signed into treaty in 1902, Japan entered WWI on the side of the British Empire. Fighting against the German presence in East Asia, Japan's influence quickly spread throughout the region. Japan also became quite prosperous during this period of time, establishing colonies in formerly German-held areas and maintaining a military presence in Russian-held Outer Manchuria well into 1925.
World War Two - 1937 to 1945
In 1931 Japan gained control of Inner Manchuria and from there, beginning in 1937, fought against China in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Following a Pact entered with Nazi Germany to coordinate efforts against the Soviet Union, Japan formed the Axis Pact with Germany and Italy in 1940. When Japanese assets in the United States were frozen in response to the violence occurring in China, Japan, who relied on international trade and resources, was forced to retaliate despite the knowledge that a war against America would almost certainly not end favorably. In December of 1941, Japan successfully attacked Pearl Harbor.
At the same time, Japan gained control of British-held Hong Kong, who would live in Japan's home for 4 years. In addition, Japan liberated Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos from French control, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore from British control, and Indonesia from the Dutch. Japan also entered into an alliance with Thailand, and occupied Burma.
Despite these accomplishments, the Japanese Navy was eventually crippled by the United States Navy, and daily air raids on Japan by the United States Air Force resulted in the destruction of nearly every major city. Japan was forced to accept unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, then, 3 days later, of Nagasaki, which saw the loss of over 200,000 lives within 4 months of the attacks.
Post-War Japan and Occupation - 1945 to 1952
Following defeat, the Empire of Japan was dissolved. Taiwan and Hong Kong were returned to China and Great Britain, respectively. Korea was taken under the wing of the fledgling United Nations. The USSR, which had declared war on Japan only one day prior to the bombing of Nagasaki, retained control over southern Sakhalin and the Kuril islands.
For the first time in his history, Japan was occupied by a foreign power - the United States. Upon surrender, Japan was forced to ratify a new constitution, one which forbid him from maintaining armed forces, introduced universal human rights, suffrage for women, abolished Shinto as the state religion, the establishment of an elected Japanese Diet answerable to the Japanese public, as well as introducing various liberal political and economic policies designed to strengthen democratic values and economic stability in Japan.
Post-Occupation and the Heisei Period - 1952 to Present
Japan benefited from not only the Korean War but also the United States' involvement in the Cold War. Fearing regional domination of East Asia by the USSR, the United States facilitated and supported Japan's recovery to a high degree, using the nation as a foothold in Asia as well as a military base and supplier of goods. Some degree of political autonomy once again took root in Japan, with its two major parties - the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and the liberal Social Democratic Party - forming in 1955.
Economically, Japan made great progress in a relatively short period of time, with the most rapid period of economic growth occurring between 1989 and 1991. During this period of time, Japan's economic might was so great that even the United States began to feel threatened. Although economic growth has since stagnated, Japan, on the brink of destruction only decades earlier, today remains the third largest economy in the world.
Japan managed to re-establish ties with the Republic of China following WWII, and although initially it maintained relations with the nationalist government of Taiwan, Japan officially recognized the Republic of China in 1972. In modern times, Japan's relationship with his Asian neighbours is very delicate - despite apologies issued by several Japanese Prime Ministers, nations such as China and Korea see Japan as insincere concerning his actions during WWII. The re-emergence of conservative politics and the push for further military presence abroad - even if only for the purposes of humanitation and non-military aid to other nations - has only exacerbated these long-standing issues. The recent emergence of China as a real global economic power has likewise made Japan uneasy, and more eager than ever to assert himself internationally.
Role Play Example:
-Japan woke early in the morning - so early, in fact, that the soft morning light was just barely enough to see by as he folded and put away his futon. The air was still and quiet and goosebumps shivered along his bare arms as he carefully tucked back the sleeves of his sleeping clothes.
Pouring water into the tea pot, lighting the stove, all of these things were as integral and effortless a part of his morning routine as waking itself. The water he left, alone, to boil. It would take 5 and a half minutes to finish and several more for the tea to steep, and he only four of those minutes to bathe. It was simply too nice a morning to waste good, hot water soaking in the tub, and so he only filled a bucket, just enough for him to wash his hair and scrub at his body with a bit of soap. In times like these, frugal living was of utmost importance. He could feel the itch of irritation in his throat, the ache in his joints even as he dressed himself for the coming day - sensations too vague to say if they meant to stay or to go. For now they were only things to be borne.
Taking his cup of tea out onto the balcony, Japan watched steam curl along the porcelain rim and then unfurl in the open air, the sun still little more than a slight, fragile white mist along the edge of the horizon, growing in between the clean lines of the Tokyo skyline. His chest twinged with old pains, the joints of his arms and legs with new ones. His eyes and lungs were full of the sky. It would be a good day. -