The God Susanoo and Korea in Japans Cultural Memory: Ancient Myths and Modern Empire

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This book discusses how ancient Japanese mythology was utilized during the colonial period to justify the annexation of Korea to Japan, with special focus on the god Susanoo. Described as an ambivalent figure and wanderer between the worlds, Susanoo served as a foil to set off the sun goddess, who played an important role in the modern construction of a Japanese national identity. Susanoo inhabited a sinister otherworld, which came to be associated with colonial Korea. Imperialist ideologues were able to build on these interpretations of the Susanoo myth to depict Korea as a dreary realm at the margin of the Japanese empire that made the imperial metropole shine all the more brightly. At the same time, Susanoo was identified as the ancestor of the Korean people. Thus, the colonial subjects were ideologically incorporated into the homogeneous Japanese family state. The book situates Susanoo in Japans cultural memory and shows how the deity, while being repeatedly transformed in order to meet the religious and ideological needs of the day, continued to symbolize the margin of Japan.

Reviews

The first in-depth study in the English language of Susanoo. Susanoo and Korea in Japans Cultural Memory is a welcome addition to the growing literature on Japanese deities and Japans colonial history, as well as the question of Korea in Japanese intellectual history more generally. * Sujung Kim, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, DePauw University, USA *
David Weiss has tackled the long overdue task of heaping Amaterasus shady brother out of the shadows, arguing for his importance not only in Japanese mythology and Shinto, but also for political purposes under Japanese Imperialism. Uncovering the Korean link of Susanoo together with his representations and interpretations not only benefits scholars, but it also supplies under- and postgraduate students with an authoritative introduction to Susanoo and the diverse roles he plays in Japans cultural memory. * Juljan E. Biontino, Assistant Professor of Japanese and Korean Modern History at Chiba University, Japan *

Author Bio

David Weiss is Assistant Professor of Japanese Premodern Literatures and Languages at Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.