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Japan discovers the West. The Iwakura mission in Austria-Hungary.

On December 23rd 1871, a high-ranking Japanese delegation embarks on a journey from Yokohama to the USA and Europe. After the country’s opening after approximately 250 years of isolation, Japan wants to become acquainted with “the Western civilization,” gain know-how for the modernization of their own country and achieve a revision of the current unequal trade agreements it was forced to concur with. The Austrian-Hungarian mission arrives in May of 1873.

Japan’s departure into modernism with a grand cast

Education, law, medicine, military, industry and technology – the Japanese delegation is hoping for new insights in these areas, which are supposed to further their country’s modernization and development. For instance, there is no railroad in Japan at the time of the delegation’s departure. All the more exciting, therefore, are the rail connection between San Francisco and New York as well as the mountain railway across the Semmering. Led by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, vice president Tomomi Iwakura, the namesake of this mission, half of the government travels to twelve Western contracting member states. Among this group of 40 people are government officials, scholars, students and the chronicler Kunitake Kume (1839 – 1932). Kume’s extensive travel log is published in 1878. This contingent of people shows the great importance that Japan attributed to this endeavour, notes Japanologist and historian Peter Pantzer, professor emeritus at the University of Bonn.
With this mission, the leadership of the Meiji government was able to get an idea of the effects of modernization. In cooperation with his team, Peter Pantzer translated the passages regarding Germany, Austria and Switzerland from Kume’s travel log.

Text: Judith Brandner

Translation: Leonie Krösslhuber and Adam Gregus

No Edelweiss on Fujiyama

Geisha, cherry blossoms, sukiyaki, Fujiyama, Tōkyō, Yokohama, Nagasaki…those are only some of numerous stereotypes to be associated with Japan in the West, and which were used in popular music since the end of the 18^th century. In Austria, Japan drew much attention with its presentation at the 1873 World Exposition in Vienna. Japonism found its place within the fine arts through Japanese motifs and styles. In the world of music, Japan was hyped through operas and operettas. Because of their popularity, Japanologist Sepp Linhart subsumes them under ‘popular music’. Emeritus Professor and Head of the Institute of Japanese Studies, Sepp Linhart, researched about Japan’s image in western popular music.

Due to the enormous success of operettas and operas such as ‘The Mikado’, ‘The Geisha’ or ‘Madama Butterfly’ (the most-performed opera worldwide) even more “Japan operettas” were created and “Japan songs” were written, having become very popular in the 1920s. They shaped our image of Japan. The 1920s and early 1930s were the heyday of Japanese popular songs, many of them composed by Austrians until the political situation terminated the production.  After 1945, Germany and Austria avoided Japan because of their alliance with Japan during World War II. This had impact on music production – as a topic, Japan did not exist at all. It was not until just before the 1960s that hits about Japan started appearing – utilizing old clichés and stereotypes. As Japan grew economically, her image in popular songs changed. In the 1980s, hit songs describe Japan as a “model” and as “Nr. 1”. There is even a reversion of the ‘Madama Butterfly-motif’ when western women sentimentally sing about Japanese men who deserted them… Sepp Linhart interprets this as a shift in paradigm.

Text: Judith Brandner