Chrysanthemum and Knife was originally an investigation report by American anthropologist Ruth Benedict, who was ordered by the American government to analyze and study Japanese society and the Japanese nation, in order to guide the United States to control Japan after its defeat. 1946 was officially published, and the Japanese version was 1949, which caused strong repercussions in the United States and Japan. Mr. Jin Kemu specially recommended this book and affirmed the research results of this female scholar. In fact, the U.S. government's postwar policy toward Japan and Japan's corresponding response are basically consistent with the analysis in this book. It can be described as a guide book for the United States to transform Japan and analyze Japan. This book is also regarded as a must-read for studying Japanese national character and an outstanding example of the direct application of social science research to political practice. Supplement: 1944, Japan was defeated in World War II, and the United States was eager to formulate its postwar policy toward Japan. Benedict, a cultural anthropologist, was entrusted by Washington to study Japan. Chrysanthemum and Knife is the result of this research: a report on war and military issues as cultural issues. His research opinions were not only adopted by American military diplomatic decision-making, but also called the originator of modern Japanese studies in Japan, which is a classic work of cultural anthropologists studying Japan.
Chrysanthemum is the symbol of Japanese royal family, and knife is the cultural symbol of Wu family. The femininity of chrysanthemum reminds people of the beauty of traditional Japanese life in Pillow Grass and the tragic beauty of female Wen Ya in Kawabata Yasunari's works. Knives resort to violence, and the most memorable thing is that Japanese samurai raised their knives and cut themselves in the stomach. Chrysanthemums and knives are like cherry blossoms and warriors. Benedict chose these two images with different connotations to symbolize the contradictory personality of Japanese nationals or the duality of Japanese culture. As the author concludes: "The Japanese are extremely aggressive and very gentle; Militant and loving beauty; Pride, self-esteem and politeness; Stubborn but weak and fickle; Tame without being pushed around; Loyalty is easy to defect; Brave and timid; Conservative, very welcome to a new way of life. "
The Japanese nation is a nation with fanatical spiritual beliefs, believing that spirit is better than material strength. As early as 1930s, General Araki, a former army minister and militarist, publicized Japan's "sincere mission" through "Letter to Japanese Nationals", that is, "to carry forward the imperial way within the four seas, and the disparity in strength is not a concern, so why be afraid of material things!" There is also such a traditional slogan in Japan's tactical manual: "Use our training against the enemy's numerical superiority, and use our flesh and blood against the enemy's steel." During World War II, their air force "Kamikaze Special Forces" even attacked American warships by suicide. This shows the soldiers' loyalty to his majesty. The emperor and Japan are inseparable. The emperor is the highest symbol of the Japanese, the center of the national religious life and the object of super-religious belief.
Unlike the United States, it does not attach importance to freedom and equality. Japanese society emphasizes hierarchical order, which is a different standard of living between the two countries. Using different honorifics, bowing and bowing are very familiar Japanese daily manners. Even in family life, we should abide by the hierarchy based on gender, seniority and long-term inheritance. In political, religious, military, industrial and other fields, Japan has a very comprehensive hierarchical arrangement. All levels and departments have their own functions and powers, and those who exceed their authority will be punished. This so-called "take your positions, take your positions." This kind of moral ethics that permeates ordinary life is really "made in Japan". Japan exported the war to establish a new international hierarchical order, but they assumed that the Japanese should be at the high end of the hierarchy.
The author describes the Japanese moral standards through keywords such as kindness, friendship and reputation, and at the same time describes a human world composed of bathing, sleeping, eating, romance and alcoholism, and finally points out the Japanese moral dilemma. The conclusion is that Japanese culture is a "shame culture" different from the "guilty culture" in Europe and America: they are based on shame and rely on external coercion to do good. The extreme expression of this culture is the popular suicide phenomenon and war output in Japan. The Japanese won their reputation by killing themselves properly to wash away their shame, which reminds us of the samurai's belly cutting again. The deep motive of launching a war of aggression abroad is still reputation, and the Japanese urgently demand to win "respect" in the world.
Chrysanthemum and Knife has become a classic study of the Japanese nation since it was published in 1946. Although the writing of this book belongs to commissioned research, and the author has never been to Japan, she takes Japanese detained in the United States during the war as the object of investigation, and at the same time refers to a large number of books, periodicals, Japanese literature and movies, discusses many aspects of Japanese lifestyle and asks why Japan has become a Japanese nation. The book was first translated and published by the Commercial Press in 1986 and reprinted many times. This time, China Publishing House launched a collection of illustrations. The advantage of this edition is that more than 100 Japanese classic paintings can not only give people a glimpse of the development of Japanese painting, but also find emotional arguments for some conclusions in the book.