ハワイ「明治百年祭」イベント（1968年）と日系アメリカ人の記憶

抄録

The Meiji Restoration was a chain of events that many scholars consider to mark the beginning of Japanese Modernization. In 1968, to honor its modern incarnation, Japan celebrated the Meiji Centennial as one of its biggest media events after World War II. The Japanese Government focused on Japan’s achievements over the past century and aimed to create a positive image by establishing Tokyo as the symbol of Japanese Modernization. It also became involved with the Meiji Centennial celebrated in Hawaii by Japanese-Americans.

For the Japanese, the meaning of the event was to show respect for ancestors who worked hard, fought for their country, and even died on the path to modernization. However, Japanese-Americans in Hawaii celebrated this event to show appreciation for their elders who worked hard to create a positive image of Japanese immigrants. They focused on their immigration history because their memories were very different from what the Japanese Government wanted to impose. Furthermore, for Japanese-Americans “The Memory of the Realm” in Japan was not Tokyo, but Kyoto. Therefore, Japanese-Americans in Hawaii used imagery from Kyoto rather than Tokyo. Thus arose a conflict in giving meaning to the Meiji Centennial, as both sides aimed to create a different memory of the past.

This study analyses the Meiji Centennial event in Hawaii and its differences from that held in Japan. It explains the meaning of the event for Japanese-Americans in Hawaii and the meaning that the Japanese Government attempted to ascribe to it. It also explains the miscommunication that occurred between Japan and Japanese-Americans. The analysis focuses on two projects (Rainbow Over the Pacific and the Byodo-in Temple) and explains differences in memories of The Meiji Restoration between Japan and Hawaii from the point of memory studies.