From “Tradition” to “Modernity”: Science, Medicine, Technology and Society in Japan – from Tokugawa to World War II

Life in Japan from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century was replete with far-reaching changes over a span of a relatively short time. What was the nature of the life of a person, who was born towards the end of the Tokugawa Rule (1600-1868), who experienced the transition into Meiji (1868-1912) and the numerous reforms that accompanied it, and finally - the implementation of the principle of “Total War” during the Showa era (1912-1989)? Throughout the course we will ask if and to what extent the major reforms “from above” affected the individual. Did life change so significantly, shaking the ground on which it was based, or was there not much new under the sun? And did the degree of influence differ according to the individual’s background, gender, and place of birth? To answer these questions we will focus specifically on various aspects of the history of science, medicine and technology in Japan. We will argue that the development of science, medicine and technology is closely dependent on and fundamentally intertwined with the social, political and cultural context. We will then examine how political and social changes affected the degree of continuity and change as they were manifested in each field, and how each field formed the political and social reality in return - from the way people thought about their own body to the development of fighter aircrafts flying above them.