Japan`s military establishment as the effect of modernization in Meiji emperor era toward Japanese society as seen in John Logan`s The Last Samurai screenplay.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
JAPAN’S MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT AS THE EFFECT OF
MODERNIZATION IN MEIJI EMPEROR ERA TOWARD
JAPANESE SOCIETY AS SEEN IN JOHN LOGAN’S
THE LAST SAMURAI SCREENPLAY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
STEFFANI DHEA VIRGIYANTI
Student Number: 074214022
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2012
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
JAPAN’S MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT AS THE EFFECT OF
MODERNIZATION IN MEIJI EMPEROR ERA TOWARD
JAPANESE SOCIETY AS SEEN IN JOHN LOGAN’S
THE LAST SAMURAI SCREENPLAY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
STEFFANI DHEA VIRGIYANTI
Student Number: 074214022
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2012
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis
JAPAN’S MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT AS THE EFFECT OF
MODERNIZATION IN MEIJI EMPEROR ERA TOWARD
JAPANESE SOCIETY AS SEEN IN JOHN LOGAN’S
THE LAST SAMURAI SCREENPLAY
ii
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
“Imagine all the people living life in
peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but
I’m not the only one. I hope someday
you’ll join us, and the world will live
as one.”
(Imagine – John Lennon)
iv
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Fo r
Papa and Mama
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
LEMBAR PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH
UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Steffani Dhea Virgiyanti
NIM
: 074214022
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul Japan’s Military
Establishment As The Effect Of Modernization in Meiji Emperor Era toward
Japanese Society As Seen In John Logan’s The Last Samurai Screenplay
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan. Dengan demikian, saya memberikan kepada
Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam
bentuk lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara
terbatas dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media yang lain untuk
kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu mminta izin dari saya maupun memberikan
royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 30 November 2012
Yang menyatakan,
Steffani Dhea Virgiyanti
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank Jesus Christ, because without His
blessing, this thesis would not be done.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan
Wijanarka, M.Hum., for the time, suggestions, corrections, and patience. I also
want to express my gratitude to my co-advisor, Adventina Putranti, S.S., M.Hum.,
for the corrections and inputs for this thesis.
I also would like to sincerely thank my wonderful parents. Thank you,
Papa and Mama, for your endless love, caring, and support. I feel so blessed to
have Mas Ino as my big brother, who is always there for me. I also would like to
thank my late grandfathers and grandmothers who, I believe, are helping me from
up above. I also thank for the love and support from Suyitno family and Sugandi
family.
This thesis is done with the help and support from my friends, Aya, Zi,
Pibi, Iyin, Dita, Iyut, Asya, Irene, Tombro, Rosa, Fira, Kenan, Sonson, Herman,
Nisa, Martin, and Dico. Thank you guys, for the great friendship through our
college years. I also would like to thank Tika, Ncis, Chika, Pungky, and Julien, for
loving and supporting me, being my friends through good times and bad times.
Steffani Dhea Virgiyanti.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………
APPROVAL PAGE …………………………………………………….
ACCEPTANCE PAGE …………………………………………………
MOTTO PAGE………..…………………………………………………
DEDICATION PAGE ………………………………………………….
LEMBAR PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH
UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS .................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………
ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………….
ABSTRAK ………………………………………………………..……..
i
ii
iii
iv
v
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………..
A. Background of the Study ……………………………….……
B. Problem Formulation …………………………………………
C. Objectives of the Study ………………………………………
D. Definition of Terms …………………………………………..
1
1
3
3
4
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW …………………………..
A. Review of Related Studies …………………………………...
B. Review of Related Theories …………………………………..
1. Theories on Character and Characterization ………………
2. Theories on Setting ……………………………………….
3. Theories on Stage Directions ...............................................
4. Theories on Modernization ……………………………….
C. Review on Meiji Restoration and Satsuma Rebellion ………..
D. Theoretical Framework ……………………………………….
7
7
9
9
10
11
11
12
16
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ……………………………………
A. Object of the Study …………………………………………..
B. Approach of the Study ………………………………………..
C. Method of the Study ………………………………………….
18
18
19
19
vi
vii
viii
x
xi
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ……………………………………………. 21
A. The Characters in The Last Samurai as the Representation of
Japanese Society …………………………………………..…... 21
1. Moritsugu Katsumoto ……………………………………. 21
2. Omura ……………………………………………………. 29
3. Emperor Meiji …………………………………………… 36
B. The Presentation of Japanese Society in Meiji Emperor
Era in the Setting of The Last Samurai ……………..……....... 40
1. Physical Setting ……………………………………………. 41
2. Social Setting ……………………………………………….43
C. Japan’s Military Establishment as The Effect of Modernization
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toward Japanese Society seen in the Characteristics and Setting
of The Last Samurai ………..………………………………. 48
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ………………………………………
53
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………
55
APPENDIX ………………………………………………………….… 56
Summary of John Logan’s The Last Samurai ……,…………56
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ABSTRACT
STEFFANI DHEA VIRGIYANTI. Japan’s Military Establishment as The
Effect of Modernization in Meiji Emperor Era toward the Japanese Society
Seen in John Logan’s the Last Samurai Screenplay. Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.
Modernization in Japan is a big moment to the country because it is the
beginning of the golden era of Japan. Two big events happened to respond the
word modernization. The first one is Meiji Restoration. Westerners came and
forced Japan to make treaty with their country. Then, the scholars were sent
abroad to study, the Westerners were also called to Japan to teach Japan’s new
troops. The Emperor himself was the one who was overwhelmed by
modernization, thus he spread his enthusiasm to the society. The second event is
Satsuma Rebellion. It is the answer to the modernization itself. Samurai were
forbid to bring their swords and they were forced to join the modern army or in
other words, they should be gone. Being disappointed by the banishing, samurai
chose to fight against the new government. Those two main events are the
inspirations of John Logan’s The Last Samurai.
The writer uses John Logan’s The Last Samurai as the object of the study.
The writer formulates three questions to reach the final answer of the study. The
first problem formulation discusses the characterizations of selected characters as
the representations of Japanese society. The next one is the presentation of social
setting of Japan in Meiji Emperor era. The last problem formulation discusses the
effects of modernization toward the Japanese society as seen in the characters and
setting.
The writer uses library research method to finish the study. The sources of
the study are books, encyclopedia, articles, and online journals. They contain of
theories which are important to the study. The writer uses theories on character
and characterization, theories on setting, and theories on modernization, especially
the theory on social modernization in Japan. The writer uses socioculturalhistorical approach for this study.
The result of the analysis of the study shows that Japan’s military
establishment is the effect of the modernization toward the Japanese society.
Three characters are chosen to represent each response toward modernization.
Katsumoto represents samurai clan; opposing the idea of modernization, Omura
represents new government; new rules maker, and the Emperor represents Japan
as a nation. The Emperor also the one who propose the idea of modernization to
his people. The responses are the rebellion from samurai clan, opposing the new
rules set by the government; and the economic development in Japan. As a result
of those phenomenons, they make Japan settled in military, as their motto “fukoku
kyohei” which means rich country, strong army.
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ABSTRAK
STEFFANI DHEA VIRGIYANTI. Japan’s Military Establishment as The
Effect of Modernization in Meiji Emperor Era toward the Japanese Society
Seen in John Logan’s the Last Samurai Screenplay. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra
Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2012.
Modernisasi di Jepang adalah sebuah momen besar untuk negara Jepang
karena itu adalah awal dari jaman keemasan Jepang. Dua aksi besar terjadi untuk
merespon kata modernisasi. Aksi pertama adalah Restorasi Meiji. Bangsa Barat
datang dan memaksa Jepang untuk membuat perjanjian dengan Negara mereka.
Para cendekiawan dikirim ke luar negeri untuk belajar, dan orang-orang dari
bangsa Barat juga dipanggil ke Jepang untuk mengajar orang-orang Jepang. Sang
Kaisar sendirilah yang terkesima oleh modernisasi, maka dia menyebarkan
entusiasmenya ke masyarakat Jepang. Aksi kedua adalah Pemberontakan
Satsuma. Aksi ini adalah jawaban dari modernisasi. Para samurai dilarang untuk
membawa pedang mereka dan mereka dipaksa untuk bergabung dengan pasukan
modern, atau dengan kata lain, mereka harus hilang. Meresa kecewa dengan
penghapusan ini, para samurai memilih untuk melawan pemerintahan baru. Dua
kejadian utama itu adalah inspirasi dari The Last Samurai karya John Logan.
Penulis menggunakan The Last Samurai karya John Logan sebagai obyek
studi. Penulis merumuskan tiga pertanyaan untuk menjawa jawaban akhir dari
studi ini. Rumusan masalah pertama membicarakan tentang karakterisasi dari
beberapa karakter terpilih sebagai representasi masyarakat Jepang. Rumusan
masalah selanjutnya adalah presentasi latar sosial Jepang di era Kaisar Meiji.
Rumusan masalah terakhir membicarakan tentang efek dari modernisasi bagi
masyarakat Jepang seperti yang terlihat pada karakter-karakter dan latar.
Penulis menggunakan metode penelitian pustaka untuk menyelesaikan
studi ini. Sumber-sumber untuk studi ini adalah buku-buku, ensiklopedia, artikelartikel, dan jurnal daring. Sumber-sumber tersebut berisikan teori-teori yang
penting untuk studi ini. Penulis menggunakan teori karakter dan karakterisasi,
teori latar, dan teori modernisasi, khususnya teori modernisasi sosial di Jepang.
Penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosiokultural-historikal untuk studi ini.
Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah kemapanan militer Jepang merupakan efek
dari modernisasi. Tiga karakter dipilih untuk merepresentasikan respon masingmasing terhadap modernisasi. Katsumoto sebagai samurai menolak modernisasi,
Omura sebagai anggota pemerintahan dan pembuat aturan baru, dan Kaisar
sebagai negara Jepang, juga sebagai pencetus ide. Responnya adalah
pemberontakan kaum samurai, sebagai penolakan aturan baru, dan kemajuan
ekonomi di Jepang. Hasilnya, fenomena-fenomena tersebut membuat kemiliteran
Jepang mapan, seperti slogan mereka, fukoku kyohei yang berarti negara yang
kaya, dengan militer yang kuat.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
When we want to make a good movie, we need a good movie script, or
also called as screenplay. A screenplay is regarded as a work of art, and indeed, a
literary work nowadays. Gerald Mast states in his essay entitled “Literature and
Film”,
Films are works – indeed works of art – sequential, patterned, temporal
wholes that begin and end and, progressing from beginning to end,
elaborate some kind of content in some kind of style that illuminates,
reflects, or reveals that content. As works, films are analogous to plays,
novels, poems, and essays, the specific kinds of works implied by the
general study of literature. (Mast, 1982:285)
Thus, reading a screenplay is also as interesting as reading any other
literary works such as plays, novels, or poems since it also has the similar
properties with them. Properties such as themes, setting, characters, message, plot,
are found in the screenplay. Reading a good and clear screenplay help the readers
to gain a full understanding of the movie itself.
From the script of The Last Samurai, we can learn about the Japanese
society in 1870s. It is because The Last Samurai has a script which clearly depicts
the era of Meiji Emperor in Japan. The Last Samurai is written by John Logan in
2003, and the movie itself has won many awards, such as the Top Office Box
Movies in ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, as the Best Foreign Film
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from the Awards of Japanese Academy, and also nominated for several categories
in Academy Awards, USA.
The Last Samurai is about the rebellion of Japanese’s samurai in the era of
Meiji Restoration. In this era, Emperor Meiji tried to make Japan equal with
Western countries, which he knew as the great modern countries. He had advisors,
but only one who still held the tradition from the ancestors, which is the spirit of a
samurai (means: to serve). His name is Katsumoto. The problem was, the Emperor
and the other advisors thought that samurai will be the obstacle to be one of the
great modern nations. So, the rebellion from the samurai occurred since they still
hold the norms and values from old tradition.
Katsumoto lives with other samurai in the village. At the Meiji era, the
Japanese society is mainly peasant; it is because of the geographic area of Japan,
an archipelago with paddy fields everywhere. So, farming is the occupation that
they have, and some samurai live among them.
Meanwhile, in the city, samurai is no longer respected since the word
“modern” replaces the arrangement of social status. In the city of Edo, we will
find another kind of occupations, such as geisha, rickshaw rider, ambassador,
policeman, etc. That was why, in the script, when samurai came, only several
people still bow to the samurai, and the other were insulting them and their
traditional attitudes and appearance.
The spirit of the samurai is a good example to anyone who read the
script. The script obviously tells the readers to hold on to the culture and tradition
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
3
which the nation originally had. It is also a good example to understand why
history is such an important thing to be remembered. History, especially for a
nation is such an important element. One should not forget the history, since it
will remind us to the ancestors who had fought and defended the nation. We will
lose identity, will lose the uniqueness of culture, and lose the natural landscape, if
we forget the history.
So, in this undergraduate thesis, the writer will find out about the effect of
modernization in Meiji Emperor era toward the Japanese society, through John
Logan’s screenplay, The Last Samurai.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to make the study organized, the research questions below are
formulated as the guide and limitation of the subject that will be discussed:
1. How are the characters as the representation of Japanese society described
in the script?
2. How is the social setting of Japan in Meiji Emperor era presented in the
script?
3. What are the effects of modernization toward the Japanese society as seen
in the characters and the setting?
C. Objectives of the Study
In order to gain a complete analysis of the study, we should answer those
questions to identify how the characters represented Japanese society. We will see
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
4
who are the characters which are influenced by modernization and who are still
holding their traditional values. The study will also analyze the social setting of
Japanese society in 1870s, when the rebellion happened. It is necessary to know
the differentiation between the society which lived in the old ways, and those are
who had to live in the modern ways. Finally after answering those questions, we
need to identify the effects of the modernization itself in the Japanese society as
seen in the characters and the setting in the script.
D. Definition of Terms
To understand the title and avoid ambiguity, the writer will give
explanation about the terms presented in the thesis.
1. Modernization
The writer will only take the concept of modernization in Japan, instead of
writing about the general concept of modernization in literary world. In Changing
Conceptions of the Modernization of Japan, it is mentioned that “our ideas about
the nature of modern society and the process by which it came into being – if the
recent history of Japan is to be discussed in terms other than a set of discrete
monologues.” (Hall, 1965:8) Still in the same article, Hall quotes Yanaihara
Tadao’s describing about modernization in Japan, which is
Modernization in Japan involves Japan’s importation and assimilation of
the institutions, technology, and culture of Europe and the United States.
Simply stated it is equivalent to the Westernization of Japan’s society and
culture… but it is not the way of the world that Japanese society should
become exactly like that of the West. World culture is to be enriched by the
peculiar characteristics and differences of the cultures of various peoples in
the world. (Hall, 1965:12)
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Still in the same book, Hall arranges definitions of modernization, along with
other writers to gain the same perception of modernization, and three of the
definitions are “A comparatively high concentration of population in cities and the
increasingly urban-centeredness of the total society; widespread literacy
accompanied by the spread of a secular, and increasingly scientific, orientation of
the individual to his environment, business, industry, and the increasingly
bureaucratic organization of such institutions.” (Hall, 1965:19)
2. Meiji Emperor Era
It is also called the Meiji Restoration Era. It is an era of Japanese period,
which was led by Emperor Meiji (1852-1912). In Encyclopedia of Japan:
Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori , Emperor Meiji is “The 122nd
reigning Emperor (tenno) in the traditional count; he reigned 1867-1912. The
Meiji Emperor’s given name was Mitsuhito, but after his death he became known
by the name of his reign, Meiji, “Enlightened Peace.” (Perkins, 1991:208). The
restoration itself happened in 1868. Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and
Culture, from Abacus to Zori states Meiji Restoration as “the restoration of
political authority to the Emperor; the beginning of the modern era of Japan.”
(Perkins, 1991: 208).
3. Japanese society
Society, in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is described as “[1]
people in general, living together in communities [2] a particular community of
people who share the same customs, laws, etc.” (Hornby, 2005:1453). So, in brief,
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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Japanese society is Japanese people, who live together, and sharing the same
customs, laws, etc. In Meiji Emperor Era, the society is mainly agrarian people. In
this work, Japanese society will only cover Japanese characters and the social
setting given.
4. Screenplay
According to Understanding Movies, a screenplay is “A written
description of a movie’s dialogue and action, which occasionally includes camera
directions.” (Gianetti, 1987:473)
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
James Berardinelli, an American online film critic from ReelViews, in his
review of The Last Samurai commenting that the movie is a movie with powerful
mix of epic battle and human interest that so rarely shows up on movie screen
these days. The film is in many ways about the clash between the old ways (those
of the samurai) and the new (those employed by the American-trained troops).
Berardinelli also stated that
While history makes the results predictable (six decades later, a thoroughly
modern Japan would attack Pearl Harbor), it is our involvement with the
characters and their situations that energizes the experience of sitting
through this movie. The historical context may be established, but we don't
know what happens to Nathan, Katsumoto, Taka, and others. There is, of
course, something exceptionally dramatic about stories in which a grossly
outnumbered group puts up a valiant, albeit ultimately doomed, defense.
That's the reason why historical battles like the Alamo and Thermopylae
(which is explicitly referenced in The Last Samurai) have become
legendary, and why films like Braveheart are so well-received. This
element gives The Last Samurai much of its power and passion. It is in the
grand storytelling tradition of the underdog achieving glory. (Berardinelli,
“The Last Samurai, A Movie Review” 2003)
The first review of the movie contains a whole concept of the story.
Characters, plot, and setting are being highlighted, and also questioned. For
Berardinelli, setting in the story is much more important than the development of
the character and plot itself.
7
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8
As a comparison, the writer takes an example in an undergraduate thesis
done by Primadhy Wicaksono, entitled The Influence of Bushido on Nathan
Algren’s Personality Development As Seen In John Logan’s Movie Script The
Last Samurai. In his thesis, Wicaksono focuses on the personality of Nathan
Algren, the American captain who brought to Japan to train the modernized
Japanese troops. Algren had a very miserable past, and he was haunted by his
past, when he killed many people in the battlefield. That is why he had the
tendency to suicide, to pay for his fault, and to free from the guilt. As mentioned
by Wicaksono on page 43
Algren willingness to die also can be seen when he has a conversation
with Katsumoto. He had fought many battles in the past and make
mistakes by breaking his promise to the Indian. To pay what he has done,
Algren thinks that by his death he can be free from his guilt.” (Wicaksono,
2007:43)
When he stayed with Katsumoto in his village, Algren studied many
things, especially about the samurai living, or often called bushido. He knew the
reason why samurai, as well as any other tradition, should be kept. At the end of
the script, he helped Katsumoto and samurai to fight against the modern troops.
Bill Gordon, who earned MA in Advanced Japanese Studies from the
University of Sheffield, wrote an essay titled Tokugawa Period’s Influence on
Meiji Restoration. In the essay, he wrote about Tokugawa Period, in terms of
economic development
By the end of the Tokugawa Period, Japan had laid the foundations for
subsequent industrialization and economic modernization. The Tokugawa
shogun’s requirement of alternate attendance (sankin kôtai) in Edo
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
9
(present-day Tokyo) for daimyo provided a strong stimulus to the national
economy. Daimyô and retainers going to and from Edo spurred the
development of an extensive road system and the growth of tows along the
roads to provide lodging, food, and other goods to the traveler. (Gordon,
“Tokugawa Period’s Influence on Meiji Restoration”, 2000)
From this essay, Gordon finds that Tokugawa Period, which lasted just
before Meiji Era, has brought many influence to the Meiji restoration, one of the
influence is on economic development. The influence is not only seen in high
level of economic development only but also in common social and cultural
background, as well as in achievements in education.
In conclusion, rebellion and war plays the major role in the movie script
since that is the only way for the samurai to bring back the old tradition and to
remind the Emperor where they belonged. Emperor Meiji might have been
influenced by Western countries in terms of politic, economic, and other
condition, but luckily he finally knew what Japan really need.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theories on Character and Characterization
According to Abrams in his book of A Glossary of Literary Terms,
Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work,
who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral,
intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from the dialogues and
the action. A character may remain essentially "stable," or unchanged in
outlook and disposition, from beginning to end of a work, or may undergo
a radical change, either through a gradual process of development or as the
result of a crisis. Whether a character remains stable or changes, the reader
of a traditional and realistic work expects "consistency". (Abrams, 1999:
32 – 33).
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10
Here, fortunately, characters are developed gradually, not instantly and
somehow unexpectedly, because they still hold their own mindset.
Mastering English Literature states that “You can only learn about a
character from the words of the play. This means that your sources of information
are dialogue, soliloquy, and in certain special cases, stage direction. A playwright,
unlike a novelist, cannot tell you things directly. When we look at the words of a
play we see four ways in which characters are created:
(1) the way they speak
(2) what do they say about themselves
(3) what they say about each other
(4) how they are contrasted.” (Gill, 1995: 235)
2. Theories on Setting
Since Abrams stated that “setting is the general locale, historical time,
social circumstances in which its action occur the setting of a single episode or
scene within a work is the particular physical location in which it takes place”
(Abrams, 1999: 192), so, setting here means a lot in understanding the whole
story. In the study, the writer will compare the setting in the story with the setting
in the real time in Japan at 1870s. This is because, according to Mastering English
Literature, setting can cover:
x
The places in which characters appear
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
11
x
The social context of characters, such as their families, friends, and class
x
The customs, beliefs and rules of behavior that give identity to a society
x
The particular locations of events
x
The atmosphere, mood and feel that all the above elements create (Gill,
1995: 148)
3.
Theories on Stage Directions
Theories on stage direction is used to analyze informations which are
unspoken by actors but indicates the actions of the actors. It is stated that
Stage directions are notes included in a play, in addition to the dialogue,
for the purpose of desribing how something should be performed on a
stage. Stage directions describe setting, lighting, music, sound effects,
entrances and exits, properties, and the movements of characters. They are
usually printed in italics and enclosed in brackets or parantheses.
(Sweeney, “Literary Terms – Terms Assosiated wih Drama” 2008)
4.
Theories on Modernization
Theories on modernization are needed to explain the particular
modernization happened in that era. In this case, the writer only takes the meaning
of modernization in Japan. According to Shuichi Kato, in his essay titled Japanese
Writers, he mentions “the modernization of a country on Western models cannot,
in principle, be confined to the purely technological field. Sooner or later all ideas,
fashions, and customs will flow in, so that many of the traditional ideas and values
will be lost. Given the fact that the culture to be imported is history-bound, and
that Japanese history is different from that of Western countries, the imported
culture can hardly become deeply rooted in the Japanese soil. Thus the early stage
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
12
of modernization cannot avoid the danger of simply replacing a genuine
traditional culture by superficial imitations of the alien culture.” (Kato, 1965:433)
This means that, in the phase of modernization, the “imported” culture and
the original culture are two different things that should be completed each other. It
is because the more modern ideas, things, diets, etc. will surely come, and they
have to be faced but there is no need to leave the old tradition to be familiar with
new things.
On an article titled Changing Conceptions of the Modernization of Japan,
John Whitney Hall quoted statements which are contributed by Robert Ward,
Ronald Dore, William Lockwood, and C.E. Black about the definitions of a social
modernization. Three of them are “a shifting composition of population as
between town and country; a decline in the importance of social groups created to
perform certain specific functions; a lessening tendency for individuals to identify
their interests with and feel loyalty toward small face-to-face groups, with,
consequently, a growing tendency for individuation, and/or identification with
larger, impersonal groups.” (Hall, 1965:21)
Those definitions are also found in the movie script, and each of the
definition has explained the new era of Japan. Changes are seen everywhere, in
every aspect of Japan in that era.
C. Review on Meiji Restoration and Satsuma Rebellion
In reviewing the historical background, the writer will use two important
events happened in Japan in era 1870s. The first one will be Meiji Restoration,
and the second is one of the responses of Meiji Restoration, Satsuma Rebellion.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
13
Satsuma Rebellion is said to be having a similar story with the script of the movie
written by John Logan.
Meiji Restoration, as written in Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History
and Culture, from Abacus to Zori stated Meiji Restoration as “the restoration of
political authority to the Emperor; the beginning of the modern era of Japan.”
(Perkins, 1991: 208). In this era, the Meiji Emperor’s given name was Mitsuhito,
but after his death he became known by the name of his reign, Meiji, “Enlightened
Peace”. He became Emperor at the age of 14, after the death of the previous
Emperor, Emperor Komei, his father. Meiji Emperor ruled Japan from 1867-1912,
and the restoration happened in the year of 1868. He moved the capital from
Kyoto to Tokyo (formerly Edo) and concentrated on how to modernize Japan
through Western model. He seriously took his role as the highest commander of
the military and he also made some important decisions with Japanese officers
during the two famous wars, Sino-Japanese War in 1894-1895 and the Russo
Japanese War in 1904-1905.
The Meiji leaders believed that only a powerful military capability could
safeguard the nation’s independence. The most famous slogan to cover that belief
was fukoku kyouhei which means ‘rich country, strong army’.
Meiji sent many of Japanese to study abroad to gain the fully conception
of modernization through Western style and also many foreigners came to Japan,
invited by the Emperor to train the scholars. Great efforts were made to absorb the
skills of the foreign experts and by the late of 1870s, ironically, they were
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
14
gradually being replaced by their Japanese pupils. In this part, Western gave big
help in raising Japanese’s intellectuality. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan states
“by treating Japan as a culture worthy of dedicated and discipline study, they
complemented Japan’s own efforts to raise its cultural and political prestige in the
world outside.” (Bowring, 1993:79)
Meiji Era, which brought the Western ideas adopted to Eastern minds, was
a challenge to old beliefs and former orthodoxies. The task of spreading and
promoting new, Western-influenced ideas fell to small, self-appointed intellectual
elite. These men became the main propagandists for the strategy of bunmei-kaika
(civilization and enlightenment), which served as the intellectual background for
the Meiji transformation. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan also wrote that
They were a diverse group, differing in perspectives and interests. What
they had in common at this time was a shared belief that, without
intellectual development, changes in society and the economy would
either prove misguided or grind to a halt. (Bowring, 1993:83)
Although he was “obsessed” with the Western modernization, he
concerned in traditional Japanese cultural and historical sites, and did not allow
the government banned the traditional rites and ceremonies performed by the
Emperor. The Meiji Era ended in 1912, with the death of Emperor Meiji, which
also symbolized the conclusion of the process by which Japan was transformed
into a modern nation.
Meanwhile, the response to the restoration itself was the Satsuma
Rebellion. Satsuma is a province in Japan. It is a region on the southern tip of
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
15
Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main Japanese islands. Satsuma was the site
where many foreign influences entered Japan, including the sweet potato
(Satsuma-imo), Western firearms, and the Christian religion. Satsuma and Chosu
leaders held the most important positions in the new government. In 1877 Saigo
Takamori led the upset samurai in the so-called Satsuma Rebellion against the
Meiji government.
In Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to
Zori, Satsuma Rebellion described as “the largest and last armed uprising by
members of the samurai class against the policies enacted by the new Meiji
government.” (Perkins, 1991:294) This rebellion was led by Saigo Takamori, a
samurai from Satsuma province. At first, Takamori led the army to overthrow the
Tokugawa Shogunate into Meiji Restoration era. In the era of Meiji, the daimyo or
feudal lords whom had been persuaded to hand over their domains to the Meiji
government, to create prefectures in Japan. In return, the daimyo were made
governors of the provinces they once ruled, given compensation for wealth they
had lost and made peers of the realm in 1885. The samurai, which once worked
for the daimyo, did not fare as well. They were forced to become army officers,
entered the police force or government bureaucracy.
That condition was not giving any advantage to the samurai. The promise
from government to give them pensions was changed with token sums of money.
Moreover, samurai was offended with the new rules which forbade them from
carrying the two traditional swords, considered as the soul of the samurai, and that
required them to give up their top-knot for Western-style haircuts. They were
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
16
further angered by the new conscription system developed by Yamagata Aritomo
which brought members to peasant class into the army.
In 1877 the Meiji government suspected a rebellion and sent troops to
remove ammunition stored at an army depot and navy yard in Kagoshima.
Takamori had no choice but led the rebellion in Tokyo because of the attacks to
government troops by young samurai. The battle was lasted in 50 days. The
Kumamoto castle was destructed and the rebel army was rebuffed and fought its
way back through southern Kyushu to Kagoshima. The remaining 400 soldiers
made their final charge, and Takamori committed suicide. The traditional samurai
forces were defeated by the new Japanese “modern” army of 40,000 soldiers, who
had the advantage of modern training and weapons.
As a result of this rebellion, dissidents established the first political parties
in Japan, the Liberal Party in 1881 and the Progressive Party in 1882, as a
peaceful means of opposing the government policies.
D. Theoretical Framework
Those four theories will be the guidance to answer the questions given in
the problem formulation.
The first theory, the character theory, will be used to answer the first
question, to know which is/are the character(s) being influenced by the Western
modernization, or changed gradually into a better way, and so on. The second and
third theories, which are the setting and stage direction theory, will be used to
analyze the second question, particularly about the social setting. The setting seen
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
17
through the stage direction is the important role in conducting this research and
the obvious thing which is observable in the movie script. The third theory of
modernization (in Japan) will also guide the writer to answer the last question,
since modernization is the main idea given in the script. Without understanding
the meaning of particular modernization, the writer will not take the exact mean or
purpose why such characters behaved that way, and why should the society
response in that other way. These theories will finally answer the third question to
make a complete study.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of the study is the screenplay from one of the box office movies
throughout this decade. The Last Samurai’s script is published in the internet, took
from IMSDb, an abbreviation for Internet Movie Script Database, and this is the
final shooting version.
Created in 2003, and written by John Logan, this script is somehow
fascinating, tragic, and beautiful at the same time. The script clearly depicted the
setting of the story, the beautiful landscape, and also the tragic and honorable
death of the samurai. With Tom Cruise as the producer and also one of the main
characters in the story (Captain Nathan Algren) he tried to show the beauty of
Japan “versus” the modernity from Western.
This script mainly talks about the struggle of the samurai in the era of
Meiji Restoration where Emperor Meiji tried to equalize between eastern, Japan to
be precise, and Western. Not only in the terms of economy and military, but at the
end it also should deal with the changes in culture and tradition.
As a comparison, in the real situation in Japan in 1970s, Meiji Restoration
truly happened. In Japan: A Documentary History; it is stated that now, suddenly,
intercourse with foreign nations becomes a reality, and the business of our nation
18
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
19
becomes closely tied with foreign affairs. The trend today is to compare things in
our country with those of foreign countries before taking any action (Lu,
1997:347).
B. Approach of the Study
The writer uses the sociocultural-historical approach in doing this
research. This approach is applied when analyzing the characters given in the
script, which are being influenced by Western modernization, and which are not,
so that the writer is able to know the effects brought by Western modernization
toward the society in Japan in Meiji era.
The writer took Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods’ description of
sociocultural-historical approach, as stated in their book, Reading and Writing
about Literature: Critics whose major interest is the sociocultural-historical
approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the
civilization that produced it.(Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 9 )
Sociocultural-historical is chosen since the movie script itself deals with
the real situation in Japan in Meiji Era, and this approach also helps in studying
not only the history, but also what had happened to the society and their culture
presented in the text.
C. Method of the Study
The writer uses library research in collecting data, because it is a rearch
done by reading books. The primary source is the screenplay itself, The Last
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
20
Samurai, written by John Logan. The other important sources are The Cambridge
Encyclopedia of Japan , edited by Richard Bowring and Peter Kornicki, JAPAN:
A Documentary History, written by David J. Lu, Changing Japanese Attitudes
Toward Modernization, a compiled articles edited by Marius B. Jansen, and
Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori,
written by Dorothy Perkins. Those four books are regarded important because
those books give the real condition in Japan, and also containing some foreign
terms found in the script.
There are four main steps in order to answer the problem formulations.
The first step was reading and re-reading the script. Reading and re-reading the
script was done to gain a full understanding of the movie script itself. Re-reading
also helped the writing in took notes in characters, setting, and other important
notions. The second step was finding the references to get the information about
the characters, setting, and real situation in the time the story happened. This was
important to make a clear analysis of the study. The references were taken from
books, internet, and the movie itself. The third step was applying the theories and
approach to help the writer to answer the problem formulations. And the last one
was drawing the conclusion of the study by answering the problem formulations.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
A. The Characters in The Last Samurai as the Representation of Japanese
Society
The writer will take three Japanese characters to represent Japanese
society in the script. They are Moritsugu Katsumoto, Omura, and Emperor Meiji.
The writer chooses these three characters because each of them represents
different effect of the modernization itself. Katsumoto represents the traditional
values, Omura represents the strong ambition of the modern Japan, and the
Emperor represents the new idea of what so called “closed country” hundreds
years ago.
1. Moritsugu Katsumoto
Moritsugu Katsumoto was a samurai. He was the advisor and teacher of
the Emperor. He lived in the village, after samurai were banished from Japan due
to the new rules to bring modernity to Japan. Although he was being banished,
Katsumoto was still regarded as a ruler and hero for some of the people that hold
traditional values of Japan, just like the people who lived in the village admired
him. In the script, Katsumoto is described as a spiritual person, a true fighter, and
a loyal person toward the Emperor and the nation. Each of the characteristic will
be explained further.
21
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
22
a.
A Spiritual Person
Katsumoto is described as a spiritual person because he likes to meditate,
and, from the meditation, he usually produced such beautiful poems, filled with
life lessons. Also, from the meditation, a person will get many positive
advantages; being wise and calm is also considered as the result of meditation.
As seen in the script, Katsumoto liked to walk in his garden, enjoying the
cherry blossoms, or sometimes called sakura flower. The cherry blossoms brought
the scene of intense beauty, color, and serenity. He meditated in his porch near the
cherry blossoms. When Captain Algren, his “hostage”, also saw that, Katsumoto
shared the beauty with him.
KATSUMOTO (O.S.) A perfect blossom is a rare thing..
Algren turns. Katsumoto sits, zazen-style, meditating.
KATSUMOTO. You could spend your life looking for one. And it would
not be a wasted life. (Logan, 2003:76)
The conversation with Algren shows how Katsumoto loved seeing the
cherry blossoms. Just like flower, searching the beauty of life, beauty of fighting,
and defending your nation is something spiritual. The thing is, perfect blossom
was a rare thing, and hard to get, and also those beauties.
At the end of his life, after fighting so hard in the battle to make the
samurai admitted again in Japanese society, Katsumoto finally died. He died when
the cherry blossoms were in a state of perfect blossoms, which was a rare beauty
to see.
KATSUMOTO. (whispers) It is perfect… they are all perfect.
His eyes close. He is dead.
Algren gently kneels with Katsumoto’s body.
As he holds him, he turns to see what Katsumoto was looking at.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
23
Cherry blossoms.
A display of perfect beauty. (Logan, 2003: 123)
Katsumoto’s death suited his passion in seeing the perfect blossom, and
later, his goal to make samurai admitted in the society again. He finally saw the
rare thing, perfect blossom at the end of his life, and accomplished his goal,
although he should exchange it with his life.
b. A True Warrior
In the script, Katsumoto is also described as a true samurai. His words
portray the values of being a real samurai. He learnt about bushido, the way of
warrior, of a samurai. Bushido required honor, bravery, self sacrifice and
discipline, duty, and also loyalty toward their leader, as well as mastering
weapons and martial arts. He also had a will to learn about his enemy’s way of
fighting, so that he could learn the tricks and their customs.
When they captured Algren, the other samurai thought that Algren should
take his life, for he was shamed in defeat, but Katsumoto refused the idea and
asked them to keep him alive to gain information about the battle.
UJIO. (subtitles) My lord, why do you spare the barbarian? He is shamed
in defeat, he should kill himself.
KATSUMOTO. (subtitles) That is not their custom.
UJIO. (subtitles) Then I will kill him.
KATSUMOTO. (subtitles) - - for now we will learn about the men we will
face in battle. Keep him alive. (Logan, 2003: 44)
From the conversation of Katsumoto and Ujio, it is seen that Katsumoto
thought that the other way of fighting, in this case, the Western, is also important.
The rebellion needed to know what will they face in the battle.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
24
Courage also built the true warrior inside Katsumoto’s soul. Katsumoto
had the confidence, proved by his deeds, determined to lead the rebellion of
samurai.
KATSUMOTO. Like you, I am hard to kill. (Logan, 2003: 91)
In this utterance, Katsumoto said that his confidence in winning the battle
of rebellion was so strong. He believed in the army of samurai that they will make
a change, a change that Japan needed, although they lost in numbers of the army.
KATSUMOTO. - - Five hundred or five thousand – they will come and
we will make our stand. (Logan, 2003: 107)
It was no secret that the new Imperial army hired peasants to become
soldiers, so that thousands would join the new army. Meanwhile, the number of
samurai was continuingly decreasing, leaving Katsumoto in a small number of
samurai. Despite the fact that they would somehow lose, Katsumoto was ready to
lead them and made sure that they would fight to the very last end.
Such courage is found in bushido, the way of the warrior. In the script, the
writer finds that Katsumoto implied the values of being a samurai, of learning
bushido and the advantage to the battle that they will have. Katsumoto had his
opinion toward death and killing the enemy, according to what he had learned in
bushido.
KATSUMOTO. It takes no courage to kill a man from half a mile away.
You should look into the eyes of your enemy when you kill him.
ALGREN. Either way, he’s just as dead.
KATSUMOTO. Taking a man’s life is nothing. You cannot take away his
honor. (Logan, 2003: 64)
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
25
In bushido, dying in the battle considers as a glorious death, and if he
loses in the battle, he should commit to suicide, or often named seppuku. JAPAN:
a documentary states that, “Man always desires life and rationalizes his choice for
life. At that very moment, if he misses his objectives and continues to live, as a
samurai he must be regarded as a coward. It is difficult to draw an exact line. If he
misses his objectives and chooses death, some may say he dies in vain and he is
crazy to do so.” (Lu, 1997:262) Death is not regarded as a shameful act, but it is
one of the requirements of bushido. As mentioned in the Encyclopedia of Japan:
Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori, “Bushido required honor,
brave
JAPAN’S MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT AS THE EFFECT OF
MODERNIZATION IN MEIJI EMPEROR ERA TOWARD
JAPANESE SOCIETY AS SEEN IN JOHN LOGAN’S
THE LAST SAMURAI SCREENPLAY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
STEFFANI DHEA VIRGIYANTI
Student Number: 074214022
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2012
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
JAPAN’S MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT AS THE EFFECT OF
MODERNIZATION IN MEIJI EMPEROR ERA TOWARD
JAPANESE SOCIETY AS SEEN IN JOHN LOGAN’S
THE LAST SAMURAI SCREENPLAY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
STEFFANI DHEA VIRGIYANTI
Student Number: 074214022
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2012
i
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis
JAPAN’S MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT AS THE EFFECT OF
MODERNIZATION IN MEIJI EMPEROR ERA TOWARD
JAPANESE SOCIETY AS SEEN IN JOHN LOGAN’S
THE LAST SAMURAI SCREENPLAY
ii
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
iii
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
“Imagine all the people living life in
peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but
I’m not the only one. I hope someday
you’ll join us, and the world will live
as one.”
(Imagine – John Lennon)
iv
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Fo r
Papa and Mama
v
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
LEMBAR PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH
UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Steffani Dhea Virgiyanti
NIM
: 074214022
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul Japan’s Military
Establishment As The Effect Of Modernization in Meiji Emperor Era toward
Japanese Society As Seen In John Logan’s The Last Samurai Screenplay
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan. Dengan demikian, saya memberikan kepada
Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam
bentuk lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara
terbatas dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media yang lain untuk
kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu mminta izin dari saya maupun memberikan
royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 30 November 2012
Yang menyatakan,
Steffani Dhea Virgiyanti
vi
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank Jesus Christ, because without His
blessing, this thesis would not be done.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan
Wijanarka, M.Hum., for the time, suggestions, corrections, and patience. I also
want to express my gratitude to my co-advisor, Adventina Putranti, S.S., M.Hum.,
for the corrections and inputs for this thesis.
I also would like to sincerely thank my wonderful parents. Thank you,
Papa and Mama, for your endless love, caring, and support. I feel so blessed to
have Mas Ino as my big brother, who is always there for me. I also would like to
thank my late grandfathers and grandmothers who, I believe, are helping me from
up above. I also thank for the love and support from Suyitno family and Sugandi
family.
This thesis is done with the help and support from my friends, Aya, Zi,
Pibi, Iyin, Dita, Iyut, Asya, Irene, Tombro, Rosa, Fira, Kenan, Sonson, Herman,
Nisa, Martin, and Dico. Thank you guys, for the great friendship through our
college years. I also would like to thank Tika, Ncis, Chika, Pungky, and Julien, for
loving and supporting me, being my friends through good times and bad times.
Steffani Dhea Virgiyanti.
vii
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………
APPROVAL PAGE …………………………………………………….
ACCEPTANCE PAGE …………………………………………………
MOTTO PAGE………..…………………………………………………
DEDICATION PAGE ………………………………………………….
LEMBAR PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH
UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS .................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………
ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………….
ABSTRAK ………………………………………………………..……..
i
ii
iii
iv
v
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………..
A. Background of the Study ……………………………….……
B. Problem Formulation …………………………………………
C. Objectives of the Study ………………………………………
D. Definition of Terms …………………………………………..
1
1
3
3
4
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW …………………………..
A. Review of Related Studies …………………………………...
B. Review of Related Theories …………………………………..
1. Theories on Character and Characterization ………………
2. Theories on Setting ……………………………………….
3. Theories on Stage Directions ...............................................
4. Theories on Modernization ……………………………….
C. Review on Meiji Restoration and Satsuma Rebellion ………..
D. Theoretical Framework ……………………………………….
7
7
9
9
10
11
11
12
16
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ……………………………………
A. Object of the Study …………………………………………..
B. Approach of the Study ………………………………………..
C. Method of the Study ………………………………………….
18
18
19
19
vi
vii
viii
x
xi
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ……………………………………………. 21
A. The Characters in The Last Samurai as the Representation of
Japanese Society …………………………………………..…... 21
1. Moritsugu Katsumoto ……………………………………. 21
2. Omura ……………………………………………………. 29
3. Emperor Meiji …………………………………………… 36
B. The Presentation of Japanese Society in Meiji Emperor
Era in the Setting of The Last Samurai ……………..……....... 40
1. Physical Setting ……………………………………………. 41
2. Social Setting ……………………………………………….43
C. Japan’s Military Establishment as The Effect of Modernization
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
toward Japanese Society seen in the Characteristics and Setting
of The Last Samurai ………..………………………………. 48
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ………………………………………
53
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………
55
APPENDIX ………………………………………………………….… 56
Summary of John Logan’s The Last Samurai ……,…………56
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ABSTRACT
STEFFANI DHEA VIRGIYANTI. Japan’s Military Establishment as The
Effect of Modernization in Meiji Emperor Era toward the Japanese Society
Seen in John Logan’s the Last Samurai Screenplay. Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.
Modernization in Japan is a big moment to the country because it is the
beginning of the golden era of Japan. Two big events happened to respond the
word modernization. The first one is Meiji Restoration. Westerners came and
forced Japan to make treaty with their country. Then, the scholars were sent
abroad to study, the Westerners were also called to Japan to teach Japan’s new
troops. The Emperor himself was the one who was overwhelmed by
modernization, thus he spread his enthusiasm to the society. The second event is
Satsuma Rebellion. It is the answer to the modernization itself. Samurai were
forbid to bring their swords and they were forced to join the modern army or in
other words, they should be gone. Being disappointed by the banishing, samurai
chose to fight against the new government. Those two main events are the
inspirations of John Logan’s The Last Samurai.
The writer uses John Logan’s The Last Samurai as the object of the study.
The writer formulates three questions to reach the final answer of the study. The
first problem formulation discusses the characterizations of selected characters as
the representations of Japanese society. The next one is the presentation of social
setting of Japan in Meiji Emperor era. The last problem formulation discusses the
effects of modernization toward the Japanese society as seen in the characters and
setting.
The writer uses library research method to finish the study. The sources of
the study are books, encyclopedia, articles, and online journals. They contain of
theories which are important to the study. The writer uses theories on character
and characterization, theories on setting, and theories on modernization, especially
the theory on social modernization in Japan. The writer uses socioculturalhistorical approach for this study.
The result of the analysis of the study shows that Japan’s military
establishment is the effect of the modernization toward the Japanese society.
Three characters are chosen to represent each response toward modernization.
Katsumoto represents samurai clan; opposing the idea of modernization, Omura
represents new government; new rules maker, and the Emperor represents Japan
as a nation. The Emperor also the one who propose the idea of modernization to
his people. The responses are the rebellion from samurai clan, opposing the new
rules set by the government; and the economic development in Japan. As a result
of those phenomenons, they make Japan settled in military, as their motto “fukoku
kyohei” which means rich country, strong army.
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ABSTRAK
STEFFANI DHEA VIRGIYANTI. Japan’s Military Establishment as The
Effect of Modernization in Meiji Emperor Era toward the Japanese Society
Seen in John Logan’s the Last Samurai Screenplay. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra
Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2012.
Modernisasi di Jepang adalah sebuah momen besar untuk negara Jepang
karena itu adalah awal dari jaman keemasan Jepang. Dua aksi besar terjadi untuk
merespon kata modernisasi. Aksi pertama adalah Restorasi Meiji. Bangsa Barat
datang dan memaksa Jepang untuk membuat perjanjian dengan Negara mereka.
Para cendekiawan dikirim ke luar negeri untuk belajar, dan orang-orang dari
bangsa Barat juga dipanggil ke Jepang untuk mengajar orang-orang Jepang. Sang
Kaisar sendirilah yang terkesima oleh modernisasi, maka dia menyebarkan
entusiasmenya ke masyarakat Jepang. Aksi kedua adalah Pemberontakan
Satsuma. Aksi ini adalah jawaban dari modernisasi. Para samurai dilarang untuk
membawa pedang mereka dan mereka dipaksa untuk bergabung dengan pasukan
modern, atau dengan kata lain, mereka harus hilang. Meresa kecewa dengan
penghapusan ini, para samurai memilih untuk melawan pemerintahan baru. Dua
kejadian utama itu adalah inspirasi dari The Last Samurai karya John Logan.
Penulis menggunakan The Last Samurai karya John Logan sebagai obyek
studi. Penulis merumuskan tiga pertanyaan untuk menjawa jawaban akhir dari
studi ini. Rumusan masalah pertama membicarakan tentang karakterisasi dari
beberapa karakter terpilih sebagai representasi masyarakat Jepang. Rumusan
masalah selanjutnya adalah presentasi latar sosial Jepang di era Kaisar Meiji.
Rumusan masalah terakhir membicarakan tentang efek dari modernisasi bagi
masyarakat Jepang seperti yang terlihat pada karakter-karakter dan latar.
Penulis menggunakan metode penelitian pustaka untuk menyelesaikan
studi ini. Sumber-sumber untuk studi ini adalah buku-buku, ensiklopedia, artikelartikel, dan jurnal daring. Sumber-sumber tersebut berisikan teori-teori yang
penting untuk studi ini. Penulis menggunakan teori karakter dan karakterisasi,
teori latar, dan teori modernisasi, khususnya teori modernisasi sosial di Jepang.
Penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosiokultural-historikal untuk studi ini.
Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah kemapanan militer Jepang merupakan efek
dari modernisasi. Tiga karakter dipilih untuk merepresentasikan respon masingmasing terhadap modernisasi. Katsumoto sebagai samurai menolak modernisasi,
Omura sebagai anggota pemerintahan dan pembuat aturan baru, dan Kaisar
sebagai negara Jepang, juga sebagai pencetus ide. Responnya adalah
pemberontakan kaum samurai, sebagai penolakan aturan baru, dan kemajuan
ekonomi di Jepang. Hasilnya, fenomena-fenomena tersebut membuat kemiliteran
Jepang mapan, seperti slogan mereka, fukoku kyohei yang berarti negara yang
kaya, dengan militer yang kuat.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
When we want to make a good movie, we need a good movie script, or
also called as screenplay. A screenplay is regarded as a work of art, and indeed, a
literary work nowadays. Gerald Mast states in his essay entitled “Literature and
Film”,
Films are works – indeed works of art – sequential, patterned, temporal
wholes that begin and end and, progressing from beginning to end,
elaborate some kind of content in some kind of style that illuminates,
reflects, or reveals that content. As works, films are analogous to plays,
novels, poems, and essays, the specific kinds of works implied by the
general study of literature. (Mast, 1982:285)
Thus, reading a screenplay is also as interesting as reading any other
literary works such as plays, novels, or poems since it also has the similar
properties with them. Properties such as themes, setting, characters, message, plot,
are found in the screenplay. Reading a good and clear screenplay help the readers
to gain a full understanding of the movie itself.
From the script of The Last Samurai, we can learn about the Japanese
society in 1870s. It is because The Last Samurai has a script which clearly depicts
the era of Meiji Emperor in Japan. The Last Samurai is written by John Logan in
2003, and the movie itself has won many awards, such as the Top Office Box
Movies in ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, as the Best Foreign Film
1
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2
from the Awards of Japanese Academy, and also nominated for several categories
in Academy Awards, USA.
The Last Samurai is about the rebellion of Japanese’s samurai in the era of
Meiji Restoration. In this era, Emperor Meiji tried to make Japan equal with
Western countries, which he knew as the great modern countries. He had advisors,
but only one who still held the tradition from the ancestors, which is the spirit of a
samurai (means: to serve). His name is Katsumoto. The problem was, the Emperor
and the other advisors thought that samurai will be the obstacle to be one of the
great modern nations. So, the rebellion from the samurai occurred since they still
hold the norms and values from old tradition.
Katsumoto lives with other samurai in the village. At the Meiji era, the
Japanese society is mainly peasant; it is because of the geographic area of Japan,
an archipelago with paddy fields everywhere. So, farming is the occupation that
they have, and some samurai live among them.
Meanwhile, in the city, samurai is no longer respected since the word
“modern” replaces the arrangement of social status. In the city of Edo, we will
find another kind of occupations, such as geisha, rickshaw rider, ambassador,
policeman, etc. That was why, in the script, when samurai came, only several
people still bow to the samurai, and the other were insulting them and their
traditional attitudes and appearance.
The spirit of the samurai is a good example to anyone who read the
script. The script obviously tells the readers to hold on to the culture and tradition
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
3
which the nation originally had. It is also a good example to understand why
history is such an important thing to be remembered. History, especially for a
nation is such an important element. One should not forget the history, since it
will remind us to the ancestors who had fought and defended the nation. We will
lose identity, will lose the uniqueness of culture, and lose the natural landscape, if
we forget the history.
So, in this undergraduate thesis, the writer will find out about the effect of
modernization in Meiji Emperor era toward the Japanese society, through John
Logan’s screenplay, The Last Samurai.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to make the study organized, the research questions below are
formulated as the guide and limitation of the subject that will be discussed:
1. How are the characters as the representation of Japanese society described
in the script?
2. How is the social setting of Japan in Meiji Emperor era presented in the
script?
3. What are the effects of modernization toward the Japanese society as seen
in the characters and the setting?
C. Objectives of the Study
In order to gain a complete analysis of the study, we should answer those
questions to identify how the characters represented Japanese society. We will see
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
4
who are the characters which are influenced by modernization and who are still
holding their traditional values. The study will also analyze the social setting of
Japanese society in 1870s, when the rebellion happened. It is necessary to know
the differentiation between the society which lived in the old ways, and those are
who had to live in the modern ways. Finally after answering those questions, we
need to identify the effects of the modernization itself in the Japanese society as
seen in the characters and the setting in the script.
D. Definition of Terms
To understand the title and avoid ambiguity, the writer will give
explanation about the terms presented in the thesis.
1. Modernization
The writer will only take the concept of modernization in Japan, instead of
writing about the general concept of modernization in literary world. In Changing
Conceptions of the Modernization of Japan, it is mentioned that “our ideas about
the nature of modern society and the process by which it came into being – if the
recent history of Japan is to be discussed in terms other than a set of discrete
monologues.” (Hall, 1965:8) Still in the same article, Hall quotes Yanaihara
Tadao’s describing about modernization in Japan, which is
Modernization in Japan involves Japan’s importation and assimilation of
the institutions, technology, and culture of Europe and the United States.
Simply stated it is equivalent to the Westernization of Japan’s society and
culture… but it is not the way of the world that Japanese society should
become exactly like that of the West. World culture is to be enriched by the
peculiar characteristics and differences of the cultures of various peoples in
the world. (Hall, 1965:12)
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5
Still in the same book, Hall arranges definitions of modernization, along with
other writers to gain the same perception of modernization, and three of the
definitions are “A comparatively high concentration of population in cities and the
increasingly urban-centeredness of the total society; widespread literacy
accompanied by the spread of a secular, and increasingly scientific, orientation of
the individual to his environment, business, industry, and the increasingly
bureaucratic organization of such institutions.” (Hall, 1965:19)
2. Meiji Emperor Era
It is also called the Meiji Restoration Era. It is an era of Japanese period,
which was led by Emperor Meiji (1852-1912). In Encyclopedia of Japan:
Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori , Emperor Meiji is “The 122nd
reigning Emperor (tenno) in the traditional count; he reigned 1867-1912. The
Meiji Emperor’s given name was Mitsuhito, but after his death he became known
by the name of his reign, Meiji, “Enlightened Peace.” (Perkins, 1991:208). The
restoration itself happened in 1868. Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and
Culture, from Abacus to Zori states Meiji Restoration as “the restoration of
political authority to the Emperor; the beginning of the modern era of Japan.”
(Perkins, 1991: 208).
3. Japanese society
Society, in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is described as “[1]
people in general, living together in communities [2] a particular community of
people who share the same customs, laws, etc.” (Hornby, 2005:1453). So, in brief,
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
6
Japanese society is Japanese people, who live together, and sharing the same
customs, laws, etc. In Meiji Emperor Era, the society is mainly agrarian people. In
this work, Japanese society will only cover Japanese characters and the social
setting given.
4. Screenplay
According to Understanding Movies, a screenplay is “A written
description of a movie’s dialogue and action, which occasionally includes camera
directions.” (Gianetti, 1987:473)
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
James Berardinelli, an American online film critic from ReelViews, in his
review of The Last Samurai commenting that the movie is a movie with powerful
mix of epic battle and human interest that so rarely shows up on movie screen
these days. The film is in many ways about the clash between the old ways (those
of the samurai) and the new (those employed by the American-trained troops).
Berardinelli also stated that
While history makes the results predictable (six decades later, a thoroughly
modern Japan would attack Pearl Harbor), it is our involvement with the
characters and their situations that energizes the experience of sitting
through this movie. The historical context may be established, but we don't
know what happens to Nathan, Katsumoto, Taka, and others. There is, of
course, something exceptionally dramatic about stories in which a grossly
outnumbered group puts up a valiant, albeit ultimately doomed, defense.
That's the reason why historical battles like the Alamo and Thermopylae
(which is explicitly referenced in The Last Samurai) have become
legendary, and why films like Braveheart are so well-received. This
element gives The Last Samurai much of its power and passion. It is in the
grand storytelling tradition of the underdog achieving glory. (Berardinelli,
“The Last Samurai, A Movie Review” 2003)
The first review of the movie contains a whole concept of the story.
Characters, plot, and setting are being highlighted, and also questioned. For
Berardinelli, setting in the story is much more important than the development of
the character and plot itself.
7
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8
As a comparison, the writer takes an example in an undergraduate thesis
done by Primadhy Wicaksono, entitled The Influence of Bushido on Nathan
Algren’s Personality Development As Seen In John Logan’s Movie Script The
Last Samurai. In his thesis, Wicaksono focuses on the personality of Nathan
Algren, the American captain who brought to Japan to train the modernized
Japanese troops. Algren had a very miserable past, and he was haunted by his
past, when he killed many people in the battlefield. That is why he had the
tendency to suicide, to pay for his fault, and to free from the guilt. As mentioned
by Wicaksono on page 43
Algren willingness to die also can be seen when he has a conversation
with Katsumoto. He had fought many battles in the past and make
mistakes by breaking his promise to the Indian. To pay what he has done,
Algren thinks that by his death he can be free from his guilt.” (Wicaksono,
2007:43)
When he stayed with Katsumoto in his village, Algren studied many
things, especially about the samurai living, or often called bushido. He knew the
reason why samurai, as well as any other tradition, should be kept. At the end of
the script, he helped Katsumoto and samurai to fight against the modern troops.
Bill Gordon, who earned MA in Advanced Japanese Studies from the
University of Sheffield, wrote an essay titled Tokugawa Period’s Influence on
Meiji Restoration. In the essay, he wrote about Tokugawa Period, in terms of
economic development
By the end of the Tokugawa Period, Japan had laid the foundations for
subsequent industrialization and economic modernization. The Tokugawa
shogun’s requirement of alternate attendance (sankin kôtai) in Edo
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
9
(present-day Tokyo) for daimyo provided a strong stimulus to the national
economy. Daimyô and retainers going to and from Edo spurred the
development of an extensive road system and the growth of tows along the
roads to provide lodging, food, and other goods to the traveler. (Gordon,
“Tokugawa Period’s Influence on Meiji Restoration”, 2000)
From this essay, Gordon finds that Tokugawa Period, which lasted just
before Meiji Era, has brought many influence to the Meiji restoration, one of the
influence is on economic development. The influence is not only seen in high
level of economic development only but also in common social and cultural
background, as well as in achievements in education.
In conclusion, rebellion and war plays the major role in the movie script
since that is the only way for the samurai to bring back the old tradition and to
remind the Emperor where they belonged. Emperor Meiji might have been
influenced by Western countries in terms of politic, economic, and other
condition, but luckily he finally knew what Japan really need.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theories on Character and Characterization
According to Abrams in his book of A Glossary of Literary Terms,
Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work,
who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral,
intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from the dialogues and
the action. A character may remain essentially "stable," or unchanged in
outlook and disposition, from beginning to end of a work, or may undergo
a radical change, either through a gradual process of development or as the
result of a crisis. Whether a character remains stable or changes, the reader
of a traditional and realistic work expects "consistency". (Abrams, 1999:
32 – 33).
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10
Here, fortunately, characters are developed gradually, not instantly and
somehow unexpectedly, because they still hold their own mindset.
Mastering English Literature states that “You can only learn about a
character from the words of the play. This means that your sources of information
are dialogue, soliloquy, and in certain special cases, stage direction. A playwright,
unlike a novelist, cannot tell you things directly. When we look at the words of a
play we see four ways in which characters are created:
(1) the way they speak
(2) what do they say about themselves
(3) what they say about each other
(4) how they are contrasted.” (Gill, 1995: 235)
2. Theories on Setting
Since Abrams stated that “setting is the general locale, historical time,
social circumstances in which its action occur the setting of a single episode or
scene within a work is the particular physical location in which it takes place”
(Abrams, 1999: 192), so, setting here means a lot in understanding the whole
story. In the study, the writer will compare the setting in the story with the setting
in the real time in Japan at 1870s. This is because, according to Mastering English
Literature, setting can cover:
x
The places in which characters appear
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
11
x
The social context of characters, such as their families, friends, and class
x
The customs, beliefs and rules of behavior that give identity to a society
x
The particular locations of events
x
The atmosphere, mood and feel that all the above elements create (Gill,
1995: 148)
3.
Theories on Stage Directions
Theories on stage direction is used to analyze informations which are
unspoken by actors but indicates the actions of the actors. It is stated that
Stage directions are notes included in a play, in addition to the dialogue,
for the purpose of desribing how something should be performed on a
stage. Stage directions describe setting, lighting, music, sound effects,
entrances and exits, properties, and the movements of characters. They are
usually printed in italics and enclosed in brackets or parantheses.
(Sweeney, “Literary Terms – Terms Assosiated wih Drama” 2008)
4.
Theories on Modernization
Theories on modernization are needed to explain the particular
modernization happened in that era. In this case, the writer only takes the meaning
of modernization in Japan. According to Shuichi Kato, in his essay titled Japanese
Writers, he mentions “the modernization of a country on Western models cannot,
in principle, be confined to the purely technological field. Sooner or later all ideas,
fashions, and customs will flow in, so that many of the traditional ideas and values
will be lost. Given the fact that the culture to be imported is history-bound, and
that Japanese history is different from that of Western countries, the imported
culture can hardly become deeply rooted in the Japanese soil. Thus the early stage
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
12
of modernization cannot avoid the danger of simply replacing a genuine
traditional culture by superficial imitations of the alien culture.” (Kato, 1965:433)
This means that, in the phase of modernization, the “imported” culture and
the original culture are two different things that should be completed each other. It
is because the more modern ideas, things, diets, etc. will surely come, and they
have to be faced but there is no need to leave the old tradition to be familiar with
new things.
On an article titled Changing Conceptions of the Modernization of Japan,
John Whitney Hall quoted statements which are contributed by Robert Ward,
Ronald Dore, William Lockwood, and C.E. Black about the definitions of a social
modernization. Three of them are “a shifting composition of population as
between town and country; a decline in the importance of social groups created to
perform certain specific functions; a lessening tendency for individuals to identify
their interests with and feel loyalty toward small face-to-face groups, with,
consequently, a growing tendency for individuation, and/or identification with
larger, impersonal groups.” (Hall, 1965:21)
Those definitions are also found in the movie script, and each of the
definition has explained the new era of Japan. Changes are seen everywhere, in
every aspect of Japan in that era.
C. Review on Meiji Restoration and Satsuma Rebellion
In reviewing the historical background, the writer will use two important
events happened in Japan in era 1870s. The first one will be Meiji Restoration,
and the second is one of the responses of Meiji Restoration, Satsuma Rebellion.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
13
Satsuma Rebellion is said to be having a similar story with the script of the movie
written by John Logan.
Meiji Restoration, as written in Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History
and Culture, from Abacus to Zori stated Meiji Restoration as “the restoration of
political authority to the Emperor; the beginning of the modern era of Japan.”
(Perkins, 1991: 208). In this era, the Meiji Emperor’s given name was Mitsuhito,
but after his death he became known by the name of his reign, Meiji, “Enlightened
Peace”. He became Emperor at the age of 14, after the death of the previous
Emperor, Emperor Komei, his father. Meiji Emperor ruled Japan from 1867-1912,
and the restoration happened in the year of 1868. He moved the capital from
Kyoto to Tokyo (formerly Edo) and concentrated on how to modernize Japan
through Western model. He seriously took his role as the highest commander of
the military and he also made some important decisions with Japanese officers
during the two famous wars, Sino-Japanese War in 1894-1895 and the Russo
Japanese War in 1904-1905.
The Meiji leaders believed that only a powerful military capability could
safeguard the nation’s independence. The most famous slogan to cover that belief
was fukoku kyouhei which means ‘rich country, strong army’.
Meiji sent many of Japanese to study abroad to gain the fully conception
of modernization through Western style and also many foreigners came to Japan,
invited by the Emperor to train the scholars. Great efforts were made to absorb the
skills of the foreign experts and by the late of 1870s, ironically, they were
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
14
gradually being replaced by their Japanese pupils. In this part, Western gave big
help in raising Japanese’s intellectuality. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan states
“by treating Japan as a culture worthy of dedicated and discipline study, they
complemented Japan’s own efforts to raise its cultural and political prestige in the
world outside.” (Bowring, 1993:79)
Meiji Era, which brought the Western ideas adopted to Eastern minds, was
a challenge to old beliefs and former orthodoxies. The task of spreading and
promoting new, Western-influenced ideas fell to small, self-appointed intellectual
elite. These men became the main propagandists for the strategy of bunmei-kaika
(civilization and enlightenment), which served as the intellectual background for
the Meiji transformation. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan also wrote that
They were a diverse group, differing in perspectives and interests. What
they had in common at this time was a shared belief that, without
intellectual development, changes in society and the economy would
either prove misguided or grind to a halt. (Bowring, 1993:83)
Although he was “obsessed” with the Western modernization, he
concerned in traditional Japanese cultural and historical sites, and did not allow
the government banned the traditional rites and ceremonies performed by the
Emperor. The Meiji Era ended in 1912, with the death of Emperor Meiji, which
also symbolized the conclusion of the process by which Japan was transformed
into a modern nation.
Meanwhile, the response to the restoration itself was the Satsuma
Rebellion. Satsuma is a province in Japan. It is a region on the southern tip of
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15
Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main Japanese islands. Satsuma was the site
where many foreign influences entered Japan, including the sweet potato
(Satsuma-imo), Western firearms, and the Christian religion. Satsuma and Chosu
leaders held the most important positions in the new government. In 1877 Saigo
Takamori led the upset samurai in the so-called Satsuma Rebellion against the
Meiji government.
In Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to
Zori, Satsuma Rebellion described as “the largest and last armed uprising by
members of the samurai class against the policies enacted by the new Meiji
government.” (Perkins, 1991:294) This rebellion was led by Saigo Takamori, a
samurai from Satsuma province. At first, Takamori led the army to overthrow the
Tokugawa Shogunate into Meiji Restoration era. In the era of Meiji, the daimyo or
feudal lords whom had been persuaded to hand over their domains to the Meiji
government, to create prefectures in Japan. In return, the daimyo were made
governors of the provinces they once ruled, given compensation for wealth they
had lost and made peers of the realm in 1885. The samurai, which once worked
for the daimyo, did not fare as well. They were forced to become army officers,
entered the police force or government bureaucracy.
That condition was not giving any advantage to the samurai. The promise
from government to give them pensions was changed with token sums of money.
Moreover, samurai was offended with the new rules which forbade them from
carrying the two traditional swords, considered as the soul of the samurai, and that
required them to give up their top-knot for Western-style haircuts. They were
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16
further angered by the new conscription system developed by Yamagata Aritomo
which brought members to peasant class into the army.
In 1877 the Meiji government suspected a rebellion and sent troops to
remove ammunition stored at an army depot and navy yard in Kagoshima.
Takamori had no choice but led the rebellion in Tokyo because of the attacks to
government troops by young samurai. The battle was lasted in 50 days. The
Kumamoto castle was destructed and the rebel army was rebuffed and fought its
way back through southern Kyushu to Kagoshima. The remaining 400 soldiers
made their final charge, and Takamori committed suicide. The traditional samurai
forces were defeated by the new Japanese “modern” army of 40,000 soldiers, who
had the advantage of modern training and weapons.
As a result of this rebellion, dissidents established the first political parties
in Japan, the Liberal Party in 1881 and the Progressive Party in 1882, as a
peaceful means of opposing the government policies.
D. Theoretical Framework
Those four theories will be the guidance to answer the questions given in
the problem formulation.
The first theory, the character theory, will be used to answer the first
question, to know which is/are the character(s) being influenced by the Western
modernization, or changed gradually into a better way, and so on. The second and
third theories, which are the setting and stage direction theory, will be used to
analyze the second question, particularly about the social setting. The setting seen
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
17
through the stage direction is the important role in conducting this research and
the obvious thing which is observable in the movie script. The third theory of
modernization (in Japan) will also guide the writer to answer the last question,
since modernization is the main idea given in the script. Without understanding
the meaning of particular modernization, the writer will not take the exact mean or
purpose why such characters behaved that way, and why should the society
response in that other way. These theories will finally answer the third question to
make a complete study.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of the study is the screenplay from one of the box office movies
throughout this decade. The Last Samurai’s script is published in the internet, took
from IMSDb, an abbreviation for Internet Movie Script Database, and this is the
final shooting version.
Created in 2003, and written by John Logan, this script is somehow
fascinating, tragic, and beautiful at the same time. The script clearly depicted the
setting of the story, the beautiful landscape, and also the tragic and honorable
death of the samurai. With Tom Cruise as the producer and also one of the main
characters in the story (Captain Nathan Algren) he tried to show the beauty of
Japan “versus” the modernity from Western.
This script mainly talks about the struggle of the samurai in the era of
Meiji Restoration where Emperor Meiji tried to equalize between eastern, Japan to
be precise, and Western. Not only in the terms of economy and military, but at the
end it also should deal with the changes in culture and tradition.
As a comparison, in the real situation in Japan in 1970s, Meiji Restoration
truly happened. In Japan: A Documentary History; it is stated that now, suddenly,
intercourse with foreign nations becomes a reality, and the business of our nation
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becomes closely tied with foreign affairs. The trend today is to compare things in
our country with those of foreign countries before taking any action (Lu,
1997:347).
B. Approach of the Study
The writer uses the sociocultural-historical approach in doing this
research. This approach is applied when analyzing the characters given in the
script, which are being influenced by Western modernization, and which are not,
so that the writer is able to know the effects brought by Western modernization
toward the society in Japan in Meiji era.
The writer took Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods’ description of
sociocultural-historical approach, as stated in their book, Reading and Writing
about Literature: Critics whose major interest is the sociocultural-historical
approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the
civilization that produced it.(Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 9 )
Sociocultural-historical is chosen since the movie script itself deals with
the real situation in Japan in Meiji Era, and this approach also helps in studying
not only the history, but also what had happened to the society and their culture
presented in the text.
C. Method of the Study
The writer uses library research in collecting data, because it is a rearch
done by reading books. The primary source is the screenplay itself, The Last
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Samurai, written by John Logan. The other important sources are The Cambridge
Encyclopedia of Japan , edited by Richard Bowring and Peter Kornicki, JAPAN:
A Documentary History, written by David J. Lu, Changing Japanese Attitudes
Toward Modernization, a compiled articles edited by Marius B. Jansen, and
Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori,
written by Dorothy Perkins. Those four books are regarded important because
those books give the real condition in Japan, and also containing some foreign
terms found in the script.
There are four main steps in order to answer the problem formulations.
The first step was reading and re-reading the script. Reading and re-reading the
script was done to gain a full understanding of the movie script itself. Re-reading
also helped the writing in took notes in characters, setting, and other important
notions. The second step was finding the references to get the information about
the characters, setting, and real situation in the time the story happened. This was
important to make a clear analysis of the study. The references were taken from
books, internet, and the movie itself. The third step was applying the theories and
approach to help the writer to answer the problem formulations. And the last one
was drawing the conclusion of the study by answering the problem formulations.
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
A. The Characters in The Last Samurai as the Representation of Japanese
Society
The writer will take three Japanese characters to represent Japanese
society in the script. They are Moritsugu Katsumoto, Omura, and Emperor Meiji.
The writer chooses these three characters because each of them represents
different effect of the modernization itself. Katsumoto represents the traditional
values, Omura represents the strong ambition of the modern Japan, and the
Emperor represents the new idea of what so called “closed country” hundreds
years ago.
1. Moritsugu Katsumoto
Moritsugu Katsumoto was a samurai. He was the advisor and teacher of
the Emperor. He lived in the village, after samurai were banished from Japan due
to the new rules to bring modernity to Japan. Although he was being banished,
Katsumoto was still regarded as a ruler and hero for some of the people that hold
traditional values of Japan, just like the people who lived in the village admired
him. In the script, Katsumoto is described as a spiritual person, a true fighter, and
a loyal person toward the Emperor and the nation. Each of the characteristic will
be explained further.
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a.
A Spiritual Person
Katsumoto is described as a spiritual person because he likes to meditate,
and, from the meditation, he usually produced such beautiful poems, filled with
life lessons. Also, from the meditation, a person will get many positive
advantages; being wise and calm is also considered as the result of meditation.
As seen in the script, Katsumoto liked to walk in his garden, enjoying the
cherry blossoms, or sometimes called sakura flower. The cherry blossoms brought
the scene of intense beauty, color, and serenity. He meditated in his porch near the
cherry blossoms. When Captain Algren, his “hostage”, also saw that, Katsumoto
shared the beauty with him.
KATSUMOTO (O.S.) A perfect blossom is a rare thing..
Algren turns. Katsumoto sits, zazen-style, meditating.
KATSUMOTO. You could spend your life looking for one. And it would
not be a wasted life. (Logan, 2003:76)
The conversation with Algren shows how Katsumoto loved seeing the
cherry blossoms. Just like flower, searching the beauty of life, beauty of fighting,
and defending your nation is something spiritual. The thing is, perfect blossom
was a rare thing, and hard to get, and also those beauties.
At the end of his life, after fighting so hard in the battle to make the
samurai admitted again in Japanese society, Katsumoto finally died. He died when
the cherry blossoms were in a state of perfect blossoms, which was a rare beauty
to see.
KATSUMOTO. (whispers) It is perfect… they are all perfect.
His eyes close. He is dead.
Algren gently kneels with Katsumoto’s body.
As he holds him, he turns to see what Katsumoto was looking at.
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Cherry blossoms.
A display of perfect beauty. (Logan, 2003: 123)
Katsumoto’s death suited his passion in seeing the perfect blossom, and
later, his goal to make samurai admitted in the society again. He finally saw the
rare thing, perfect blossom at the end of his life, and accomplished his goal,
although he should exchange it with his life.
b. A True Warrior
In the script, Katsumoto is also described as a true samurai. His words
portray the values of being a real samurai. He learnt about bushido, the way of
warrior, of a samurai. Bushido required honor, bravery, self sacrifice and
discipline, duty, and also loyalty toward their leader, as well as mastering
weapons and martial arts. He also had a will to learn about his enemy’s way of
fighting, so that he could learn the tricks and their customs.
When they captured Algren, the other samurai thought that Algren should
take his life, for he was shamed in defeat, but Katsumoto refused the idea and
asked them to keep him alive to gain information about the battle.
UJIO. (subtitles) My lord, why do you spare the barbarian? He is shamed
in defeat, he should kill himself.
KATSUMOTO. (subtitles) That is not their custom.
UJIO. (subtitles) Then I will kill him.
KATSUMOTO. (subtitles) - - for now we will learn about the men we will
face in battle. Keep him alive. (Logan, 2003: 44)
From the conversation of Katsumoto and Ujio, it is seen that Katsumoto
thought that the other way of fighting, in this case, the Western, is also important.
The rebellion needed to know what will they face in the battle.
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Courage also built the true warrior inside Katsumoto’s soul. Katsumoto
had the confidence, proved by his deeds, determined to lead the rebellion of
samurai.
KATSUMOTO. Like you, I am hard to kill. (Logan, 2003: 91)
In this utterance, Katsumoto said that his confidence in winning the battle
of rebellion was so strong. He believed in the army of samurai that they will make
a change, a change that Japan needed, although they lost in numbers of the army.
KATSUMOTO. - - Five hundred or five thousand – they will come and
we will make our stand. (Logan, 2003: 107)
It was no secret that the new Imperial army hired peasants to become
soldiers, so that thousands would join the new army. Meanwhile, the number of
samurai was continuingly decreasing, leaving Katsumoto in a small number of
samurai. Despite the fact that they would somehow lose, Katsumoto was ready to
lead them and made sure that they would fight to the very last end.
Such courage is found in bushido, the way of the warrior. In the script, the
writer finds that Katsumoto implied the values of being a samurai, of learning
bushido and the advantage to the battle that they will have. Katsumoto had his
opinion toward death and killing the enemy, according to what he had learned in
bushido.
KATSUMOTO. It takes no courage to kill a man from half a mile away.
You should look into the eyes of your enemy when you kill him.
ALGREN. Either way, he’s just as dead.
KATSUMOTO. Taking a man’s life is nothing. You cannot take away his
honor. (Logan, 2003: 64)
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In bushido, dying in the battle considers as a glorious death, and if he
loses in the battle, he should commit to suicide, or often named seppuku. JAPAN:
a documentary states that, “Man always desires life and rationalizes his choice for
life. At that very moment, if he misses his objectives and continues to live, as a
samurai he must be regarded as a coward. It is difficult to draw an exact line. If he
misses his objectives and chooses death, some may say he dies in vain and he is
crazy to do so.” (Lu, 1997:262) Death is not regarded as a shameful act, but it is
one of the requirements of bushido. As mentioned in the Encyclopedia of Japan:
Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori, “Bushido required honor,
brave