I was reviewing my "to-do" list when expat at Japan. And one of the item is: write something about Daichinoko. Daichinoko - Sone of this Ground, A fiction, a TV drama series. This recalled a lot of memory and thoughts.
The TV series Daichinoko was based on the same name fiction - Daichinoko by Yamasaki Toyoko. Firstly, Yamasaki Toyoko is very worth mentioning. She is famous on fctions describing the "sophisticate and "complicate social reality, involving signficant historical context and humanity. Some of her fictions get more popular than this one, like Shiroi KyouTou - White Tower, describes the dark side, the bureaucratic system and the conflictions under the glamour medical world. My wife is particularly fonded of it since quite relating to her profession and really probed some "aches" which either barely mentioned or dare to touch mostly. Another my favor is Futatsu no Sokoku - Two Mother Nationa. It is describing a pair of Japanese descended American brothers but involved in WWII, one in Europe and the other one in Pacific arena. The on in Pacific encountered numerous conflictions between culture, nationality, royality, humanity issues since he was assigned to be the translation officer for POW. I actually had not finished it yet and never get time to get back into it so far. I think the deepth is still lacking. But I really like her initiatives to discuss something like this. The meaning of originality, nationality, culture, royality and value perceptions are all under challenge in the special circumstance - war.
Ok.. I can spend another whole chapter talking about Futatsu no Sokoku. But I have to put down Daichinoko first, since it is where these all started. So, during my tenure of Tokyo, I sometime watch local channel unpurposely, mainly just for practicing japanese, then this program caught my eyes. And it triggered to study Miss Yamasaki and her fictions. NHK (Japanese PBS) initially conducted this series as a celebration for its 70 anniversary.
The main character is a so-called "post WWII japanese orphan". Prior and during WWII, Japan aggressive colonized the northeast of China, dispatched familities and singles there to establish villages and towns. Some of them are not under strong economic backup, just seek a new life or a bea fugitive from the harshness back to homeland. However, the end of WWII (well... Hiroshima and Nagasaki) is sort of abrupt for these people's life. All japanese immigrats were required to pack up and rush back to their homeland within a limited period. Being at the mid/low level of social class, their responses were stunned and slowing try to figure the way out. But meanwhile, that area was also in a mess due to the civil war between communism and nationism, some of the families were not able to leave within the periods. the worse is... some family memebers were left behind... And the worst of worse, the kids.
So, the main charactor broke apart with his family, and was young and tortured to lost anything in memory, including his mother tone. He has a sister, but also lost connection during the mess. So, he is on his own and try to survive. He was traded like slave and worked in farm. Luckily, a teacher couple eventually adopt him and bring him up to adult. However, his background, being a japanese descented really not help his life. But his step-parents managed him to get educated and be in elite class. He went through culture revolution, his backgrond bought him significant pain but also returned him some of his memory. So, he started to search his originality and identify. Later, got chance to find out his father (who went back to Japan after the war), and eventually found his sister. The finding of his sister was really a painful scene, seeing the harsh environment of farming with all the misfortune. Well, is it sad because of being in farming? no. My parents are from farming and we really don't feel that sorry to work in farm. The life is harsh and pain. But it is the life chose.
I think I am extremly sad to see the painful life caused by wars, especially for these civilians not involving in war and just want to make their life. Take his sister as an example, their immigrated family was not rich. still have to work hard in the colonized zone. end of the day if nothing happened, she will be still doing farming.. But when she died, she didn't have diginity, didn't know who she is exactly and needless to say enjoying any humanity or even family kindness.
Taking HR society levelized view... individual - family - society - country/nation. The war is at highest level but can destroy everything below easily. On the other hand, the purpose of war always claims to preserver the value below.
Ok... off track a little bit. The war did bring a lot of pain to civilians, on both sides, particularlly in the scale and time extend like WWII (it is 8 years in total in china territory and all over the place).
There is another interesting but sad topic here. I cannot describe this explicitly. He fundamentally grew up in China, educated in chinese society and absorbed its culture. But don't think he is really fully integrated. He was sent to labour camp just because he is Japanese during culture revolution. Ok, fine, culture revolution may be a extreme case since everything is upside down. But, after the culture revolution, everything is back to normal and japan/chinese re-established their relationship. He was assigned to a big government project to coordinate the investment from Japan. Then he got set up about his royality and went under some scrutiny. Luckily, he got clean out. But when he asked the guys (who is also an elite) why set it up , the guy's answer was clearly - "I hate you because you are a Japanese. My parents were all killed by them. I want to revenge".
Well, that is stunning and scaring. The generation right after WWII is around 60 now. Either retiring or being the critical position in society. How many chinese has that kind of thoughts? Every time there is a conflict between these two countries, Japan embassy in China pretty much come into red alarm immediately. But other than these explicit conflictions, how easy it will be to resolve the stereotype like this? People can behave on business and goodwill as normal. But the hatred caused by war may be deeply somewhere and not be that easy to ignore.
I had a Japanese friend went for China for business. So, the conclusion he made was - "people will listen to your idea, appreciate your effort. But when comes down to decision making, they close up on their own and exclude me". He further concludes that this is signficantly contributed the factor that he is a Japanese.
Chinese don't trust Japanese? In average, I am guessing yes. Most japanese companies dispatch japanese mid level managers to be the watch dog and mentor of the new managers of oversea subsidinaries. First time when they tried to establish china subsidinary back to 60s, they suffered from the issue that not able to properly manage the floor workforces. Supervision was not working very well since nobody is really willing to listen and change their mind. One workaround was to use the manager from Taiwan subsidinary to be the manager at China until the local managers fully up to speed. Do everyone see how Japan lost the bid of high-speed train from Peijing to Shanhai? Eventually, China just claim that France-German alliane won the bid, refuse any detail and funny there were some politic tension between china/japan coincidentlly.
Ok, But even above is true... It don't seem to be applicable widely. After war, people hate each other to their bone? Don't really think so.
Does Japanese really hates American? I am not sure but I know some very old folks did (but I kind of lean to say no). But does French dislike Germany? vice versa? I guess yes. I aort of conclude to where the war really occurrs. The arena of WWII is in Europe continent and China territory. No ground battle really in North America and Japan. In other word, the damage of civilian is limited. Japan did went through severe bombing + 2 atom bombs, but overall, the damage of civilian is still limited. It can be compared by the battle in Okinawa, the only japanese territory got invaded during WWII (oh this is another story... people used to talk about Iwajima... but that is military fight... Okinawa was really in different scale. civilian + miliary against incoming force. but I better stop here). If the ground battle did occure, the pain of civilian will be mounted. After the pain accumulated, the prejudice against individual nation formed (French probably a exception since they gave up so quickly). I guess this is sort of reasonable to see why some people in mid east hate American so much but don't see American care, because of where the battle occurs.
Daichinoko is a sad story, very sad story. The story of a individual whose life is completely altered by a war. So does his family. Even he has nothing to do with it. And the impact of this war is so long, so broad, so deep and so sob.
Cheesely enough... He eventually decided to stay in China even his father asked him to return "I grew up on the ground. So, I am the son of this ground". That is where the title coming from... well, good luck even it is not recongizing you. This makes me conclude this is a fiction. But I am not saying he should return. We are watching a fiction or drama, the information we have is limited and bias. The real person will need more thorough reviews and evalutions to make that decision rather than just a emotional slogan-like statement.
PS1: there are couple social cases for the return of post war orphans. In reality, some are found and returned, but later some found out it is hard to live in Japan (some are like back to Hokaido, urr.. .so cold). some because of languague and culture, some are just too old or too sick... Eventually japanese govenment decide to subside all of them. well... not sure they are better of staying in china. But all are just tragedy........
PS2: I was putting this in rush... will need to re-edit in the future and the words used.... they really sucks....
