Stories of ideal Japanese subjects from the great Kantō earthquake of 1923

2005/05/01 by Janet Borland · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Aesthetics #Ancient history #Christian ministry #Economics #Emperor #Government (linguistics) #History #Ideal (ethics) #Japanese History and Culture #Law #Loyalty #Moral education #Order (exchange) #Pedagogy #Philosophy #Political science #Psychology #Sacrifice #Sociology #Theology

paper · doi:10.1080/10371390500067645

openalex publication_date 2005/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

This article examines stories of ideal subjects published by the Ministry of Education within three months of Japan's most devastating natural disaster, the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake. The education materials, entitled Shinsai ni kansuru kyōiku shiryō, are a collection of stories of exemplary behaviour based on experiences of the earthquake and are imbued with moral values, such as loyalty to the Emperor and self-sacrifice. In this article I will demonstrate that widespread concerns about decaying moral values in Japanese society compelled the government to use these education materials in order to extol the moral values they considered necessary for creating ideal Japanese subjects.

Citations

• Capitalising on Catastrophe: Reinvigorating the Japanese State with Moral Values through Education following the 1923 Great Kantô Earthquake
• Woman's Place in Japan's Great Depression: Reflections on the Moral Economy of Deflation

Cited by

• Great Kantō Earthquake [wikipedia]