Abstract
It seemed there had never before been such tension in the band room. In fact, this was the only case of a disciplinary problem observed in the band during the entire period of fieldwork at Ishikawa Middle School. It took several repeated viewings of the video content to fully grasp the true meaning of what had occurred. The band had just finished rehearsing St. Anthony Variations (by William Hill), a complex piece requiring a high level of technical ability that would make it suitable repertoire for many American university wind bands. Kato Sensei then had the students take out their sheet music parts for Kimigayo, the Japanese national anthem. Kimigayo is a very slow and simple song that consists of half notes and quarter notes in a narrow range, technically the very simplest piece in the band’s entire repertoire. Kato Sensei conducted the band through Kimigayo, from beginning to end. Surprisingly, most of the clarinet section members never lifted their instruments to playing position for this song, and instead sat silently through the entire piece. I recall thinking that the expressions of the clarinet players seemed unusual at this point, with very solemn faces and eyes pointing toward the ground, occasionally stealing glances at one another.
出る杭は打たれる
Deru kuiwa utareru
“The nail that stands out gets pounded” – nonconformity is hazardous
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Adal, R. (2009). Nationalizing aesthetics: Art education in Egypt and Japan, 1872–1950. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University. Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest/UMI.
Aspinall, R., & Cave, P. (2001). Lowering the flag: Authority, democracy and rights at Tokorozawa High School. Social Science Japan Journal, 4(1), 77–93.
Barnard, C. (2003). Language, ideology, and Japanese history textbooks. London: Routledge.
Ben-Ari, E., & Fruhstuck, S. (2003). The celebration of violence: A live-fire demonstration carried out by Japan’s contemporary military. American Ethnologist, 30(4), 540–555.
Bergman, C. (1997, August 30). Texts illegally censored, Japan court rules. The Globe and Mail.
Birnbaum, M. (2010, March 18). Historians speak out against proposed Texas textbook changes. The Washington Post.
Daughtry, J. M. (2003). Russia’s new anthem and the negotiation of national identity. Ethnomusicology, 47(1), 42–67.
Folkestad, G. (2002). National identity and music. In R. A. R. MacDonald, D. J. Hargreaves, & D. E. Miell (Eds.), Musical identities (pp. 151–162). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
French, H. W. (2001, March 25). Japan’s resurgent far right tinkers with history. The New York Times.
Groemer, G. (2004). The rise of ‘Japanese music’. The World of Music, 46(2), 9–33.
Hargreaves, D. J., MacDonald, R. A. R., & Miell, D. E. (2002). What are musical identities, and why are they important? In R. A. R. MacDonald, D. J. Hargreaves, & D. E. Miell (Eds.), Musical identities (pp. 1–20). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hebert, D. G. (2006). Rethinking patriotism: National anthems in music education. Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education, 4(1), 21–39.
Hongo, J. (2007, March 6). ‘Kimigayo’ snub stings another teacher. The Japan Times.
Japan Times. (Ed.). (2004, May 31). Education board checked ‘loudness’ of ‘Kimigayo’. The Japan Times.
Japan Times. (Ed.). (2004, May 22). Police raid retired teacher who raised flag, anthem ruckus. The Japan Times.
Japan Times. (Ed.). (2003, October 24). Flag, anthem controversy rumbles on. The Japan Times.
Johnson, H. (2004). The koto, traditional music, and an idealized Japan: Cultural nationalism in music performance and education. In R. Starrs (Ed.), Japanese cultural nationalism at home and in the Asia-Pacific (pp. 132–164). Kent: Global Oriental.
Lebra, T. S. (2004). The Japanese self in cultural logic. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.
Mainichi Shinbun. (1999, June 28). Kimigayo.
Mans, M. (2009). Living in worlds of music: A view of education and values. Dordrecht: Springer.
Matsunobu, K. (2009a). Artful encounters with nature: Ecological and spiritual dimensions of music learning. Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois. Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest/UMI.
Matsunobu, K. (2009b). Modern and traditional Asia. In M. Mans (Ed.), Living in worlds of music: A view of education and values (pp. 140–147). Dordrecht: Springer.
McConnell, D. (1999). Coping with diversity: The Achilles’ heel of Japanese education? In G. K. LeTendre (Ed.), Competitor or ally? Japan’s role in American educational debates (pp. 47–64). New York: Falmer Press.
McKinley, J. C. (2010, March 12). Texas conservatives win curriculum change. The New York Times.
Muller, G. (Ed.). (2011). Designing history in East Asian textbooks: Identity politics and transnational aspirations. London: Routledge.
Nakao, H. (2004). The legacy of Shiba Ryotaro. In R. Starrs (Ed.), Japanese cultural nationalism at home and in the Asia-Pacific (pp. 99–115). Kent: Global Oriental.
Shepherd, G. (1991). ‘Nihonjinron’: Challenge to academia. International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, 22(2), 187–192.
Shoso Shinbun. (1999, March). Hiroshimakenritsukouno kochojisatsu kumiaito kimigayoseishode Tairitsu [Suicide of Hiroshima prefecture school principal, union opposition, and Kimigayo politics].
Singleton, J. (1967). Nichu: A Japanese school. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
Southcott, J., & Lee, A. H. (2003). Imperialism in school music: Common experiences in two different cultures. International Journal of Music Education, 40, 28–40.
Starrs, R. (2004). Introduction. In R. Starrs (Ed.), Japanese cultural nationalism at home and in the Asia-Pacific (pp. 1–19). Kent: Global Oriental.
Stephens, C. S. (2008). Japanese popular music: Culture, authenticity, and power. London: Routledge.
Yamada, J. (2004). Kokka: Kimigayo [National anthem]. In H. Okabe, (Ed.), Nihon ongaku kyoiku jiten [Japan dictionary of music education] (pp. 379–380). Tokyo: Ongaku no Tomosha [Nihon Ongaku Kyoiku Gakkai].
Yano, C. R. (1999). Distant homelands: Nation as place in Japanese popular song. In K. Yoshino (Ed.), Consuming ethnicity and nationalism: Asian experiences (pp. 158–176). Surrey: Curzon.
Yomiuri Shinbun. (2004, April 6). Kokka seisho mondaide kyoin 20ninwo chokaishobun – Tokyotokyoi [20 teachers punished over national anthem issue].
Yoneyama, S. (1999). The Japanese high school: Silence and resistance. London: Routledge.
Yoshino, K. (1999). Rethinking theories of nationalism: Japan’s nationalism in a marketplace perspective. In K. Yoshino (Ed.), Consuming ethnicity and nationalism: Asian experiences (pp. 8–28). Surrey: Curzon.
Zeng, K., & LeTendre, G. K. (1999). “The dark side of …” Suicide, violence and drug use in Japanese schools. In G. K. LeTendre (Ed.), Competitor or ally? Japan’s role in American educational debates. New York: Falmer Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hebert, D.G. (2012). National Identity in the Japanese School Band. In: Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools. Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2178-4_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2178-4_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-2177-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-2178-4
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)