Japan: The Changing Years; 3; Village Life in the New Japan
- Series
- Japan: The Changing Years
- Episode Number
- 3
- Episode
- Village Life in the New Japan
- Producing Organization
- University of Michigan
- Contributing Organization
- Thirteen WNET (New York, New York)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/75-26xwdfg6
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- Description
- Episode Description
- What it means to live in a contemporary Japanese village is shown through film shot especially for this series in Nijike, 430 miles from Tokyo. A housewife appears in the film sequences, but the voice heard in the narration is that of Miss Kimie Tojo, daughter of the late Premier Tojo. Robert Ward, Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan and host for the episode, points out that the village has often been considered the backbone of traditional Japan. His guest, Richard K. Beardsley, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, concurs. It is the land, (Professor Beardsley says), the importance of working the land, of keeping it going, of keeping it in the family, that strongly enforces traditional ways in Japanese villages. These traditional ways stress cooperation on a family and on a community level, and the subordination of each person to the collective good. Holding and working the land is a way of life, not a business. Yet the modern world has made its impression on village life. A century ago the village had little connection with the outside world. Now, as a result of central government supervision, police and military conscription, economic changes brought about when the villagers began to raise crops for outside sale, a national system of schools, and the introduction of electricity and radios, this insular picture has altered. But because of the basic social conditions and the primary concern for working the land, changes occur slowly. In their own villages, younger men are gaining control because they understand machinery and marketing best. A real social transformation is taking place, but quietly, without violence, without setting life off balance. The families scrape a living from two acres of land and stay, for the most part, buried within the household and the community. They find satisfaction from living collectively. Their way of life has for generations fitted their nature and their circumstances; yet it seems flexible enough to make room for the new. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Series Description
- In 1941 Japan was our enemy. By 1951 she had become a staunch ally. Between 1861 and 1961 she made the leap from a Middle Ages culture to a modern one a transformation that took most European countries four centuries to accomplish. Neither change occurred without tremendous political and social upheavals and enormous tensions and conflicts between the old and the new. In Japan: The Changing Years, these major changes and the resulting tensions are examined by experts who combine academic stature with first-hand knowledge of the country and the conditions they discuss. Films are used extensively to illustrate the points under consideration. These include historic footage shot in 1906 as well as a considerable amount of captured World War II film obtained from the U.S. Army or from the National Archives. Through the cooperation of the Japan Society, Inc., of New York (which shared the cost of producing the series with NETRC) antique prints and paintings and nineteen century photographs were obtained for use. Other still photographs were taken from the book We Japanese, published by Heibonsha of Tokyo. Much of the music was taken from Japanese radio broadcast tapes cleared for use by the Japan Society. Japan: The Changing Years was produced for NETRC by the University of Michigan. The 10 half-hour episodes that comprise this series were originally recorded in black and white on videotape. L.A.P. Gosling, Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Michigan is the host of episodes 1, 2, and 5-10. Robert E. Ward, Professor of Political Scinec, University of Michigan is the host of episodes 3 and 4. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Broadcast Date
- 1961-00-00
- Asset type
- Episode
- Genres
- Talk Show
- Topics
- History
- Global Affairs
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
-
-
Director:
Berla, Michael
Executive Producer: Garrison, Garnet R., 1911-
Executive Producer: Ward, Robert E., 1916-2009
Guest: Beardsley, Richard K.
Host: Ward, Robert E.
Producer: Slote, Alfred
Producing Organization: University of Michigan
Set Designer: Webber, Verne
Speaker: Tojo, Kimie
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Thirteen - New York Public Media (WNET)
Identifier: wnet_aacip_2335 (WNET Archive)
Format: 2 inch videotape: Quad
Duration: 00:29:05?
-
Thirteen - New York Public Media (WNET)
Identifier: wnet_aacip_2336 (WNET Archive)
Format: 16mm film
Duration: 00:30:15?
-
Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive
Identifier: [request film based on title] (Indiana University)
Format: 16mm film
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “Japan: The Changing Years; 3; Village Life in the New Japan,” 1961-00-00, Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed May 21, 2026, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-26xwdfg6.
- MLA: “Japan: The Changing Years; 3; Village Life in the New Japan.” 1961-00-00. Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. May 21, 2026. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-26xwdfg6>.
- APA: Japan: The Changing Years; 3; Village Life in the New Japan. Boston, MA: Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-26xwdfg6