The first work from the land of the Rising Sun, dedicated to Russian-Japanese relations, appeared at the end of the XVIII century. The so-called Hokusa Monryaku by Katsuragawa Hosyu or in Russian translation “Brief News about Wandering in Northern Waters” was written based on the testimony of Daikokuya Kodayu, a merchant and captain of a Japanese schooner. His ship was caught in a storm and was washed up on one of the Aleutian Islands in 1783. Only after almost 10 years, in 1792, the captain, along with two other crewmembers (the rest either died of illness or converted to Orthodoxy and remained in Russia), descended from the brigantine “Saint Catherine” to the shores of his homeland. Subsequently, the Japanese authorities, who then adhered to a policy of strict isolation, interrogated the Japanese who returned.
Бригантина «Святая Екатерина», доставившая Дайкокуя Кодаю обратно в Японию. Токийский национальный музей.
“Katsuragawa Hosyu (the author of the work), the compiler of the Hokusa Monryaku, was present during the interrogation and recorded Kodai’s testimony, which was, in fact, a simple story about what he experienced and saw during his wanderings. This entry turned out to be the beginning of the work on compiling a set of information about Russia, and then undertaken by Katsuragawa. Of course, he also took advantage of what he learned from Kodayu, but he drew the main material for his description of Russia from various sources that he could get from the Dutch — the only Europeans who had access to Japan at that time, and from the Chinese,” says the preface to the Soviet edition of “Brief News …”[1]. Daikokuya Kodai was accompanied on this journey by an expedition led by Adam Laxman: the fact is that Empress Catherine II, who took not the last part in the fate of Japanese citizens, was also interested in establishing official relations with her Far Eastern neighbor[2]. Moreover, although the results of the expedition were ambiguous, they nevertheless became the foundation for the development of future Russian-Japanese relations.
The Russian Empire will repeat its diplomatic mission only more than half a century later. There will also be a cultural work about those events in Japanese culture – made already in the style of Japanese animation.
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- Якорь корабля “ Диана ” демонстрируется в Хеде.
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- Hōsenji, где Путятин остался во время своего пребывания в Японии ( слева ). Стол и стул, которые использовал Путятин(справа)
Anime “Difficult friendship” (in Japanese “Bakumatsu no supashi:bo) was released in 1997, and a cassette copy, according to the Kommersant newspaper, was given to President Yeltsin during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto[3]. The animated film tells about the events preceding the conclusion of the Treaty of Shimoda between the countries in 1855. Then the frigate Diana went to the shores of Japan, commanded by Yevfimiy Putyatin– among other things, a Russian diplomat and public official. His ship was wrecked, but the crew was rescued by the residents of Fuji, not afraid of the strictest ban on any contact with foreigners. In addition, despite the fact that there are a number of stereotypes about Russia and its inhabitants in the anime, nevertheless, the creators of the film treated the depiction of historical characters with respect.
Interestingly, the Russian-Japanese treaty of the second half of the XIX century determined the affiliation of a number of the Kuril Islands to the eastern country – Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan. On the territory of the latter, interestingly, the plot of another anime is unfolding, telling about the development of relations between the two states.
“After the largest conflict that humanity has ever experienced, the small island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin region. In this far corner of the world, overcoming language barriers and the consequences of a historical catastrophe, friendship between children from two different countries is timidly blossoming,” this is how the 2014 full-length film “Giovanni’s Island” is described on the website of the Big Cartoon Festival[4]. Despite the fact that adults in anime often do not do the most honest things (and not only soldiers, but residents of Shikotan, too), the animated picture as a whole leaves behind pleasant impressions. First, because it tells about people’s relationships, their ability to negotiate with each other immediately after the completion of truly cruel and tragic events.
Russian Russian-Japanese relations in the culture of the land of the Rising Sun are thus presented with sufficient respect and demonstration of a generally positive image of Russians. In conclusion, we note that the appearance of such anime could be because among the inhabitants of Japan there was an increased interest in the culture of the “big country” – its sports, ballet, language, etc. All this eventually marked the announcement of 2018 as a cross–year for Russia and Japan.
“We know that the Japanese traditionally show sincere interest in our culture, art, theater, music, cinema, literature, and the Russian year in Japan will be rich in tours of famous theaters and musical groups; various art and photo exhibitions will be held, as well as a Week of Russian Cinema,[5]” Vladimir Putin said at the opening ceremony.
Whether new animated films based on historical facts from the interaction between Japan and Russia are in development remains unknown. However, if one were to come out, it would probably also show the interaction between people – not devoid of stereotypes, but showing people “on different sides of the border” as not devoid of respect for others.
[1] https://www.vostlit.info/Texts/Dokumenty/Japan/XVIII/1780-1800/Kacuragava_Hosju/vved.phtml?id=14302
[2] https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/ekspeditsiya-adama-laksmana-i-nachalo-yapono-rossiyskih-otnosheniy-v-xviii-v
[3] https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/192892
[4] http://multfest.ru/film.php?id=2789&group=732&fest=37&prog=368
