Romania and Japan: Real and Imaginary Encounters at the Turn of the 20th Century
Romania and Japan: Real and Imaginary Encounters at the Turn of the 20th Century

Summary/Abstract: The first part of this paper will focus on some aspects described by Japanese men of letters in their writings (the autobiography of Tokutomi Sohō, who visited Europe in 1896; his brother, Roka’s travel diary, written in 1906; and the references to Queen Elisabeta of Romania from Mori Ōgai’s essay, Taikan Shijin, 1914). It will attempt to point out the way Romania was perceived by Japan at the turn of the 20th century, in light of the former’s position in Europe and the latter’s military interests. This perspective will be complemented by an analysis of Japan’s image, created and consumed in Romania around the same time. Here, I will consider the open lectures about Japan held in various locations, as well as the travel account of businessman Bazil Assan (1899) and the imaginary adventures of the Romanian youth who takes part in the Russo-Japanese War described in Sofia Nădejde’s novel Irimel (1905). Lastly I will also briefly discuss Eugen Lovinescu’s ideas about modernization, westernization and “form without content” in Romania and Japan. The goal of this paper is to trace the changes undergone by the two countries’ representations in each other’s imagination, analyzing their underlying reasons and implications.

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