Technology, Power & Protestby Lauren Phillips & Rachel Higgins

Topic OverviewTechnology, Power, and Protest are three major themes in Hayao Miyazaki’s film The Wind Rises. One of the main issues addressed in the film

are the effects of technological advancements which raise questions about ethics and responsibilities. In a time and place where war is not a

direct problem that we face in our daily lives, the technologies that we come in contact with everyday simplify and improve many aspects of our

lives. However, technology is like a double edge sword; while it helps a few, many others are experiencing its destruction. In war torn countries

past and present, the destructive quality of these technologies are especially evident. The role that technology has had in the greatest wars of

history has been monumental. Therefore, It is just as important to look at the people who have designed and engineered these technologies as

we have done to those who have controlled and designated targets for these weapons.

A second issue that was addressed in this film was the topic of power, specifically the legitimacy and transparency of the state and authority. A

few questions that the film produces is: How much control does a person actually have in their lives? What effect does an individuals actions

have on the grand scheme of life? Does freedom as we define it actually exist?

Finally, the third theme that will be discussed is Protest. As a whole, Miyazaki’s film The Wind Rises can be seen as a criticism of Japan and its

role in WWII. In general humans have always seperated and banded together with certain people based on their race, creeds and culture,

gender or national origin. There are those who feel Miyazaki is turning his back on his country and people due to his stance against war and

Japan’s slide into fascism during its Imperial era. Through out history there have been numerous examples of how nationalism can be a

dangerous and powerful tool for governments who wish to manipulate its citizens. Nationalism has been a strong force in many countries and

Japan is no exception. Japanese identity is centered in their nation as a whole, with a culture focused on honor above all else. Their sense of

obligation to defend their nation and its actions is very strong. However, in the midst of all the nationalistic pride there is always the opposition or

the groups of people critical of the authority. There has been views and interpretations from both ends of the spectrum on Miyazaki’s

presentation of this historical figure and time period.

Film IntroductionThe Wind Rises is a historical Japanese anime film written and

directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film is based on Miyazaki’s

manga “The Wind Rises” which is loosely based on the 1937 short

story “The Wind Has Risen” by Tatsuo Hori. The film’s Original

title is Kaze Tachinu and it is a fictionalized biography of Jiro

Horikoshi, the designer of the Mitsubishi A5M and the later A6M

Zero fighter aircrafts both used in World War II by the Empire of

Japan.The story chronicles much of his life and includes many key

historical events such as the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the

Great Depression, and the tuberculosis epidemic. Although Japan

in its years leading up to WWII is a prominent and recurring

presence throughout the film, Miyazaki’s true focus was the

development of Jiro Horikoshi’s life. His story started from a

young boy dreaming of flying airplanes, continuing to his years

studying aeronautical engineering, to exploring the hardships he

later faces during his career, culminating in the ill-fated romance

with his lovely Nahoko. Miyazaki told Japan’s Cut Magazine in

2011 that this quote by Horikoshi: “All I wanted to do was to

make something beautiful,” was an inspiration for his creation of

The Wind Rises. Despite the controversies that have followed this

film this quote defines what Miyasaki hoped to project with the

story of the brilliant figure in Japanese history, Jiro Horikoshi.

Technology

Beautiful Dreams “... airplanes are not tools for war. They are not for making money. Airplanes are beautiful dreams. Engineers turn dreams into reality.”

Later in the film, there is a contrasting scene to this clip when an older

Jiro meets Carponi again in another dream. Carponi tells Jiro that,

“airplanes are beautiful cursed dreams waiting for the sky to swallow

them up”. But Carponi also asks Jiro “which would you choose, a world

with pyramids or a world without?”

Looking closely, Carponi is really asking if living in a world with

beautiful things despite being built on sacrifice and suffering would be

preferable, or if he would rather chose to live in a world where peoples’

dreams remain untainted by the outside world and therefore unrealized.

At the time of the war designing bombers and fighter planes were the

only jobs where Jiro could realistically and successfully fulfill his dream.

Considering this clip and contrasting quote Jiro Horikoshi's career

presents a moral paradox that is central to The Wind Rises: In order to

pursue his dream of creating beautiful flying machines, he must create

warplanes that will kill. His Zero Fighter will be remembered for Pearl

Harbor, the Pacific War, and the Kamikaze divers. But in the film and in

real life Jiro makes it clear that all he ”wanted to do was to make

something beautiful.”

Japan in WWIIThe Atomic Bomb

One of the greatest scientific achievements is the discovery

and use of nuclear power.

In the same way in which those behind the fighter airplanes

and bombers used in WWII were aeronautical engineers,

scientist and engineers were behind the development and

creation of the first atomic bomb.

Link: "War Makes Everyone Crazy": Hiroshima Survivor

Reflects on 69th Anniversary of U.S. Atomic Bombing

In the link above we hear the testimony from a survivor of

the Hiroshima bombing in 1945. It is interesting to note

what the man says about the U.S. as someone who was

directly affected by the dropping of the bomb.

At some point many have wondered if such an event could

have been avoided. At the very least it is important to ask

what these actions have taught us about our relationships

with other human beings, with technology, and our sense of

duty.

Power

Power Relations: JapanJapan’s systematic intimidation and manipulation that was so exhaustively cultivated by the small country’s leadership in the

past is well known. In the midst of Jiro’s fighter plane design project, his boss Kurokawa rushes him out of his office and into

hiding because a visit from the thought crimes unit of the secret police had inquired about him. With no explanations others were

also singled out and the only answer given is “who knows?” Jiros Section Chief Hattori tells him: “I’ll do what I can with the

government higher-ups, and the company will do everything to protect you—as long as you’re useful.”

The power structure in Japan is different in many respects from that of the West yet at the highest level, in government and

politics, Japan has proven to be no different from other regimes and governments. Japan’s goals during WWII were to gain more

economic stability as they came out of their own economic depression. Their government was focused around the military

because at one point the entire country was involved in fighting the war whether it be through soldiers, materials, or services.

Japan’s government sought to take over more territory to allow them more resources to lessen their dependence from trading

with other countries, and ultimately to gain independence from the powerful countries around them. To get the citizens to have

faith in the government’s decisions and not question them, they used tactics to gain control over the people’s thoughts such as

through schools and textbooks, as well as controlling the opinions spread by media outlets.

At this time in Japan, power was essential to the success of their mission for the war. Japan needed to have power over their

citizens, and they had to have enough power with their allies to be seen as a major player and addition to the “team”. These

power relations between Japan and Germany began with signing of a treaty to agree to the countries coming together, but after

only a few years Japan underwent a major governmental control shift from Tokugawa Shogunate and The Empire of Japan was

established. This lead to power struggles within Japan between the new and old governments, which ultimately affected its

relations with Germany.

The Danger of PowerIs the question of who is the villain and victim that simple?

War results in the dehumanization of the enemy. The widespread image of the Japanese as sub-human constituted an emotional

context which provided another justification for decisions resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands.The participation in crimes

and atrocities is not exclusive

to a select few. When the

“good guys” react with more or

with the same crimes and

atrocities how do they differ

from their enemy? With all the

violence and destruction from

war aside there is civilization

made up innocent people such

as the children in this images,

Our idea of who the “bad guy”

changes and the lines start to

blur. When Americans are

being sent to internment

camps by their own country

does that provide us with trust

in the powers that govern us?

-Protest-

Japanesene

ss"Who will be the target of all these bombers? Against whom will you wage war?”

“Everyone. Maybe China, maybe America.” - The Wind Rises

Do the people even know why they were at war?

Link: Nationalism clouds WWII memories in Asia

Nationalism and anti-japanese sentiment exists and affects the people of Japan and the rest of the world.

● This film raised criticism from both sides of Japanese government because some saw it as Hayao Miyazaki’s way

of idolizing the men who built the planes that took so many lives in the war, which they believed should have been

something scorned rather than shown in the way it was. There is also disagreement with this film because it did not

address the forced labor that built some of these planes, but rather showed the kind and intelligent people who

designed them. More so, there are a large number of people who interpreted this as a film exposing the corruption

brought by war.

● Anime is a type of media that clearly has a deep and important role in reflecting peoples conflict with the events of

history, and the possibilities of the future. This is clearly reflected in The Wind Rises because of the criticism this

film received, as well as the support and awards it received.

Link: Radio Interview on Japanese Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki & His Final

Film The Wind Rises

This film has a very subtle approach to its protest of

the war. When considering Hayao Miyazaki’s previous

work, he makes it a point to show his disapproval of

war and violence, but this film was not as blatant in

showing his protest. When the term “protest” is brought

up, it usually comes with the assumption of active and

obvious disapproval of an event, which in this case is

the war. But this film has no outright protest of the

fighting, but instead chooses to show the people

behind the war. This film shows Jiro, who is living out

his dreams from his childhood, and his story of falling

in love and losing his wife as a protest to the ugly and

brutal truth of the war. Using this man’s story

humanizes the war, and shows that the questions of

who is right or wrong, and good or bad are not simple

black and white answers, but rather are unanswerable

because both sides have real people who live real lives

with dreams to fulfill, and loved ones to be lost, and the

war is only a small aspect to such a large part of the

lives happening all around.

Popular Culture & Protest

Discussion

Questions

Film Q’s:

1. How does animation and it’s common themes reveal to us the nature of people

and events in the real world? (The Wind Rises is basically a biography but

fictionalized still containing many qualities of anime such as fantasy.)

2. As opposed to some of Miyazaki’s other films that we have watched in this class

(Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, & Nausicaa Valley of the Wind) why do you

think this film’s theme and style is so different?

3. Does this film have a purpose other than for pure entertainment, such as to plant

more pacifist ideologies in the minds of our young generation? Is this reflected in

other films from this class?

Topic Q’s:

1. Does the condition and state of the world accurately represent our hopes and

desires?

2. How does technology, power and protest influence each other as can be observed

in the past and present?

3. In what ways does the definition of moral responsibility change between different

cultures, that is if it does at all?

Bibliography

"Germany–Japan relations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 13 Jul 2014. Web.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany%E2%80%93Japan_relations>.

"Hiroshima Nuclear (atomic) Bomb - USA attack on Japan (1945) - YouTube." 25 Mar 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwkyPvlWPM0>.

Ishibashi, Mari. "JSTOR: The Review of Politics, Vol. 63, No. 4 (Autumn, 2001), pp. 831-834." JSTOR. Jstor, 2001. Web. 2 Aug 2014.

<http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1408869?uid=3739856&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21104465697507>.

"Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki moves from beautiful fantasy to World War II in his new animated film | Public Radio International." Public Radio

International | It's your world. Jump in.. 16 Mar 2014. Web. <http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-03-16/japanese-filmmaker-hayao-miyazaki-moves-

beautiful-fantasy-world-war-ii-his-new>.

"Japan's Quest for Power and World War II in Asia | Asia for Educators | Columbia University." Asia for Educators | Columbia University. Columbia University,

Web. 6 Aug 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1900_power.htm>.

The Wind Rises. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli, 2013. DVD.

"The Wind Rises Quotes by Hayao Miyazaki." Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Web. 2 Aug 2014.

<http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/40357429-the-wind-rises>.

"The Wind Rises (2013) - Quotes - IMDb." IMDb - Movies, TV and Celebrities. Web. 2 Aug 2014.

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2013293/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu>.

"The Wind Rises - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 5 Aug 2014. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_Rises>.

""War Makes Everyone Crazy": Hiroshima Survivor Reflects on 69th Anniversary of U.S. Atomic Bombing." 6 Aug 2014. Web.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEd2xgmKlGU>.

ContributionsLauren Phillips

Slides: Power Relations: Japan, Japaneseness, Popular Culture & Protest, Bibliography, Discussion

Questions

Editing & Corrections

Research

Overall theme & topic input and Contribution

Rachel HigginsSlides: Topic Overview, Film Introduction, Beautiful Dreams, Japan in WWII, The Danger of Power,

Discussion Questions

Adding the videos, article & recording in Presentation

Design and Organization of Presentation

Research and overall contribution