This book is a masterpiece by Haga Yaiti

a leading Japanese writer active in the Meiji and Taisho period

and a primary source for understanding how Japanese people wanted to be perceived at the end of the Meiji period. The book emphasizes respect for the emperor

love of the country

and reverence for ancestors and families associated with the emperor as the national character of Japan

the lifeblood of which was maintained until the 15-year war

when it was used to promote national prestige.

Haga Yaiti’s study was based on German philology. Through the study of literature

German philology attempts to understand the spirit of the people who produce them. August Boeckh

on whose methodologies Haga Yaiti relied

attempted to reveal the national character of the German people through the study of literature. Haga Yaiti also attempted to reveal the national character of the Japanese through the study of literature.

The above is an introduction to the content of the book. And the translator points out not only the Zhou brothers’ acceptance of the concept of national character

but also its influence on Lu Xun’s

Diary of a Madman

. Lu Xun said that he realized that the Chinese were a cannibalistic people after reading

Zi Zhi Tong Jian

while it was the very book used as the evidence for Chinese cannibalism in

Ten Essays on National Character.

This book goes beyond the scope of translation and has very interesting content. It is a well-composed translation with notes.