Giving the people what they want

[cstaylor]

You can say one thing about Fujimura: he knew his audience. The Japanese bought his crap because they wanted to believe that their ancestors had been here since the Paleolithic era:

The Japanese Archeological Association (JAA) informed its general assembly Sunday that the stone implements discovered at 30 excavation sites by Shinichi Fujimura, the former deputy director of the Tohoku Paleolithic Institute, have no academic value

Archeologists have debated for many years whether Japan had early and middle Paleolithic periods, but the discovery of stone implements at the Zazaragi ruins was supposed to have settled the controversy. The ruins were also designated as a historically significant site by the government

Fujimura's fabricated findings had a far-reaching impact on the field of archeology, and some of his discoveries had even been described in textbooks

Only because they wanted to believe it, no matter how senseless it sounds.

[cstaylor]

I would hardly classify archeology as a science: it's more like a treasure hunt. Anthropology and Geology have some grounding in fact... but I wouldn't put anything "discovered" by an archaeologist (especially a self-taught one like Fujimura) in a textbook that school kids would learn as fact.

I don't understand why Japanese have this complex about their origins. Like anyone has a choice about their birth...

[Crispy]

"Do not confuse the specter of your origin with your present worth, my son." -Splinter, TMNT2: Secret of the Ooze

[kamome]

I don't understand why Japanese have this complex about their origins.

Yeah, it's yet another source of embarrassment or humiliation for them. Just try and talk about the fact that Japan has its roots in Chinese and Korean culture and you can see the look of discomfort spreading on their faces.

The other day I was at a nomikai with some people from Kyushu, which is famous for its shochu. They were talking about how great the shochu there is and how they preferred it to drinking nihonshu. I mentioned that shochu must have come from Korea, where they drink soju, given that the words are so similar and that Kyushu is geographically proximate to Korea. Result: awkward silence and a quick change of subject.

[cstaylor]

Anyone ever give you that lame statement, "Japan is a very old country... America really doesn't have the cultural treasures that Japan has"?

My answer is: "Yes, Japan has some very nice temples. It's a good thing we didn't blow them all up during the war, huh?"