Exhibition highlights era of last samurai in Japan

AMMAN — An exhibition at the University of Jordan (UJ) library this week highlights the era of the last samurai warriors in the 19th century as an important stage of Japan’s national development, as well as celebrating present-day Japan, according to its organisers.

Organised by the Japanese embassy, the exhibition  displays pictures of Japanese warriors and citizens who are “still remembered” and “very respected” today, the UJ director of library services, Khawla Zaghlawan, said.  

On Sunday, Japanese Ambassador to Jordan Shuichi Sakurai briefed the audience at the exhibition on the history of the samurai.

“Japanese people still keep the soul of the samurai, and we love their culture and history. However, samurai, as a social rank, disappeared at the end of the 19th century,” he said.

The ambassador commended the strong bilateral relations between Jordan and Japan and their mutual interest in achieving world peace and security, adding that both countries rely on their human resources and should therefore invest in developing local businesses. 

UJ President Ekhleif Tarawneh agreed that Japan and Jordan share “mutual respect”.

“Japan rose from the disasters caused by World War II to lead the technology industry all over the world. It has a humanitarian model that we aim to emulate,” Tarawneh said.

Hiroshi Yano, executive director of Japan’s Camera Industry Institute, identified the era of the last samurai, also called the “Meiji” era, as Japan’s awakening to the outside world.

“In the old days, Japan was closed; there was no business connection between Japan and other countries… so during that time, Japan didn’t have knowledge… it was dependent on agriculture,” the executive director told The Jordan Times.

“[During] the age of the samurai, Japan awoke, so these samurai are representatives of the beginning of Japanese development,” he added.

Lamees Obeidat, from the embassy’s cultural sector, said the last samurai represented an important phase in the history of Japan during the 1860s, because exchange programmes were set up with other nations during this period, which “led to partnerships and developing relations with other countries”. 

“Citizens who went to study abroad stayed for almost five years, and when they returned home, they played a vital role in reforming Japan and making it the developed country it is today,” she told The Jordan Times. 

A better level of education among the Japanese in the Meiji era caused them to be more aware of the consequences of civil war, thus reducing internal unrest, according to Obeidat.

“The civil war would have continued if people were still uneducated,” she said.

Returning to the present, Obeidat stressed the importance of embassies in cultural exchange between countries, in addition to economic partnerships.

“As an embassy, we focus on cultural events — especially since Japanese culture is very different from Jordanian culture. It is important to share such pictures with Jordanians, especially students, in order to convey a positive image of Japan,” Obeidat said.

Jumana Jaabo, a player on the national team for Judo, a Japanese martial art, said: “There is something very noble in the art of the samurai, it reflects on the personality of the individual.” Amal Obeidi, a fourth-year student at UJ, said she was attracted to learn more about Japanese culture because of its emphasis on loyalty and honour. 

“It is amazing that after the samurai age ended, the Japanese people still have the same values,” Obeidi told The Jordan Times. 

“Although their culture is different from ours, and we don’t share any common stories… you learn from them, and it is always a good thing to know about different cultures and traditions,” she said. 

The exhibition will continue until November 26 at UJ, and on November 29, the photos will be displayed at Yarmouk University, organisers said.