Kigennsetsu- National Foundation Day 2019/2/11
February 11th is National Foundation day of Japan.
According to NipponnShoki which is Japanese history book published in A.D.720, the first emperor of Japan、Jinmu who is an ancestor of the present Imperial Family, ascended to the throne on this day in 2678 years ago.
Japan has old and reliable history including details how they found the nation but modern Japanese did not pay keen attention on foundation day. According to the Japanese first history book, Kojiki, the nation was founded naturally or born spontaneously. In other words, the nation was not founded by a power through conflicts. Japanese archipelago has been surrounded by sea and the nation was probably formed smoothly.
Therefore people of Japan may not have paid so much attention on the foundation date for long time. However, when the new government was established after Meiji Reformation, they fixed the foundation day on February 11th and made it as a National holiday. Since then, it was celebrated majestically as kigensetsu (date of origin) until the end of the Great East Asian War.
During the occupation by United Nations, Japan was forced to abolish Kigennsetsu as it reminded people of pre-war totalitarian nationalism.
However Kigensetsu was reestablished as National Foundation Day in 1967. Those who are ardent about the history and culture of Japan gather and celebrate solemnly National Foundation Day but old media and left wing intellectuals neglect such events at all, denouncing it as pre-war militarism.
Through the occupation of United Nations, they severely restricted the freedom of speech, publish, movies and others. They especially cracked down Japanese history and culture. Since then Japanese people tend to be self-depreciating and be away from their own history and culture.
We need to re-establish education system so that boys and girls can learn Japanese history and culture properly.
