JAPAN AND RUSSIA. THREE CENTURIES OF MUTUAL IMAGES. Ed. by Y. Mikhailova and M. W. Steele. Folkestone: Global Oriental, 2008. 237 p.

The book under review is a collection of articles devoted to the formation and development of ideas about each other in Japan and Russia in different historical epochs from the 17th century to the present. The authors of the collection are scientists from Russia, Japan, the USA, and Israel. Some of them are Russian specialists who constantly work abroad.

The foreword by Yu. D. Mikhailova and M. W. Steele defines the task that the authors of the articles face: to show "the role of representations and visual images in Russian-Japanese relations over the past three hundred years" (p. 1). In modern historical science, especially in the West, such topics have become popular. This book constantly emphasizes that relations between countries , in particular between Russia and Japan, are not only political or economic, but also the ideas of each side about each other, not only objective reality, but also "imaginary reality", which in one way or another affects the development of historical events. In the modern world, the media often make "imaginary reality" almost the most important thing. Representations can be fixed both in verbal form, in language formulas and stereotypes, and in the form of nonverbal images, primarily visual (visual). The first part of this kind of presentation is much better studied than the second, so the authors of the collection strive to fill this gap.

However, the task is presented differently in different articles. Sometimes it is kept more or less strictly, especially in articles written with the participation of Yu. D. Mikhailova. Some articles are devoted to the visual arts as such: painting, graphics, and cinema. In a number of other articles, visual aspects are selected from various aspects that influence the formation of stereotypical ideas about "others". So, in the article devoted to the influence of the theme of Japanese prisoners of war in the USSR on these representations, the emphasis is placed on the reflection of the theme in fine arts, museums, and theater. However, these aspects are very difficult to separate from verbal ones, and in the same article, some important topics, such as the fate of former prisoners after returning to Japan, are considered not only on the basis of visual images, but simply because of the lack of relevant material. And articles about the image of Russia in Japan of the XVII-XVIII centuries. and about Western public opinion during the Russo-Japanese war, they almost do not touch on visual images, which in both cases were not the main ones. So, the strict identification of the problem of visual images, stated in the preface, turns out to be too rigid and not always feasible.

The main theme of the book is the visual and verbal representations of Russian and Japanese people about each other in different historical periods. Articles differ significantly in the breadth of coverage of the material, the length of the historical periods under consideration, and the focus on broader or narrower topics. The book should not be considered as a systematic sketch of the development of mutual ideas of Russians and Japanese about each other. Some periods are reflected quite fully, others-in separate aspects (for example, the 1950s and 1980s are considered only in the field of cinema), and still others (like most of the XIX century or the Second World War) are not presented at all. Nevertheless, each of the articles contains interesting and often completely new information, and together they form a fairly complete, although inevitably fragmentary and not without gaps, picture of the processes studied in the book.

The collection opens with the article "Changing Japanese-Russian Images in the Edo Period"by M. Ikuta, a well-known Japanese researcher of Russian-Japanese cultural relations. It examines the main stages in the development of contacts between the two countries from the 17th century to the beginning of the 19th century and their impact on changing perceptions of each other. If a lot of works have already been devoted to the history of relations between the two countries in that era in Japan, the USSR, and Russia, much less is known about mass images and stereotypes in relation to each other. M. Ikuta points out that the Japanese got acquainted with the Russians differently than with other European peoples: -

Japan and Russia. Three centuries of mutual images. Edited by Yu. N. Mikhailov and M. U. Steele. Folkstone: Global Oriental, 2008. 237 p.

Roda sailed to Japan from the south, and the Russians approached the borders of Japan from the north. Therefore, for a long time they were not identified with the "southern barbarians" and could even be perceived not as people, but as something like devils from hell. Only after the first direct contacts with the Russians in the middle of the XVIII century in Japan, they were finally included in the number of people, but the first any serious ideas about the northern neighbor were formed in Japan after Daikokui Kodayu returned from Russia in 1792, who traveled across the country to St. Petersburg and met with Catherine P. After that, Russia finally began to be considered It was part of the European world, but the attitude towards it remained ambivalent: on the one hand, a trading partner, on the other - a source of potential threat. Ideas about Japan in Russia are described in the article more fluently and are reduced to a retelling of fairly well-known facts.

E. Dyakonova (Moscow) in the article "Japanismism in Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries " examines the influence of Japanese fine art on the art of Russia in the pre-revolutionary era. This influence was not immediate, but rather spread through Western Europe, where the art of Japanese engraving became popular by the end of the 19th century. Japanese art, thus, turned into an interesting part of the world of art from the point of view of expanding visual capabilities, its development did not imply interest in Japan as a whole. The article shows quite a significant influence of Japanese masters on the work of a number of prominent Russian painters, engravers and graphic artists: I. Ya.Bilibin, P. V. Kuznetsov, A. P. Ostroumova-Lebedeva, G. I. Narbut and others; some of them (I. E. Grabar, M. V. Dobuzhinsky) also acted as researchers of Japanese art.

R. Kovner's article (Haifa)" Japan's Fifteen Minutes of Glory: Manipulating World Public Opinion during the War with Russia, 1904-1905" differs in subject matter from other articles in the collection. Russia is only indirectly present in it, as an opponent of Japan, and we are talking about Japan's relations with European countries and the United States. It is shown that Japan managed to achieve a favorable international opinion of itself during the Russo-Japanese War. If before this war, Japan was not yet considered seriously in Western countries (its victory in the war with China was attributed mainly to the weakness of its opponent), then the events of 1904-1905 forced it to recognize it as an equal participant in world history. The article also shows that the attitude of Western countries and the United States to the war could be determined not so much by sympathies for Japan, but rather by a hostile attitude towards Russia as a country of suppression of freedoms, Jewish pogroms, etc. But R. Kovner also emphasizes the active propaganda activities of Japan to create its positive image.

Yu. Mikhailova (Hiroshima) in her article "The place of Japan in Russian and Soviet national identity: from Port Arthur to Khalkhin Gol", perhaps, most accurately adheres to the theme stated in the preface to the book. We are talking about creating a visual "image of the Japanese enemy" during the Russo-Japanese War and the active confrontation between the USSR and Japan in the 1930s, which resulted in armed conflicts in 1938 on Lake Khasan and in 1939 in Khalkhin Gol. For the first period, popular prints for naroda and satirical drawings in metropolitan magazines are considered, for the second - cartoons in Krokodil and other Soviet magazines. Both continuity in a number of features of the "enemy image" and some differences are noted. Interestingly, Y. D. Mikhailova observed that neither in Russia nor in the USSR were they inclined to portray the Japanese as gorilla-like monsters, as was done in the United States during World War II; on the contrary, they emphasized the small stature and physical weakness of the Japanese in comparison with the Russians. However, if in 1904-1905, when depicting "our people", the emphasis was placed on physical strength and bravery, then in the 1930s, arming with advanced ideas was emphasized. But the main difference, as Yu points out. D. Mikhailov, was found in the degree of effectiveness of the impact of these drawings. She notices another theme in the satirical drawings of the Russo-Japanese War period that was unthinkable in Hasan's time: a mockery of the "public's" sympathies for the Japanese. One of the cartoons from the end of 1904 shows ladies and gentlemen of clearly high society honoring a Japanese prisoner, depicted with sheep's heads.

There were at least two differences between the two eras that influenced popular attitudes to conflicts with Japan. First, the author of the article emphasizes, the Russo-Japanese war was fought over territories that did not have time to become part of Russia (therefore, the topic of protecting their native land was not included in the schedule at that time), and its goals were poorly understood by people, and by the 30s. The Far East has already become an integrated part of the state, and the topic of border protection has become a priority and clear. Secondly (which the article says only in passing), the war with Japan

1904-1905 was the eve and beginning of the first Russian Revolution, and many in the country sympathized with the Japanese simply because they wanted to defeat the tsarist regime. In the 1930s, there was still no mass sentiment of this kind in the USSR.

Other article by Yu. Mikhailova together with S. Kuznetsov (Irkutsk) "Memory and Identity: Japanese Prisoners of War in the Soviet Union" is devoted to the role of the problem of Japanese prisoners of war in Japan's relations with the USSR, and then with Russia. It is shown how this winning theme for the Japanese side is used to create a negative image of the USSR in Japan. For this purpose, along with other means, visual ones are also used: depicting the suffering of the Japanese by means of visual art, museum expositions, and video series in theatrical productions. The sorrows of the prisoners and the brutality of the Soviet administration are emphasized in every possible way, but the fact that these prisoners had previously participated in an unjust war is left in the shadows. And this propaganda theme did not disappear at all either during the "perestroika" period, or even after the change of the social system in Russia. The Maizuru Museum dedicated to captivity opened in 1988 and was at its peak of popularity in the first half of the 1990s, and a theater play and musical on this topic have appeared in recent years. Yu. Mikhailova and S. Kuznetsov's research shows that the problem itself is not as clear-cut as it looks from the official Japanese point of view: many former employees of the prisoners recall the period of their life in the USSR with nostalgia and warm feelings for the Soviet people. And their return to Japanese society after arriving from the USSR was difficult, including because they were often considered "red".

I. Melnikova (Kyoto) in her article "Building the screen image of an ideal partner" explores the history of joint Soviet-Japanese films in the 1960s and 1980s. In general, despite the not very high level of development of Soviet-Japanese cultural ties, much has been achieved here: at least seven such films have been released on the screens of the two countries. The author of the article, based on documents and conversations with the participants of productions, reconstructs the history of their creation and examines these films, paying more attention to their content than to their artistic form. Sometimes, in my opinion, it politicizes this content too much, looking for political overtones where it most likely did not exist. But the main thing was noted: all these films created a positive (albeit somewhat idealized) image of each of the two countries in the eyes of the audience of the other side. However, almost all of these films had a greater resonance in the USSR than in Japan. The article highlights a sociological survey conducted in the late 1990s., which showed that even after many years, the image of Japan in Russia was associated with the names of director Akira Kurosawa and actress Komaki, who played in several joint films. Kurihara, while the Japanese, when talking about Russia, remembered only politicians, and the actors who played in joint films, did not become known in Japan. This, of course, was due to the growing interest in Japan since the Soviet era and the low ratings of the entire Soviet state in Japan, especially since the 1970s. And the abolition of Russia's state monopoly on international relations did not lead to a revival of cooperation in the field of cinema with Japan, but to its complete termination.

Subject of the article K. Inoue and S. Tolstoguzov (Hiroshima) "The collapse of the Soviet Union in Japanese political cartoons" echoes the theme in the article by Yu.D. Mikhailova. We are talking about the drawings of the newspaper "Asahi" for December 1991, dedicated to the death of the USSR. There are differences between the images created in cartoons and in political articles of the same newspaper, as well as in similar drawings of that time in the American press. While the articles of the Asahi newspaper considered the situation in the USSR in many aspects, the cartoons mainly chose two of them: the personal struggle of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, which ended just in the period under review with the unconditional victory of the latter, and the collapse of the state under the pressure of independence movements in national republics. While the printed texts expressed sympathy for both Gorbachev and Yeltsin, the drawings emphasized Gorbachev's weakness and Yeltsin's dangerous strength. The American caricature, on the one hand, branded the lost state, on the other, expressed hopes for a "democratic revolution" that had taken place, while in the Japanese caricature there is neither one nor the other, but the new leader Yeltsin still looks like a source of potential danger. According to the authors, it was in this genre that the stereotypes of the "cold war"persisted even after the change of the system in Russia.

The last three articles are devoted to modernity. The article "Images in Darkened Mirrors: Japanese-Russian Perceptions in Provincial Japan" (Monterey, California) analyzes the results of surveys of Russians living in Japan.-

Japanese people who are in contact with them about their attitude to representatives of another nation. This article unexpectedly echoes the article by M. Ikuta, dedicated to another historical era. The Japanese in the XVII-XVIII centuries, knowing about the Russians only by hearsay, could consider them devils, but, getting acquainted with them, they began to perceive them as people. Similarly, modern Japanese, most of whom have never seen a single Russian, are more likely to view them negatively in all surveys, but Japanese people who are in constant contact with Russians give them generally positive ratings. The difference between Russians and Japanese is the opposite: Russian citizens who have nothing to do with them tend to idealize them, while those who communicate with them give rather positive, but more restrained assessments, often noting, in particular, their stupidity, indecision, and annoyance (whereas the Japanese most dislike Russians for not being polite enough behavior).

In the article by Yu. Mikhailova and the late E. Torchinov (St. Petersburg) " Images in a dead end: anime and manga series in modern Russia" for the first time in science, a special youth subculture in Russia of the last decade and a half is considered. If the Japanese feature films discussed in I. Melnikova's article were much more popular in the USSR than in modern Russia, then it was replaced by a passion for the art of Japanese animation - anime - and Japanese comics - manga. And anime, and manga series popular in Japan itself for a long time, since the second half of the 1980s they began to gain positions in other countries, and in the 1990s they reached Russia. The article describes the subculture of Russian fans anime and manga series, the so-called otaku, activity of their associations (animok), fan clubs, communication via the Internet, attempts to create your own manga. Although the culture anime and manga series it is perceived as Japanese and among their fans quite a few even try to learn Japanese, only 8% of them explain their interest in anime and manga series a desire to learn more about Japan. In fact, these cultural phenomena come to Russia not so much from the east as from the west, representing a part of the globalization culture formed mainly in the United States (this conclusion follows from what is said in the article, but is not directly formulated in it). This suggests an analogy with the Japanese features in Russian art of the early XX century, described by E. Dyakonova. Yu. Mikhailova and E. Torchinov also give a social analysis of the phenomenon under consideration. It is indicated that typical fans anime and manga series - people who are quite educated, usually know foreign languages and regularly use the Internet, but are not financially successful and are more or less dissatisfied with their lives. If in Japan such fans are usually schoolchildren or students, then in Russia this hobby persists at least until the age of 35. That is, going to the imaginary world of pictures is one of the ways to escape from the hardships of life in modern Russia.

In the articles of Ts. Akakh and A. Vasilyeva, as well as Yu. Mikhailova and Ye. Torchinov touches on the general problem of images of Japan in modern Russia and Russia in modern Japan. If Japan still has strong prejudices against Russia, sometimes dating back to very ancient times, then in Russia, both before and after 1991, the idealization of Japan is widespread, but not a real country, about which very little is known, but a country that does not exist. An imaginary world anime, manga series The world of martial arts is combined with the world of high technology. Here, of course, first of all reflects the negative ideas of many Russian citizens about their country, which they want to oppose something.

Finally, L. V. Smorgunov (St. Petersburg) in his article "Representations of Representation: Japanese politicians on the Russian Internet and on Russian television" examines the images of Japan on Russian television in recent years. It is noted that there are no big differences between different channels, as well as between information about Japan on the Internet and on television. The author divides these images (sometimes somewhat artificially) into three categories: images that sharply contrast the Japanese with the Russians, images that bring the Japanese closer to the Russians, and postmodern images that are devoid of any evaluation, and sometimes logic. Comparing the article with others, it can be seen that the images catalogued in it can go back to the images of the Russo-Japanese War and Hasan (for example, emphasizing the small stature and physical weakness of the Japanese compared to the Russians), but they can also reflect newer ideas about the "ideal Japan". In general, L. Smorgunov believes that Russian television does not provide viewers with objective and somewhat complete information about modern Japan.

In the articles of the collection, not everything may look convincing, some conclusions seem artificial. For example, Y. Mikhailova, noting the constant presence of the marine theme in the Russian caricature of the Russo-Japanese War and its absence in the drawings of the 1930s, searches here,

with references to Y. Lotman, reflection of archetypal ideas about water and land (pp. 84-85). I think that everything is simpler here: the Russo-Japanese War, which began with the sinking of the Varyag and actually ended with the Battle of Tsushima, was largely fought at sea, and the conflicts between the USSR and Japan in the 1930s were exclusively on land. E. Dyakonova (p. 44) calls M. A. Voloshin's house in Koktebel "the only preserved house of the "Silver Age " in Russia". It is not very clear what is meant here by "the house of the Silver Age "(why, for example, does the preserved house of V. Ya. Bryusov in Moscow not belong here?), but more seriously, Koktebel is no longer in Russia. There are typos or errors in the dates: M. V. Dobuzhinsky did not die in 1967 (p. 36), but in 1957; the late author of the collection E. Torchinov-not in 2002 (p. X), but in 2003.

This is not to say that the selection of articles in the collection looks well thought out, much of their subject matter, apparently, was related to the interests of those authors who were attracted. Nevertheless, the book forms a single whole, from which you can get an idea of how the Japanese and Russians looked at each other in different historical eras, what changed here, and what remained stable. It is hoped that the research on this topic will continue.

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