The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Chimera of National Reconstruction in Japan

摘要

In The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Chimera of National Reconstruction in Japan, J. Charles Schencking does an excellent job of analyzing not merely the events, aftermath, and reconstruction of Tokyo following the epic disaster of September 1, 1923, but also the cacophony of voices and competing agendas that devoured much of the initial enthusiasm behind the project. In eight chapters, Schencking demonstrates that "the handmaidens of disaster opportunism-namely, contestation, resistance, and the desire for a quick return to routine and familiarity-tempered dreams of lasting, transformative reconstruction" (p. xvi).