What does Japanophilia mean?
Japanophilia describes an outside interest in Japanese culture, people, and history. It covers admirers ranging from eighteenth-century European scholars to twenty-first-century fans of anime and manga.
Questions about Japanophilia
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did the term Japanophile first appear?
The term Japanophile originated in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, during Japan's sakoku period of strict isolation from foreign contact. Carl Peter Thunberg and Philipp Franz von Siebold helped spark early European interest by introducing Japanese flora and artworks.
Who was Jules Brunet and how does he relate to Japanophilia?
Jules Brunet was a French Army officer who played a well-known role in Japan's Boshin War. He is cited as an early example of a foreigner deeply involved with Japan rather than admiring it from a distance.
Why did British writers admire Japan in the early 20th century?
British writers such as Beatrice Webb and H. G. Wells praised Japan partly because Britain's industrial productivity was declining while Japan's and Germany's were rising. Japan was viewed as a potential ally offering lessons in efficiency, especially after Alfred Stead's 1906 book Great Japan: A Study of National Efficiency, though the interest ended after World War I.
How did Bushido influence General José Millán-Astray?
José Millán-Astray, founder of the Spanish Legion, said the samurai code Bushido exerted a great influence on him and called it "a perfect creed." He translated Inazo Nitobe's book Bushido: The Soul of Japan into Spanish and wrote its prologue.
What is the difference between wapanese, weeaboo, and weeb?
Wapanese is a derogatory term from the early 2000s for a non-Japanese person unhealthily obsessed with modern Japanese pop culture, added to Urban Dictionary in 2003. Weeaboo, often shortened to weeb, first appeared in a 2005 webcomic and replaced wapanese on 4chan that same year after administrator Christopher Poole added a filter.