The Peasant Soul of Japan

This is a book concerning the Japanese identity, a subject which has become the source of speculative historical and psychological debate since 1945. It seems to the author that the Pacific War revealed the characteristic features of two nations and he suggests that the result is a dichotomy between the "equestrian" and the "peasant" society. Ability, effectiveness, competition, leadership are what he identifies as the dominating values in an "equestrian" society , in contrast to the good-natured and competitive-free community spirit of the "peasant" society. To support his argument Professor Watanabe draws on Japanese and European classical literature, on the history of warfare and on studies of law and business management. The author's publications include "The Spirit of the Japanese Language", "An Approach to the Intellectual Life" and "Introduction to English Etymology"