Проф. Юнко Сугахара: Японският поглед към българската история

Университетският център за регионални изследвания и анализи представя интервю с проф. Юнко Сугахара – утвърден японски изследовател, чийто академичен път е тясно свързан с България и историята на Балканите. Интересът ѝ към България възниква случайно по време на студентските ѝ години, когато попада на романа „Под игото“. Това я вдъхновява да посвети дипломната си работа на Априлското въстание от 1876 г. През 1978 г. тя за първи път посещава България, а през 1980 г. е поканена като гост-изследовател в Института по история към БАН. Изследователската ѝ дейност се фокусира върху българското националноосвободително движение в контекста на Източния въпрос, както и върху историята на регионалното сътрудничество на Балканите.

Проф. Юнко Сугахара е един от най-добрите японски специалисти по нова и съвременна история на България. Тя превежда на японски монографията „История на отношенията между България и Япония. Среща между Балканската роза и Японската вишна” на доц. д-р Евгений Кандиларов от Катедра „Японистика“ на Факултета по класически и нови филологии и Вера Вутова-Стефанова, японист и дългогодишен дипломат. Книгата е публикувана в края на 2024 г. в Япония от издателство "Сайрюша”. 

В интервюто, което проф. Сугахара даде специално за УЦРИА, тя отговаря на въпроси, свързани с академичната ѝ връзка с България, интереса към историята на България и Балканите в японското общество, стереотипа за Япония като „затворено общество“ и неговите исторически основания и малко известния факт за участието на японския офицер Сейго Ямадзава в Руско-турската война от 1877–78 г. Проф. Сугахара отправя и лично послание към съвременна България, век и половина след края на възрожденската епоха.

Интервюто с проф. Сугахара можете да прочетете по-долу или да гледате на нашата фейсбук страница. (Линк)

Prof. Sugahara, Japan and Bulgaria are two countries that are not neighbors and are located on different continents. Moreover, they are separated by a significant distance—approximately 8,000 kilometers by air and about 12,000 kilometers if one chooses to traverse Eurasia. How did it come about that the topic of "Bulgaria" became part of your academic research?

Since I was a child, I have loved reading foreign folktales. When I was a junior high school and high school student, I often read foreign novels and became interested in world history. I went on to study international and cultural studies at university. Eastern European literature began to be translated into Japanese when I was a university student. During my second year of university, I happened to come across a Bulgarian novel in the university library. It was “Under the Yoke” by Ivan Vazov. I was so impressed by this novel that I became interested in Bulgarian history. After reading “Under the Yoke”, I was shocked that I knew nothing about Bulgarian History. I wrote my graduate thesis on the April Uprising.

You have a particular interest in the Bulgarian National Revival. Was this choice coincidental, or did you identify certain parallels with Japan’s history in the 18th and 19th centuries that guided you toward the Bulgarian Revival?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a view point to compare Bulgarian history with Japanese history.

In your opinion, is the history of Bulgaria and the Balkans something familiar to contemporary Japanese society? Or is there a predominant interest in Japan mainly in its own past and, to some extent, in the history of its neighbors?

Unfortunately, there is little interested in the history of the Balkans in Japanese society. In the world history textbook, there are only explanation of the Berlin Congress in 1878 and the Balkan wars. The conflict and disintegration of Yugoslavia at the end of the 20th century renewed the image of the Balkans in Japan as a powder keg of Europe.

In Bulgaria, it is commonly believed that Japan, with its social structure, represents a somewhat "closed and highly conservative society." If this assumption is correct, do you think it is a consequence of historical developments within the framework of "an island" (as a conceptual notion)?

In my opinion, the answer is yes and no. In ancient times, Japan adopted many cultures, for example Buddhism, Confusianism, Chinese character and legal system from China. Japan also accepted people with a variety of skills from China and Korea. In the 17th century, the Edo period, the shogunate introduced a policy of national isolation to eliminate Christianity and for about two and a half centuries, exchanges and trades with outside world was extremely limited. It could be said to have been a closed era.

After the political system was transformed in the late 19thcentury with the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted a policy of rapidly introducing advanced technology, political and military mainly from the West. Many human resourceswere sent overseas to study, and many experts were invited from the West to promote industrial development. The military invasion policy from the end of 19th century to the WWⅡcould be an extension of oversea orientation. After Japan’s defeat in the WWⅡ, Japan achieved economic recovery and growth. During this period, Japan was not at all closed or conservative at least in terms of the economy. Today, Japan is reluctant to accept refugees and generally doesn’t accept immigrants. Japan racial composition can’t be said to be diverse, and this may be one of the factors. However, though they are not immigrants, the number of foreign workers has been increasing since the turn of the 21st century, and the number of foreigners living in Japan has been increasing rapidly. Politically, Japan can be said to be conservative. For most 80 years since WWⅡ, conservative parties have maintained powers. The background of this is the post WWⅡ situation “Cold War”. I think that the formation of conservative government has been maintained especiallyis the relation with USA. Japan is prohibited from having army under the Japan-USA Security Treaty, on the other hand USA guarantees Japan’s security. Today, Japan faces the serious problems of an aging population and a declining birthrate. We need policies to combat the decline in the work force. A large gender gap indicates a society’s conservatism in Japan. I hope that the gap will narrow as older generation, influenced by Confucianism, is replaced by younger generation. Confusianism was the dominant ideology from Edo period until the WWⅡ, and was a patriarchal way of thinking. 

You are aware of the significance of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 in modern Bulgarian history, as it led to Bulgaria’s liberation from Ottoman rule. Paradoxically, a Japanese officer, Lieutenant Colonel Seigo Yamazawa, participated in the war as a volunteer on the side of the Russian army. Are you aware of any scholarly research dedicated to his life? And is he recognized in Japan as a historical figure?

Yamazawa was the first Japanese person to visit Bulgaria and fought in the Russo-Turkish War in 1877, but he is little known in Japan. Unfortunately, he is not covered in history textbook.

One final question: What would you wish for Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people a century and a half after the end of the National Revival period?

I want Bulgaria and Bulgarian people to play their roles in the international community to maintain peace. When the Cold War ended, many people rejoiced, thinking that that world would become more peaceful, but that didn’t happen. Many countries and their people must do what is necessary for world peace. We have to think about what to do.