Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Turning Japanese in the 1980s

2018; Oxford University Press; Volume: 43; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/dh/dhy064

1467-7709

Gregg A. Brazinsky,

Martial Arts: Techniques, Psychology, and Education

As an Asia scholar, I am slightly embarrassed to admit that some of my earliest impressions of Japan came from watching Mr. Miyagi in the film The Karate Kid and Mr. Fuji in what used to be known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). They were both appalling stereotypes who spoke in broken, accented English and were, of course, martial arts experts. And yet they represented two very different conceptions of Japan in the American popular imagination. In the Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi played the part of benevolent mentor to Daniel LaRusso, a troubled American teenager who not only learned karate but also gained maturity under the tutelage of his gentle teacher. Mr. Fuji, on the other hand, was a far more menacing and insidious Japanese stereotype. The consummate heel, he defeated baby face wrestlers such as S. D. “Special Delivery” Jones and Tony Garea by blowing salt in their eyes and then landing kicks and punches. After victories, he would unfurl the Japanese flag while being jeered vigorously by the fans.