ABSTRACT
In some ways the Showa period, which began in 1926, may seem an arbitrary moment at which to begin an examination of the development of Japanese ideas, ideals, and institutions. In the realm that might be defined as ‘high culture,’ however, the beginning of this period of sixty-odd years does provide a propitious moment. By the beginning of Showa, most if not all of the cultural institutions common to a modern society were in place and prepared to function in terms of a public that had already shown both an enthusiasm and an increasing knowledge concerning the worlds of ideas, arts, and letters. In one sense, the record of accomplishments in high culture during the Showa period serves as a chronicle of how these institutions, and the men and women who used them, came to function together.
