ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that heroes are a kind of transitional object which is important in the development of identity. It focuses on the discourse of heroes in Meiji Japan through its principal forms of representation, history and fiction. By examining the narratives of historical biographies and adventure novels during the Meiji period, it demonstrates how heroes have shaped gender identity in Japan. The chapter shows how narratives of heroism in modern Japan have often invoked a popular nationalism which celebrated the defiance of state authority. The emotional affinity and self-identification which drove this fascination for Saigo Takamori cannot be explained merely as the self-conscious manipulation of militarist symbols. Rather, the chapter pay attentions to the way in which the narrativisation of his life story lent itself to a popular myth of heroism which gave expression to the frustrations that many felt with the elitism and corruption of the Meiji state.
