Technical Post - ATIB - Meiji Romantica / On Past Hokkaido (Patreon)

Hello, and welcome to another A Tithe in Blood post from Suriko, the scenario writer. Today I wanted to write about the other setting for A Tithe in Blood: Sapporo, a hundred years ago.

Anyone who knows me, knows that one of my greatest interests is history. One particular aspect of history I enjoy focusing on are times and places where shifts in technology and culture radically change a society in short periods of time. The Italian renaissance, Napoleonic Europe, and the Meiji Restoration are easy examples. Taking place from 1868 to 1912, Hokkaido in particular felt the impact of this era more than many others, both from its proximity to Russia and its position as a trading hub linking Japan to the world. Modern Hokkaido, and Sapporo itself, wears this legacy on its sleeve.

Hokkaido's traditional architecture is vastly different to the Edo-era stylings of the mainland. The island has served as a centre of trade with European powers since the 19th century, with the port city of Hakodate and administrative capital of Sapporo both showing many splendid examples of this mixing of cultural sensibilities. For those with an interest in architecture, the excellent Historic Village of Hokkaido/開拓の村 is an open-air museum showcasing many historical buildings which were moved there to make way for modern developments in the cities.

Many developments from Tokyo took some time to flow upwards to Sapporo, from the first imports of sugar-based confectionery, to Western medicines and surgical techniques. The reverse was also true however, as frequent trade with Russia led to architectural movements, contemporary arms, and literature — such as the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky — becoming a part of Hokkaido's rich fabric of cultural influences. Fabrics themselves were a particular point of the Meiji era, as Western fashions were mixed with existing Japanese clothing to create entirely new fashion movements which fit a rapidly changing social order. Women in Meiji society, now more independent than ever, began working in new areas such as medicine and teaching, and took on new styles of wear befitting their new work.

As with all periods of rapid change, however, new opportunities were also met with new conflicts. The Russo-Japanese War took place soon before Yasue's time, the tremendous loss of life in the naval and land battles which followed yielding an eventual victory for Japan, cementing its place as a military peer to the European great powers of the day. This resurgence in nationalism and military adventurism marked a turning point in the national identity, taking place alongside a revolution in all types of literary and artistic works.

This is the period depicted in Yasue's time — a world which, to those who lived it, would have seen dizzying changes in every sphere of life. From the electrification of light, to the first aircraft, new art and fashions, increasing freedom for women in society, and the transition of a feudal government to a modern imperial power.

 - Suriko