tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post3609307933989269588..comments2024-03-16T01:00:19.876-05:00Comments on The Mad Monarchist: Mad Rant: Natural MonarchyMadMonarchisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08083008336883267870noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-13411597507788860302015-03-23T07:15:01.367-05:002015-03-23T07:15:01.367-05:00Agnatic primogeniture is not bias, it is tradition...Agnatic primogeniture is not bias, it is traditionTeo Wei Pinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09980353390013234644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-35278488679621930512014-05-15T02:11:18.475-05:002014-05-15T02:11:18.475-05:00"Note that the probability of long-term viabi..."Note that the probability of long-term viability of the male lines is very sensitive to the fertility rate, which in Japan is currently about 1.4, i.e. 0.7 males. If that continues, you can expect a 30% drop in the size of your (restored) succession every generation."<br /><br />Couldn't the fertility rate for Japanese royals be a bit higher, though, especially in a time of trouble/crisis?Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184822261811827197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-73694189275222527342014-05-15T02:09:38.556-05:002014-05-15T02:09:38.556-05:00"3. The males-only rule is probably not susta..."3. The males-only rule is probably not sustainable."<br /><br />Maybe, but then again, maybe not. For instance, let's use the example of King Louis-Philippe of France--he had several legitimate sons (obviously without the use of any concubines or mistresses), and as a result, he now has 45 agnatic (male-line) descendants. I don't see why the same can't theoretically occur with Prince Hisahito in the future.Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184822261811827197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-39279088238450423322011-08-28T00:19:48.139-05:002011-08-28T00:19:48.139-05:00I agree with Anthony. Since concubinage is apparen...I agree with Anthony. Since concubinage is apparently not an option, I'll also say that even if the old cadet branches are restored, Japan will end up with a succession that will frequently jump to distant cousins. It's up to the Japanese to decide whether that's preferable to empresses.<br /><br />Note that the probability of long-term viability of the male lines is very sensitive to the fertility rate, which in Japan is currently about 1.4, i.e. 0.7 males. If that continues, you can expect a 30% drop in the size of your (restored) succession every generation.<br /><br />Sure, anything could happen, and whatever needs to be done can easily be done inside one generation, so I don't see it as necessarily urgent now that the succession has three people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-6877367989699864142011-08-27T09:56:04.928-05:002011-08-27T09:56:04.928-05:00To clarify: I didn't I advocate for an equal p...To clarify: I didn't I advocate for an equal primogeniture. I'm just saying something needs to done about the current set up. Which is really a measure made during the occupation to give the Japanese imperial family a slow death. But give or take the situation, I'd much rather have a reigning Empress Aiko than a President Naoto Kan, No?Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01353545006617415935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-71096460866151371242011-08-27T03:01:41.737-05:002011-08-27T03:01:41.737-05:00That would be the solution I would prefer; restori...That would be the solution I would prefer; restoring a lost tradition rather than destroying an even older one. The Imperial Family is larger than it appears and I did not approve of those families losing their status in the first place. That was an injustice, plain and simple.MadMonarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08083008336883267870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-83310985352685301622011-08-27T01:49:46.183-05:002011-08-27T01:49:46.183-05:00To Ashley Y
Japan has been called an Empire long b...To Ashley Y<br />Japan has been called an Empire long before its rapacious enterprise in the late 19th century up to 1945; a diplomatic correspondence between the Japanese court and the Chinese’s Sui court confirms that – it start with these sentence “The Emperor of the East (Japanese Emperor) greets the Emperor of the West (Chinese Emperor).<br />Thousands of years ago, the Japanese people had hundreds of monarchies. It was the Yamato Dynasty that finally unified all of these kingdoms under one rule. A national awakening in the 7th century realized three facts:<br />1. Japan’s unification story mimics that of the Chin’s (after unifying China, Qin Shi Huang changed his title from King to Emperor),<br />2. The Yamato claims descent from Goddess Amaterasu ō Mikami, and<br />3. Japan unlike Korea was not a vassal state of the Celestial Empire.<br />Judging from these facts the court sensed the necessity to “upgrade” the Monarch title from Great King to Heavenly Sovereign (Emperor).<br />The title Emperor is solidified further more by two events:<br />1. The conquest of the Ainu (Emishi) in eastern & northern Japan (mainly in Hokkaido) in the 8th – 11th century (up to that time the Ainu society divided into numerous tribal kingships).<br />2. The annexation of the Ryūkyū Kingdom In 1879 (Ryūkyū Kingdom itself before unified by the Shō Dynasty started as three sovereign kingdoms). <br />The first idea that crosses one’s mind when he hears the word “Empire” is vastness. However, it is not always correct. Japan is roughly at same the size as the German Empire (about 30.2% smaller than the German Empire).<br />To Anthony<br />All of these Empresses were succeeded by their patrilineal males relatives.<br />Resurrecting the Kazoku Families (especially the Shinnōke & Ōke houses) who were deprived of their status by the American in 1945 is one of the solution for the Imperial succession crisis.TANAKA8120https://www.blogger.com/profile/08169056478150976834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-86900302551325725262011-08-26T16:01:05.393-05:002011-08-26T16:01:05.393-05:00Oh puh-leeze! "roughly eight" -I'd l...Oh puh-leeze! "roughly eight" -I'd like to see some names and dates on that, I've never heard that high a number but in any event, out of hundreds of emperors and thousands of years of history I would hardly call "8" much of of a tradition -and if the males-only succession was so recent there would have been a heck of alot more than 8 in all those thousands of years.<br /><br />There is no problem with the succession, it is not as though this one family is incapable of having children. They've gone through a bit of a rough patch lately but that is all. Prince Hisahito could grow up and have ten sons. There's no great crisis here, though those pushing for female succession like to pretend that there is, they just need to have more babies.MadMonarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08083008336883267870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-49550803982360041422011-08-26T09:56:39.912-05:002011-08-26T09:56:39.912-05:00Correction (MadMonarchist): There have been reigni...Correction (MadMonarchist): There have been reigning empresses (a more correct term is female emperors) - roughly eight on record. Since the males-only succession was only put into law recently, I don't find it necessarily "bad" about allowing females into the succession or at least a males-first version like in the UK. What I oppose about the current set-up in Japan is that it IS unsustainable.<br /><br />Not only do they bared females to a shrinking succession but also put into a law that princesses born into the Imperial family will be removed once married. This might be useful for those who oppose royals marrying commoners but it's useless since the nobility has since been abolished and many branches of the Imperial family have been removed as well as hypocritical since every male since Akihito has been marrying commoners too. No matter how viable an option concubines are, it's not particularly 'in vogue' in today's Japan. The concubines option was more or less a proposal from a minor prince who has since clumsily recant on that statement. Concubines as an option was snuffed by emperor Hirohito anyway.<br /><br />So this presents a succession crisis. Since females born into the family are essentially removed this prevents the possibility of any potential princes and there's no other way to get more princes with this current set up. The worst part is since Hisahito is the only male born into the Imperial family since his own father and the other princes certainly aren't getting any younger, this gives an unnecessary burden to Hisahito to continue the family line. If he were to have an only child who is a daughter and we insist on keeping the current set up, then we can kiss the monarchy and Japan as we know it: GoddbyeJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01353545006617415935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-5985354370999426622011-08-26T03:51:04.238-05:002011-08-26T03:51:04.238-05:00A. Nicot, a very good argument. Monarchies are nat...A. Nicot, a very good argument. Monarchies are natural, republics are artificial, they don't have histories as they invariably come into being by breaking with history and throwing it away. They don't see individuals, they don't see character, all they see are voting blocs, interest groups, tax rolls and bottom lines. They have no "soul" only ideology.<br /><br />LP Prince, your view is pretty much my own. Napoleon III was not legitimate, but his empire was preferable to the republic, he did for a time restore the pride and glory France knew under the first Napoleon and though he was not reliable (shifting back and forth between his liberal and conservative advisors) he did do some good things while in power and in general was pretty moderate. I hold a bit of a grudge against him for Mexico but I also give him credit for at least trying to spread monarchy in the New World.MadMonarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08083008336883267870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-27329841362255310152011-08-25T12:44:46.288-05:002011-08-25T12:44:46.288-05:00I thought they still use miles, feet and inches in...I thought they still use miles, feet and inches in the USA, UK and all the Commonwealth Realms.Petrus Augustinushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03296159071531531990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-3649873075129048132011-08-25T11:49:34.563-05:002011-08-25T11:49:34.563-05:00Oh yes. My British friend was using the metric sys...Oh yes. My British friend was using the metric system and was asking why Americans were using their "sodomised version" of inches/feet. I think I ought to tell him that the imperial system actually originated from Britain. Never knew this!<br /><br />Yeah I agree that without the monarchy cultures will fall apart (fractured Korea, communist Vietnam, Soviet Russia, censorship China, 'surrender party' France, etc all come into mind). Whatever happened to all that was exotic from the Far East... and all the grandeur of the Western monarchy?<br /><br />What do you think about the Second French Empire though? I know Napoleon III wasn't really... well, legitimate but that time period was a lot better than the republican chaos that just keeps coming back to France (every beginning of the French Republics all have some riot that initiated it I realise). Even then I happen to like Napoleon III for some odd reason.Le Petit Princehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13396710488106186707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-31739804707678396712011-08-25T10:26:01.000-05:002011-08-25T10:26:01.000-05:00I argue something similar in a text I'm writin...I argue something similar in a text I'm writing, have a look:<br />"Monarchism, unlike Republicanism, is steeped in History. Republics do not rely on their History to prop them up, therefore, no Republic can truly claim to be representative of its nation's character. They are dependant solely on self-perpetuation, not on justification. This is one of the primary reasons why I am a Monarchist. Aside from the religious argument, the practical advantages, and the historical examples, a Monarchy is more suitable to the character of each and every nation than a Republic. Were I to pick the structure of the French Republic up and drop it in say, Canada or Poland, it would function quite well, since very little of the structures of the Republic are tied to national history and tradition. Were I to, however, pick the Monarchical system of the United Kingdom and drop it in Russia, it would not function, since it is based on a variety of nation-specific traditions. In the United Kingdom, these range from the Magna Carta, the English Civil War, the administration of the British Empire, the Napoleonic Wars, all the way down to the Invasion by the Normans."<br /><br />And about Germany: when they say that the Prussian virtues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_virtues) are a bad thing, can it really be called Germany? I think not.<br /><br />On UK and the Metric system: I recall a Monty Python sketch where the subtitles "sketch written before decimalization" appeared. It was quite funny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-15783119452868472432011-08-25T04:17:57.155-05:002011-08-25T04:17:57.155-05:001. The words "head of state" do not even...1. The words "head of state" do not even exist in the present Japanese constitution. Does that mean they have none? Of course not, it is the Emperor, who does everything other royal heads of state do. I don't know why you would think he doesn't have "any" constitutional role. He signs laws into effect, opens the diet and dissolves them, recieves the credentials of foreign ambassadors, bestows honors and authorizes all treaties -pretty much everything every constitutional monarch does. In fact, the Japanese constitution affirms what I stated about the Emperor in that he is described in law as the living embodiment of Japan. Pretty lofty that.<br /><br />2. I think everyone knows Japan is not an "empire" anymore but they still have an emperor. To fuss over titles is silly -they are all rough translations in any event. However, if you directly translated the Japanese title it would come out as something like "Celestial Monarch" which wouldn't make much sense to the rest of the world. <br /><br />3. Was this a joke? I don't mean to sound snide but the Japanese monarchy has always been males-only and it has lasted for a longer period of time than any succession in history, so it seems pretty darn "sustainable" to me. And if they want to have concubines again, I don't see why that would be so unthinkable. It is not against their religion and even in the western world (where it is) the 'one man and one woman for life' attitude has been on the decline rather than strengthening (sadly in my view).<br /><br />PA, the UK started going metric in 1965. The English system is still used but it will soon be gone since it is no longer being taught in schools, only the metric system. Again, sadly in my view. I think the only countries that still use the English system are an odd few, something like the US, Liberia and Burma I think.MadMonarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08083008336883267870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-73785772701018091572011-08-25T02:37:58.085-05:002011-08-25T02:37:58.085-05:00When did England adopt the metric system? Last I c...When did England adopt the metric system? Last I checked, it's still miles, feet and inches, with pints and gallons.Petrus Augustinushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03296159071531531990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783969302315257415.post-5366032737736128882011-08-25T02:31:04.742-05:002011-08-25T02:31:04.742-05:00There are three things wrong with Japan's mona...There are three things wrong with Japan's monarchy.<br /><br />1. The emperor is not the head of state, nor does he have any constitutional role.<br /><br />2. Japan is not an empire anymore. The title should be "king".<br /><br />3. The males-only rule is probably not sustainable. Sure, with the birth of Hisahito they've delayed the issue, but it's likely to come back. In the old days sons by concubines were in the succession, but that's probably not feasible these days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com