Notes on "Yamashita Treasure Tales"

ヤマシタ ザイホウ ノ ユクエ

オオサカ ダイガク ニンゲン カガクブ シャカイガク ニンゲンガク ジンルイガク ケンキュウシツ

英語

富と宝

黄金伝説

戦争の記憶

日比関係

Yamashita Treasure

cultural interface

memory of war

notion of wealth

There is a wide spread rumor that General Yamashita of The Japanese Army buried their war coffer consisted of gold bullions, precious stones, and silver coins in the Philippine soil when they expected the defeat of the Pacific War. Today, many of Filipinos and others are still engaged in treasure hunting in various parts of the country. This paper aims to interpret Yamashita treasure tales from the following five perspectives. 1) The rumor emerged and has been maintained at the socio-cultural interface between Japan and the Philippines. 2) Yamashita treasure tales show a conspicious nature as a folk tale tainted deeply with a historical tragectory and cosmology of the society. 3) Treasure tales and treasure hunting there reveal the meaning of wealth and scarcity in its historico-economic process of the country since the end of the Pacific War to the present. 4 ) The tale also shows the inter-relations between the Philippines and its outside world. 5 ) Aquisition of the treasure or at least the rumor of it implies the relations between wealth and power. The rumor that Ferdinand Marcos obtained hidden treasure somehow, though strangely, legitimized his enormous political standing.

英語