How the Image of “Robot” Changed in Japanese Modernism Period

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  • 日本のモダニズム時代における「ロボット」イメージの変容

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The word “robot” was made by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play <R.U.R>. In this play, robot was described as a creature of artificial flesh rather than machinery. However, after this paly became popular in Europe and America, newspaper and magazines started using “robot” or “machine man” to describe mechanical inventions and changed the image of robot. <R.U.R> was also introduced to Japan during the 1920s. “Robot” was translated to “人造人間” or “ロボット” in Japanese, and the image of this word also changed with time. This paper first focus on Čapek’s <R.U.R>, summarizing the characteristic of robot’s original image. Secondly, this paper analyses how the image of robot was changed by newspaper and magazines in English text. At last, this paper pay attention to the image of robot in Japanese text. In Japanese text, robot was first understood as an artificial life with fresh and blood, but when the word referred to mechanical inventions in English text, the image of a robot also changed from flesh body to mechanical body in Japanese text. Many robots were introduced by Japanese newspaper and magazines as advanced inventions made by western country. At the same time, some Japanese intellectuals regarded robot’s mechanical body as a symbol of rationality.

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