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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
UNIQUENESS IN JAPANS CULTURE
Religion
Geography
Cultural diffusion
Selective borrowings
TWO REPRESENTATIVE RITUALS
Geisha – Traditional Entertainers
Sumo – Ceremonial beauty and strength
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
Japan is a society whose culture has been molded over centuries. The countrys cultural values are very ancient in nature. While doing researches on Japan and its culture, we found that Japans culture has been established and shaped by distinctiveness of each cultural element, such as religions, language, geography and etc Each of the elements is supported by an inter-related value system. In this section, we would highlight some elements which are believed to best represent Japans culture. In addition, two cultural rituals are interpreted to clearly describe influences of culture in Japanese daily life.
PART A: UNIQUENESS IN JAPANS CULTURE
RELIGION
History of Japans religious development has gone through a long process of mutual impacts among religions. The land of sumo has received great influences from nearby countries, namely China and Korea. The major adopted religions are Buddhism and Taoism which partly affect the style of Zen Buddhism in Japan. (Pye, 1982) Moreover, the most interesting characteristic of religion in Japan is a reflection of the mountainous terrain in various forms. For instance, Fuji Mountain has been a quasi-religious symbol of the nation for many years. These geographic features have shaped distinctive religious life in Japans culture.
Purification is considered as a basic principle of religious life in Japan. The concept of sin and disobedience are replaced with impurities. Thus, procedures of ritual purification are strictly required. Shinto has formed an inextricable connection with Japan in terms of nationalism. Shinto legend says that Japanese are “Kamis children”, who is the Shinto god. Thus, the Shinto philosophy is a reflection of belief that Japan is an old country and Japanese people should have a high degree of racial pride (“Religion and politics”, n.d.)
Purification is considered as a basic principle of religious life in Japan. The concept of sin and disobedience are replaced with impurities. Thus, procedures of ritual purification are strictly required. Shinto has formed an inextricable connection with Japan in terms of nationalism. Shinto legend says that Japanese are “Kamis children”, who is the Shinto god. Thus, the Shinto philosophy is a reflection of belief that Japan is an old country and Japanese people should have a high degree of racial pride. (“Japans religion and philosophy”, 2000) Therefore, in some ways, it is agreeable to say that Japanese people are moving on the direction to secularism. (“Is Shinto a religion?”, 2000)
Each religion contributes its concepts of ideal behavior. For example, Shinto mainly focuses on ritual purity and purification while Buddhism leads people towards compassion and liberation. (Kodansha International, 1994) This gives Japans culture a characteristic of distinctiveness in nature.
Shinto touches every aspect of Japaneses life: family, social structures, ethics, politics, architectures, arts, sports, and spiritual beliefs. It establishes a set of practices, creeds and attitudes rooted in the local community. The role of religion with its long history of development and formation has been proven to stay at the heart of Japans culture.
GEOGRAPHY
Japan is an archipelago that lies about 100 miles off the coast of East Asia. The Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan surround the country, which helped isolate and defend the area from invaders in the past. These bodies of water also served as a channel to the Inland Sea. Their separation from the mainland contributed to their sense of closeness and unity. Because of this, the people of Japan form a homogenous society. This means that all the people share one culture- from language, to religion, and the arts. Hardly any ethnic minorities can be found in the archipelago. The awareness of their own identity promoted ethnocentrism. (Petry, 2003)
CULTURAL DIFFUSION
Japan had contact with the Chinese civilization, which impressed them greatly. Because of this, in 607, Prince Shotoku of the Japanese imperial family sent young Japanese nobles to China to study the culture in that country. These young men studied the Chinese form and structure of government, art, literature, arts, science, philosophy, architecture, etc. This knowledge about the Chinese civilization was shared back home, which is why there is a lot of influence from China in the Japanese lifestyle. The Japanese government was patterned after the Chinese, and Confucian and Daoism beliefs were studied by Japanese scholars. Confucian ideas regarding the value for family and ancestors molded Japanese society. (Ahmad, Brodsky, Crofts, & Ellis, 2004)
SELECTIVE BORROWINGS
Ironically, the Japanese kept their own identity even after imitating many things from the Chinese. As the enthusiasm for Chinese ideas waned, the Japanese selected certain aspects of the culture that worked for them and which they wanted to retain. An example of this is, after living with the Chinese civil service system, they let go of the practice since it did not coincide with their beliefs. The Japanese believed that the emperor was a descendant from their sun goddess, and that people did not inherit their positions in society. (Ahmad, Brodsky, Crofts, & Ellis, 2004)
PART B: TWO REPRESENTATIVE RITUALS
GEISHA – TRADITIONAL ENTERTAINERS
Geisha are “female Japanese entertainers whose profession includes music, dancing, and communication” (“Geisha”, 2006). Another definition is that they are “professional hostesses who entertain guests through various performing arts”. (Mishima, 2006a) The word consists of two kanji: gei, which means “art”, and sha, which means “person” or “doer”.