不思議な日本

Mysterious Japan

Confucianism

At the core of Confucianism lies humanism. The main purpose of this teaching was to create a harmonic, ordered society with strict hierarchy. It was aimed to bring up citizens of the country. So, the basis of Confucian world-look was a harmonic, well-organized society, an ideal society, so to say, which is ruled by the adequate and wise ruler and fair officials. In the beginning it was just one of lots of teachings but with the time it became more powerful and transformed into the state ideology. It was changed a lot in order to adjust to government needs and to suit a giant bureaucratic machine of Chinese empire in which elder or senior person act as a leader and honored while younger or junior in the role of manageable people. Every person should live as Confucius has taught and constantly improve himself and upgrade his skills in order to reach the ideal. And this was obligatory for all people in the society, this was brought up in the childhood and continued all their life.

Confucianism is not generally considered or practiced like a religion, as did e.g. Buddhism. It is a set of ethical and political tools, a basket of norms that emphasized respect for elders, social obligations, and rules of courtesy that promised humanistic, rational governance, harmonious family relationships, and clear-cut standards for governing the interaction among rulers, lords, vassals, and common folkIn its basis lies a principle of ethical determinant when only fair, wise and virtuous people could get power. Well, in theory ^_^. The continuity of cultural tradition and respect for the wisdom of ancestors. The cultivation of the sharpened sense of duty, desire for virtuous and just life and improving yourself all the time. The Golden Rule of Confucianism: "Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you." The honoring person were not abstract like Christ or Buddha but real people from everyday life who lived strictly according to Confucianism virtues.

The following moments are true for this teaching:

This is one of the portrayals of the founder of Confucianism – Confucius

In Japan, as earlier in China, Confucian ideals played a major role in the development of ethical and political philosophies. This was especially so during Japan’s formative years (+ 6th to 9th centuries), when Confucianism and Buddhism were introduced to Japan from Korea and China. Confucianism and Buddhism in Japan were established as the moral foundations of the young nation. This served for centuries as the Japanese blueprint for court etiquette and decorum. Much later, in Japan’s Edo Period 江戸 (+1600 to 1868), also known as the Tokugawa 徳川 era, Confucian ethics experienced a revival of sorts. During the period, a revised form of Confucianism, called Neo-Confucianism (Jp. = 朱熹学 Shushigaku), gained great appeal among the warrior class and governing elite. Neo-Confucianism brought renewed attention to man and secular society, to social responsibility in secular contexts, and broke free from the moral supremacy of the powerful Buddhist monasteries.

In it’s way to Japan

Life of all citizens consists of a lot of rules and restrictions. The system of general responsibility for the crime was wildly used.It was also impossible to travel without documents and special papers with permission not only for peasants but for noble people too. The fact that during this period the country was closed also influenced a lot. Their only foreign policy was to reduce all foreign policy. They turned out all Europeans because they were afraid of becoming colony. The only contact they had with Holland but only through one port one time a year. And very few contacts with Asian countries. Japanese people were not permitted to leave the country either.

Tokugawa period – what is it about?

Many scientists think that it was the Edo period or Tokugawa in which Japanese mentality as we know it now started to form.

It was the time when all country was under the brutal dictatorship of Tokugawa shogunate which came to power after the period of civil wars. All government forces were directed to the maintaining of the regime and elimination of all possible threats of it.

Uchi and Soto – one of the main concepts

The idea of dividing people into in-groups and out-groups is very important in Japanese society. It is called uchi, 内 , "inside" and soto, 外 , "outside“.This distinction between groups is not merely a fundamental part of Japanese social custom, but is also directly reflected in the Japanese language itself.The basic concept revolves around dividing people into in-groups and out-groups. When speaking with someone from an out-group, the out-group must be honored, and the in-group humbled. This is achieved with special features of the Japanese language, which conjugates verbs based on both tense and politeness. It may also include social concepts such as gift giving or serving.

Uchi-soto groups may be conceptualized as a series of overlapping circles. One's position within the group, and relative to other groups, depends on the context, situation, and time of life. For example, a person usually has a family, a job, and other groups or organizations they belong to. Their position within the various groups, and in relation to other groups, changes according to circumstances at a given moment.So, when talking with a member of your family, your classmate (with whom you are of the same age), your friend, the way of addressing can be comparatively simple, even rude if we compare it with other levels of politeness.

•Japan is mononational country. According to research about 98,5 % of population are Japanese, 0,5% Koreans, 0,4 % Chinese and 0,6 % named “others”•For about 3 centuries Japan was a closed country.•According to one of their religion – Shinto – god creates only Japan, so all other nations are not of the divine origin.

Talking about their attitude to foreigners we should remember that

The same rules of Uchi and Soto are true in relation to intercultural communication. Every common Japanese in foreign country consider foreigners as soto while every Japanese person he meet would be uchi, no matter what age or status he is because in this situation he would be part of big circle called “Japan”.Visitors and tourists are universally soto. As a "soto" group, they are treated with respect by the Japanese community. However,"soto" people (ex. foreigners, ethnic minorities) wishing to become "uchi" (i.e. Japanese citizens) face many obstacles.Theoretically, it is possible for a foreigner to become a part of Japanese society. But in reality it is very difficult for non-Japanese to be accepted as an "uchi" member of Japanese society. In following Japanese customs of collectivism, deciding individually to become a part of a certain group does not mean that one actually is a part of that group. Naturalization does not guarantee inclusion in Japanese society.

Foreigners in relation with Uchi-Soto system

How to behave?

•Japanese people tend to avoid straight eye contact and not to use mimics too much. At the same time they use their polite smile a lot. So, if you don’t want to tire your interlocutor try not to use gestures and mimics too often and reduce the level of expressivity. •In public places straight eye contact of unknown person without friendly mimics gives impression of threat and aggressive intentions. So, if you by chance, catch someone’s eye, just smile politely.• For Japanese people physical contact during communication is not typical. Even in an intimate close relationship. A usual and comfortable distance for them is 3 steps. So, don't try to hug him or touch in any way.

•In general they are already used to European manner of greeting by shaking hands in business relationship but it is not typical for them in their society. They prefer bowing. •Any business acquaintance with Japanese person begins with the obligatory business cards exchanging. That’s why always have enough of them, because if you don’t give you card in return it can be an insult.

•Remember that all things that you give or receive from other person be it a present, a business card or just a document or a pen, take it with both hands and with a slight bow. •If you want to make a present its better to buy some food of good quality in an expensive shop. Remember, that you should bring flowers, because they are presented to sick and dead =)

There are 3 main religions in Japan: Shinto, Buddhism and Christianity. But talking about Japanese religion situation we can’t divide them. Most Japanese people do not exclusively identify themselves as adherents of a single religion; rather, they incorporate elements of various religions in a syncretic fashion. So for Japanese person it is normal to follow several religions. Japan grants full religious freedom, allowing minority religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism to be practiced.Actually, for modern Japanese it is not a question of Faith but a way of decorating life and important life events such as birth of child, funeral, wedding, season holidays and so on. And for each celebration a person can choose different religion. For example a lot of couples celebrate wedding according to Christianity, because it is much cheaper than shinto wedding.

Religion situation.

Speaking about the orientation toward nature we can say that Japanese people are inherent part of nature. Sometimes people can’t understand how this high-technological country manages to live in harmony with nature. Indeed, the roots of such a treatment rise from their main religions Shinto ТВ Buddism according to which people believe that any creature, tree and even a stone has it’s soul.For instance, for Shintoism is characteristic to worship trees. There is always one tree which is considered to be saint and to be a home for ‘kami’ (Japanese gods) . Around it’s trunk there bound a straw rope with paper stripes.

Japan and Nature

Another example is tradition of admiring the nature. There are such concepts as ‘hanami’ (‘enjoying the beauty of cherry blossoms’), ‘tsuimi’(enjoying the beauty of the moon), ‘yukimi’(enjoying the beauty of snow), ‘momiji’ (enjoying the beauty of red maple trees).

The most famous and important is ‘hanami’. Sakura is in blossom starting from the end of the February and till April depending on the area. Hanami is a short-time pleasure because blossoms fall off in 7-10 days. At weekends and after work people with friends, colleagues and families sit down under the trees of Sakura and lay food on the straw matt and admire the scene. The blossom forecast is announced each year by the weather bureau, and is watched carefully by those planning ‘hanami’.

There’re three stages of school education: elementary school (aged 6/7 – 11/12), junior high school (aged 12/13 – 14/15) and high school (aged 15/16 – 17/18). And for each school there are separate buildings. Academic year starts on April, 6. Students have summer (a month) and sort winter and spring holidays. Examinations in form of tests are taken after junior high school and high school and they are really difficult!

Schools

To wear school uniform is required. The color and the style was the same for all the school. According to the school uniform you can define which school this or that student belong to (there are as many kinds of school uniform as many schools). Another interesting and rather strange thing is that all the students wear the same shoes and carry the same school bag.

Traditionally in each school there’re many different courses and clubs а interests (sport clubs, fencing, photography, etc.) which students attend after school. There are different fests one of the brightest one is sport festival.

Because of inclination to collectivism it is important to participate so that to defend the school reputation. Moreover it is a good opportunity to tell about yourself without standing out.

Speaking about the principals of Confucianism we can notice the it’s influence in teacher-student relationship but also in senior pupil-junior pupil (‘senpai’-‘kohai’): A kōhai is expected to respect and obey their senpai, and the senpai in turn must guide, protect, and teach their kōhai as best they can.

Holidays

No country can compare with Japan in amount of holidays. There are 15 official holidays plus different religious festivals. Each area and prefecture has it’s own local holidays according to traditions and season. Japanese like to celebrate very much. Holidays are a great opportunity both to relax and to remember traditions. Many holidays take their roots from buddism and shintoism. Japanese fests are called ‘matsuri‘.

‘Matsuri’ is always accompanied with corteges, collective dancing, traditional music, beautiful decorations. On ‘matsuri’ people can entertain themselves tasting delicious food and playing games.

Celebrations are always very bright and skillfully organized. People start preparations long before the date.

A characteristic feature for ‘matsuri’ is wearing traditional clothes. Japanese wear ‘yukata’ (a casual summer kimono made of cotton) and ‘geta’ (traditional footwear).

Weddings in Japan are usually celebrated in summer, when it isn’t cold and hot either. As a rule most of the rituals are held according to Shinto, but very often Japanese marry like Christians or Buddists - they are tolerant towards other religions.

Wedding

Traditional wedding bride’s kimono is white. Woman needs help to put it on, because it is impossible to do it by yourself. It takes quite much time and effort to make a hairdo. It is believed that every bride has the horns of jealousy so she wears ‘tsuno-kakushi’ (white hat) to hide them.In shintoistic ritual of wedding only matchmakers, parents, close relatives and best friends take part in the ceremony. Standing in certain order they all bow in front of the tample. Then a ‘miku’ (priestess) and ‘kannusi’ (priest) hold rituels and the ceremony ends with a bride’s vow of loyalty to a husband and his family.

Uchi-soto also extends to social actions. In a Japanese home the most senior family member, usually the father or grandfather, normally takes a bath first; the rest of the family follows in order of seniority. A visitor to the home, however, is offered the first bath. Similarly, an overnight guest is offered the best sleeping arrangements, even if this greatly inconveniences the rest of the family. This latter case is a difficult point for Westerners in Japan, who are usually taught to be polite by refusing accommodations that inconvenience others.

FamilyA traditional family in Japan has a strict hierarchy in which a man is a head of the family and all other members should obey him.Although Japanese women nowadays became more emancipated they still have lower status than men. So, traditionally woman is a keeper of hearth who brings up children, watch the house and hold the balance of family budget. However, Japanese women didn’t have so many restrictions as for example Chinese or Indian women.

• The material of the web-site fushigi Nippon - http://leit.ru/• Wikipedia• http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/japanese-

confucianism.html• Benedict, Ruth. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword:

Patterns of Japanese Culture.• А. Мещеряков - Книга японских обыкновений• А. Мещеряков – Как стать японцем• Леонид ВАСИЛЬЕВ - Конфуцианские традиции и

современный Дальний Восток• П.С.Тумаркин – Жесты и мимика в общении японцев

The list of sources used in presentation:

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