Summary of Japanese Culture Theory Lecture

Course Summary: Japanese Culture Theory

Course Overview

The lecture is a recap of the course on Japanese culture and traditions. It emphasizes that the understanding of these concepts is still evolving.
The instructor acknowledges a degree of uncertainty and exploration in the course's direction from the outset.
The initial syllabus served as a tentative roadmap, subject to change based on discoveries made during the course.
The actual destination of the course may have differed from the initially intended one.

Initial Syllabus and Objectives

Culture encompasses the relationship between nature and people.
Traditional Japanese culture has been shaped by the Japanese people over many years in response to the natural environment.
The course aims to interpret Japanese culture from the perspective of natural resources and climate.
A key focus is on understanding what materials the Japanese have utilized from nature to enrich their lives, exploring the relationship between traditional culture and nature.
Traditional culture constantly evolves by incorporating new techniques and designs.
Tradition thrives on change; without it, culture stagnates.
Tradition involves preserving core values while adapting other aspects.
The central question is identifying the core values that should not be changed.

Course Content Review

Japanese Nature and the Japanese Sense of Nature

Japan is surrounded by the sea and abundant in greenery.
It possesses both bountiful nature and is prone to natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, typhoons, and floods.
Japanese culture emerged between these two aspects of nature.
This concept was previously noted by Torahiko Terada.
Japan's island geography contributes to its unique character.

Wood Culture

Japan's climate, with ample summer rain, sunlight, and moisture, is conducive to lush forests.
The Japanese have traditionally lived within this environment.

Agriculture

The Japanese have cultivated farmland and produced food, focusing on the nature of Japanese agriculture.

Nature Worship

Japanese nature is both nurturing and severe, with occasional crop failures leading to famine.
The Japanese have historically prayed to gods due to the uncontrollable nature of their environment.
This evolved into animism, with spirits believed to inhabit various things.
Buddhism, originating in India and passing through China and Korea, was integrated into the existing Japanese belief system.
Buddhism, with its logical thinking, was accepted into the native Japanese Shinto framework without conflict.

Festivals (Matsuri)

Festivals originated as prayers to the gods.
They have become essential for connecting people within Japanese society.
Festivals have evolved from village celebrations to urban events aimed at attracting visitors.

Japanese Soil

The lecturer discussed what the Japanese have created from the earth.
He touched on Jomon pottery, highlighting the unique aesthetic sense of the Japanese.
The discussion extended to modern ceramics.

Gardens

Gardens represent human interaction with nature.
Japanese gardens emphasize a natural appearance, while European gardens showcase human control over nature.
Both Japanese and Western-style gardens involve human intervention, albeit expressed differently.
Gilles Clément's concept involves borrowing natural forces and changing nature along with it.
Clément considers each person on Earth to be a gardener of the planet, emphasizing environmental responsibility.

Untouched Topics & Future Considerations

The distinction between "Japanese Culture Theory" and "Wa (harmony) Culture Theory" was not thoroughly explored due to various circumstances.
The class also skipped the topics of Japanese sound and music, folk songs, and the relationship between traditional culture and modern art.
The lecturer wanted to examine the transition from traditional crafts, like pottery from clay, to modern materials.

Core Themes and Objectives

The lecture emphasizes that traditional culture evolves to protect what should not be changed.
The goal is to explore Japanese thought and philosophy through the lens of Japanese culture.
The lecture refrains from definitive statements about Japanese thought, acknowledging the diversity of perspectives.
The aim is for students to contemplate the essence of the Japanese spiritual world, thought, and philosophy.

Course Objectives

The course aims to help students, especially those who grew up in Japan, understand their own cultural background.
It serves as an opportunity to reconsider and examine Japanese culture.
For international students, the goal is to understand Japanese culture while studying in Japan and compare it with their own culture.
The course encourages students to reflect on their identity and cultural background.
The phrase "Know thyself" from the Greek Parthenon is referenced, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness.

Reflections on Course Delivery and Future Improvements

The instructor admits the difficulties and the groping in the dark he faced when trying to design each lesson.
The instructor reflects on the challenges of teaching in an on-demand format.
The instructor hopes that the course has provided an opportunity to reflect on Japanese culture from different perspectives.

Final Assignment

Students are tasked with designing their own "Wa (harmony) Culture Theory" course for the following year.
They need to outline the course's aims and objectives (400-800 characters).
Create a syllabus consisting of approximately 7 sessions, stating each session title and a short description (approximately 200 characters each).
The assignment allows for creative and unconventional approaches.

Course Content Revisited

Cultural Perspective

The course avoids focusing on high culture or subculture.
Instead, it concentrates on traditional and familiar cultures rooted in Japanese climate and nature.

Comparative Axis

The course often juxtaposes Western and Eastern (Japanese, Korean, Chinese) perspectives.
The instructor uses Europe as a point of comparison, distinguishing it from American culture.

Japanese Natural Imagery

The hot spring-bathing Japanese macaque symbolizes both the richness and severity of Japanese nature.
It represents a nature full of active volcanos, prone to disasters, and is relatively young in geological terms.

Traditional Skills and Techniques

Ancestors have developed various methods and techniques to thrive in this environment.
The spiritual culture and thought cultivated in this climate are emphasized.

Terada Torahiko and Watsuji Tetsuro

Terada Torahiko's Perspective

Torahiko noted that the Japanese sense of nature is derived from the dual aspects of nature.
This observation was made nearly a century ago.

Watsuji Tetsuro's "Fudo" (Climate, Environment)

Watsuji's concept of "Fudo" emphasizes the interplay between people and nature.
This concept is considered inherently Japanese.
Watsuji's "Fudo: A Humanistic Study" was written after traveling through Europe and the Middle East.
Watsuji argued that the environment not only determines aspects of human life but that humans also influence the environment.
He contrasted monsoon climates (East Asia) with deserts in the Middle East and pastures in Europe.
Watsuji, originally an ethicist and philosopher, expanded his focus to include the relationship between people, nature, and human relations.
Before writing "Fudo," Watsuji explored Japanese identity through his "Kofukuji Pilgrimage" in Nara. He reflected on what is Japanese.
He highlighted the Japanese aesthetic of loving-kindness and gentleness, akin to modern-day "kawaii" (cute).
His words express the Japanese art of acknowledging the ephemeral nature of things and a refined sense of affection.

Temples in Nara Influence

Watsuji saw ancient temples of Nara and viewed within them the beauty and tragedy of existence. He considered nature to be its origin.
Japanese art encapsulates nature's contrasting gentleness and severity.
Watsuji considered the statue of Nyoirin Kannon at Chugu-ji Temple as the epitome of the Japanese sense of beauty that expresses both tenderness and compassion.

Influence from Abroad

Despite identifying this artwork as Japanese, the statue was influenced by foreign cultures.
Buddhism, along with its art, travelled to Japan through China, the Korean Peninsula, and eventually India.
The cultural exchanges and adaptations emphasize the assimilation of external elements into Japanese culture.
Japan has a long history of adopting and indigenizing foreign influences.

Cultural Symbiosis

Culture expresses nature, and nature signifies culture.
The lecturer stated that nature and culture are not opposing concepts.
The image of nature is only possible through culture.
According to the speaker, nature only exists in our human imagination as we assign human attributes to it.

Augustin Berque's Perspective

Augustin Berque elaborated on Watsuji's concept, arguing that "wild nature" does not objectively exist for humans.
Nature is always constructed, transcribed, organized, and experienced through the language of culture.
The concept of "Fudo" allows for reflection on Japanese culture, Japanese identity, and the Japanese people within their unique environment.
Berque understood Watsuji's book in Japanese.

Contrasting Perspectives

Nature and humanity are not opposing concepts; humanity is an element of nature.
This perspective contrasts sharply with Western views.

Miyamaoto Tsuneichi's Reflection

Nature is lonely, but warms when humans intervene.
Nature should not be conquered, controlled, or exploited.

Differing Cultural Impact

Europeans tend to view nature as something to be conquered and controlled, which has led to the concept of a single, creative God, which differs from the Japanese perspective.
The gods of Japan are not absolute creators, unlike the singular God in Western monotheistic religions.
The Japanese readily accept foreign deities and incorporate them into their existing belief system.

Transmission

The concept of being a maritime nation may be a key aspect of Japanese culture.
Valuable elements from across the sea come to Japan which support people's lives and hearts.

Gagaku Example

Gagaku is a form of Japanese classical music with over 1200 years of history. However, the sparkling colors of its costumes do not fit well in green locations.
The speaker once talked to a member of a Gagaku troupe and realized that in ancient times, Gagaku was performed at shrines surrounded by forests.
Ancient Japanese music involves a fusion of elements from various regions and cultures that were Japanized in the Heian era.
Foreign influences are adopted, adapted, and integrated into Japanese culture.

Linguistic Blending

There are many expressions of words in Japanese that originate from the natural world.
Small rain, heavy rain, showers, etc., are all expressions that originate in the traditional Japanese word.
Heavy rain, torrential rain, hail, and other expressions all originated in China.
Existing elements and elements from abroad make use of each other's own characteristics. The end result is symbiotic.

Japanese Culture Synthesis

Japanese culture has selectively adopted and transformed new elements from abroad while living in both abundant and severe natural environments.
There is a constant reevaluation of foreign imports on if they are truly necessary. This is a strength of Japanese culture.

Traditional Industry Innovation Center

Traditional industries continue to change and evolve while protecting the values that should not be changed.
New things are born from traditional industries to become new traditions.
Despite appearing different, there is something unchanging at their core.
The idea is that the accumulated knowledge of traditional industries offers profound insights in a rapidly changing world.
These insights include the stories behind the techniques, the livelihoods of people living in the land, the severity of nature, and the importance of physical labor.
Kyoto Seika University has the mission to foster the future of intercultural connection by respecting the past and working toward the future.

Japanese Language and Culture

Unique Construction

The Japanese language consists of kanji, hiragana, and katakana.
Hiragana originated from the cursive simplification of kanji used to represent the sounds of Yamato words.
Katakana is derived from parts of kanji used as phonetic symbols, initially used for annotating Buddhist scriptures.

Kyowa (Co-harmony) in Conversation

Professor Nobuko Mizutani, a former teacher of Japanese to international students, coined the term "Kyowa" to describe a unique characteristic of Japanese conversation.
In Kyowa, listeners often interject with aizuchi (affirmative responses) and even complete the speaker's sentences.
This contrasts with Western-style dialogue, where each person expresses their complete thoughts.
Professor Mizutani notes that in contrast, in a Kyowa form of communication, the speaker and listening are intermixed and working together with equal power and presence.
Auxiliary verbs such as "ne" and "yo" imply shared understanding and are related to the Kyowa style of speaking.
In Kyowa, the basic form is to frequently use aizuchi to see if the other party understands, to constantly look out for the intentions of the other party, and to try to keep up with them in advance.

Japanese Language Nuances

Thank You (Arigato)

It can be interpreted in different ways, and not as a word about gratitude.
The original meaning is that something is difficult to happen.
It is said to be difficult for a blind turtle to meet a floating tree on the open seas, yet a soul can be reborn as a human.

Goodbye (Sayonara)

The original meaning is to connect words. The origins are in transitional phrases, and the current meaning is something more modern.
The German word for goodbye refers to meeting again, and the Spanish expression involves a blessing from god. However, Japan's expression is unique.
Anne Lindbergh admired the word as it does not deceive with false hope. The facts of parting are incorporated with every nuance that exists, and these concepts are a quiet warmth and deep meaning of the speaker.
We stop to confirm something to go to the next thing. The unique concept of the Japanese seems to evolve. Loss can lead to new gain.
Japanese philosophy combines meeting and parting, and it may be related to Buddhist concepts. This must be considered personally by everyone, in a cultural context.