Introduction to Japanese Culture

109 Pages·2014·96.11 MB·English

by  Daniel Sosnoski

Introduction to
Japanese
Culture
edited by Daniel Sosnoski
Tuttle Publishing
Boston • Rutland, Vermont • Tokyo
All photographs on the cover and in the text of this book were
taken by Narumi Yasuda, except for the photographs on p. 27,
p. 30, p. 48, p. 54, and p. 57, which were taken by Hide Doki,
and the photographs on p. 28, p. 40, which were taken by
Frank Leather.
Published by Tuttle Publishing,
an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.,
with editorial office at 153 Milk Street, Boston, MA 02109
© 1996 by Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Co., Inc.
All rights reserved
LCC Card No. 96-62169
ISBN 0-8048-2056-2
First edition, 1996
Fourth printing, 2001
Distributed by:
Japan & Korea
Tuttle Publishing
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2-13-10 Shimo-Meguro, Meguro-ku
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Tel: [phone]
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Printed in Singapore
CONTENTS
PART ONE: Holidays and Festivals
SHOGATSU New Year's Day 8
SETSUBUN Bean-Throwing Ceremony 9
HINA MATSURI Doll Festival 10
HAN AMI Cherry Blossom Viewing 12
TANGO-NO-SEKKU Boys' Day 13
BON Buddhist All Souls' Festival 14
AKI MATSURI Autumn Festivals 15
SHICHI-GO-SAN The Seven-Five-Three Festival 16
PART TWO: Arts and Skill
CHANOYU Tea Ceremony 18
IKEBANA Flower Arranging 20
YAKIMONO Pottery & Ceramics 22
NIHONGA Japanese Paintings 23
SHODO Calligraphy 24
WASH I Japanese Paper 26
TAKE Bamboo 27
NOH & KYOGEN Japanese Drama 28
KABUKI Japanese Drama 30
BUNRAKU Puppet Plays 32
HOGAKU Traditional Music 34
HAIKU Five-Seven-Five Poems 35
SUMO Japanese Wrestling 36
JUDO & KARATE Hand-to-Hand Fighting 38
KENDO & KYUDO Japanese Fencing & Archery 39
GEISHA The Art People 40
PART THREE: Recreation and Leisure
GO & SHOGI Japanese Board Games 42
JAN KEN Hand Games 44
ORIGAMI Paper Folding 45
HANAFUDA Flower Cards 4 7
PACHINKO Japanese Pinball Game 48
ONSEN Hot Springs 49
RYOKAN Japanese Inns 50
PART FOUR: Cuisine and Diet
NIHON RYORI Japanese Cuisine 52
WAGASHI Japanese Confectionery 54
KOME Rice 56
SASHIMI & SUSHI Raw Fish 57
SOBA & UDON Noodles 58
MISO & SHOYU Soybean Paste & Soy Sauce 59
DEMAE Food Delivery Service 60
PART FIVE: Religion and Spirituality
ZEN Zen Buddhism 62
JINJA Shrines 64
OMISOKA New Year's Eve 66
OMAMORI Good Luck Charms 67
JIZO The Red-Bibbed Deity 68
MIAI KEKKON Arranged Marriages 69
SOSHIKI Funerals 70
BUSHIDO The Samurai Code 72
PART SIX: The Home and Daily Life
NIHON KAOKU Japanese Houses 74
ZASHIKI The Japanese Room 7 6
NIHON TEIEN Japanese Gardens 79
SENTO & FURO Baths 80
HARI & KYU Acupuncture & Moxibustion 81
SEIBO & CHUGEN Summer & Winter Gift Giving 82
KISSATEN Coffee Shops 83
FUROSHIKI Wrapping Cloths 84
GETA & ZORI Footwear 85
KIMONO Kimono 86
YOBIKO Cram Schools for Examinations 90
TAIRYO YUSO Mass Transit 91
JISHIN Earthquakes 92
PART SEVEN: Communication and the Printed Word
KANA & KANJI The Written Language 94
NAMAE Japanese Names 95
HANKO Personal Seals 96
MEISHI Business Cards 97
SHIMBUN Newspapers 98
PART EIGHT: Places and Sights
FUJI Mount Fuji 100
KYOTO The Old Capital 101
TOKYO The Eastern Capital 102
MINATO MACHI Port Cities 103
List of Line Illustrations
1. Common dolls and figures page 11
2. A teahouse and tea ceremony setting 19
3. Setting for flower arranging 21
4. Shodo and sumi-e, the art of the brush 25
5. Noh and kyogen masks, and a Noh stage 29
6. A performance of the Kabuki classic Sukeroku 31
7. A bunraku performance, and puppet heads 33
8. The scene at a sumo stadium 37
9. An official shogi match, and go and shogi equipment 43
10. Common Japanese games and toys 46
11. Common and traditional Japanese foods 53
12. A selection of Japanese sweets 55
13. Temple grounds, a pagoda, and grave markers 63
14. An overhead view of a shrine and its grounds 65
15. A Shinto wedding and a Buddhist funeral 71
16. A traditional residence at festival time 75
17. A look into a traditional dwelling 77
18. A look into a standard Japanese kitchen 78
19. Women's kimono in various styles 87
20. Kimono accessories, yukata, and children's kimono 88
21. Men's kimono and traditional clothing 89

formal visits, and a host of New Year's celebra-
SHOGATSU
tions and games that give the season its special
flavor. Just like holidays in other parts of the
New Year's Day world, one of the special activities is lots of
hearty eating and drinking along with good fel-
lowship and cheer. Traditional New Year's foods
are prepared well in advance to minimize cook-
IN jAPAN, as in other Asian countries, the New ing and household chores. For example, mochi,
Year's holidays have always had a special sig- a thick, gooey cake of pounded, cooked rice, is
nificance. They are by far the most important- prepared so that it can be served at breakfast,
and the longest-holidays in the Japanese cal- lunch, or any other time of the day. And osechi
endar. For almost a week the bustling Japanese ryori, a seemingly endless array of cold tidbits
economy practically comes to a standstill. served from stacked lacquerware boxes, is
Schools, companies, and stores close down; and prominently featured at all New Year's meals-
trains, planes, and highways are packed as mil- from simple snacks to elegant banquets.
lions make their way to their hometowns or to Traditionally, New Year's preparations have
ski resorts and onsen for the festivities. From included ritual housecleaning, the clearing up
December 30, when the holiday actually be- of all debts, new kimono for each child in the
gins for most people, huge cities like Tokyo, family, and the hanging of special decorations.
Osaka, and Nagoya take on an eerie quietness These ancient customs are still carefully pre-
until the great rush back home and a return to served by many Japanese families. A walk down
the office starts on January 4 or 5. any quiet street during the holidays reveals a
The holiday is especially a time for family fascinating blend of the old and the new:
and friends. It is also a time for parties, reunions, kadomatsu decorations, made of bamboo stalks
and pine boughs, standing beside the shuttered
entrances of skyscrapers; Shinto shimekazari,
straw ropes strung with little angular strips of
white paper, hanging across the front of park-
ing lots, supermarkets, and electronic game
centers. Even though the symbolism of some
of these customs may be lost to many people,
to Japanese the holidays would never seem the
same without them.
In these and many other ways, New Year's
in Japan is really quite similar to the holiday
season in Western countries. Where Americans
send Christmas greetings to their friends, Japa-
nese exchange New Year's cards. Because of the
special extra crews hired by the post office just
for this purpose, Japanese receive their greet-
ing cards all at once on New Year's Day itself if
the postman is on time. And the custom that
many Americans observe by attending church
on Christmas Eve finds its counterpart in Ja-
pan, where a visit to a Shinto shrine or a Bud-
dhist temple is traditional during the early
hours of New Year's Day. Many people, espe-
cially women and children, dress in kimono for
these hatsumode visits, a beautiful custom that
makes the season even more festive.
8