DOCSLIB.ORG

Speeltuin Der Kami

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Speeltuin Der Kami VAN RENTERGEM Stephanie Master Oosterse talen en culturen UGent: Academiejaar 2016-2017 Speeltuin der kami Volksgeloof in Yamato Verhandeling voor de lectuuropdracht in het kader van het vak “Masterproef: Japanologie” (Professor Christian Uhl) 0 Inhoudsopgave 1. Inleiding 3 2. De weg van de kami begint: het vroegste shintoïsme 6 2.1. Verklaring van termen 6 2.1.1. Shintoïsme 6 2.1.2. Kami 7 2.2. De oorsprong van het shintoïsme 13 2.3. Yamato: shintō wordt een systeem 16 3. Bloed, moeders en geesten: kenmerken van animisme 22 3.1. Inleiding 22 3.2. Spreken met geesten 24 3.2.1. Inleiding 24 3.2.2. Aard en benadering van de allervroegste "goden" (en kami) 24 3.2.3. Ouders van de Japanse eilanden 29 3.2.4. Rituele onzuiverheid in Yamato 31 3.3. Spelen met geesten 36 3.3.1. Inleiding 36 3.3.2.1. Bezetenheid in Yamato: menselijk subject 38 3.3.2.1.1. Bezetenheid van buitenuit 39 3.3.2.1.2. Bezetenheid van binnenuit 40 3.3.2.1.3. Bezetenheid van alle kanten 41 3.3.2.1.4. Bezetenheid als macht 43 3.3.2.1.5. Bezetenheid als de allerindividueelste expressie 47 3.3.2.2. Bezetenheid in Yamato: bovenmenselijk subject 47 3.3.3. Conclusie 51 3.4. "Moedermacht" 53 3.4.1. Inleiding 53 3.4.2. Matriarchaat in Yamato 55 3.5. Do ut des 62 3.5.1. Inleiding 62 3.5.2. Offers in Yamato: de vier variëteiten 63 3.5.2.1. Ikenie et alia 64 1 3.5.2.2. Zoenoffers 65 3.5.2.3. Leven voor dood 68 3.5.2.4. Leven voor leven 71 4. Geloofsbeleving 74 4.1. Gebed 74 4.2. Heilige reizen 81 4.3. Verhalen van kleine luiden 85 5. Slot 87 6. Bibliografie 89 Appendix: transcriptielijst 96 2 1. Inleiding Religie is een van de meest fundamentele elementen, zo niet het meest fundamentele, van het menselijk bestaan. Dit geldt zowel op persoonlijk als op maatschappelijk vlak: niet alleen zijn talloze mensen individueel min of meer diep begaan met religieuze aangelegenheden en hun eigen spirituele ontwikkeling, iets waarvoor, volgens recent onderzoek, onze hersenen voorgeprogrammeerd zijn, maar ook voor de maatschappelijke ordening is religie sinds de vroegste tijden enorm invloedrijk geweest. Binnen een gegeven samenleving trekt religie de grenzen tussen de leden van de binaire oppositie heilig : profaan, welke binaire oppositie volgens de structuralistische antropologie de mens helpt om zijn wereld vorm en betekenis te geven.1 Het belang van religie voor de mens gaat echter nog een stuk verder dan het aanreiken van een oppositie van het type koud : warm, licht : donker, man : vrouw. Ze mag gerust worden beschouwd als een van de voornaamste drijfveren van de menselijke geschiedenis. De meest spectaculaire en opvallende resultaten hiervan zijn natuurlijk de talloze oorlogen en andere vormen van bloedvergieten die op religieuze gronden gefundeerd zijn, soms gemeend, soms enkel als voorwendsel, al dan niet met gedwongen bekering tot gevolg. Denken we bijvoorbeeld aan de Kruistochten van de Europese Middeleeuwen, uitdrukkelijk voorgesteld als de strijd tussen de Katholieke Kerk en de islam (evenals de Europese Joden); de vele gevechten tussen moslims en niet-moslims tijdens de eerste eeuwen van de islam; en de aanslepende, soms bloedige strijd tussen katholieken en protestanten tijdens de Reformatie en de Contrareformatie. Dit zijn nu allemaal overbekende voorbeelden binnen de historiografie van premodern Europa en het Nabije Oosten, maar intermenselijke onenigheid op basis van (nogmaals, al dan niet voorgewende) religieuze redenen komt wereldwijd nog steeds overvloedig voor.2 Het ware echter fout door bovenstaande uitleg de indruk te krijgen dat aanleiding geven tot geweld het enige is waar religie op wereldlijk gebied goed voor is. Denken we bijvoorbeeld ook aan vreedzame missioneringsactiviteiten; het bieden van leefregels en, in vele gevallen, een moreel kader; het schrijven, bewerken en verklaren van heilige teksten; het inspireren tot prachtige kunstwerken, niet alleen schilderijen en sculpturen, maar ook tempels, poëzie en proza. Merk ook 1 Martin E. Marty, inleiding tot Religion and Belief Systems in World History, reds. William H. McNeill et al. (Great Barrington (MA): Berkshire Publishing Group, 2012): 1. Koen Stroeken, De ondeelbare mens: Antropologie ingeleid (Antwerpen: Garant, 2013): 13, 71. John C. Super en Briane K. Turley, Religion in World History (New York (NY): Routledge, 2006): 2-3. 2 Derek H. Davis, "Religious Freedom," in Religion and Belief Systems in World History, reds. William H. McNeill et al. (Great Barrington (MA): Berkshire Publishing Group, 2012): 190-191. Marty, inleiding, 1. Idem, "Protestantism," in Religion and Belief Systems in World History, reds. William H. McNeill et al. (Great Barrington (MA): Berkshire Publishing Group, 2012): 171-172. Timothy N. Renick, "Religion and War," in Religion and Belief Systems in World History, reds. William H. McNeill et al. (Great Barrington (MA): Berkshire Publishing Group, 2012): 185-186. 3 op dat de voorbeelden uit de vorige paragraaf telkens verwijzen naar de drie grote "Westerse" (in ruime zin, tegenover Azië voorbij het Midden-Oosten) wereldreligies jodendom, christendom en islam. Deze gaan alle drie uit van het basisprincipe dat men slechts van één religie tegelijk aanhanger kan zijn en dat alle verschillende geloofsovertuigingen dus per definitie vijandig tegenover elkaar staan en moeten staan, volledig voorbijgaand aan de vraag of een dergelijke religieuze ondoordringbaarheid al dan niet historisch gegrond is. In Oost- en Zuidoost-Azië ligt de kwestie helemaal anders: de coëxistentie van meerdere religies is daar zelden of nooit een ernstig probleem geweest. Het boeddhisme heeft zich door de eeuwen heen moeiteloos aangepast aan en ingepast in het religieuze klimaat van de gebieden waar het binnenkwam. Dit gold ook voor inheemse religies onderling: zo was er in het oude China soms wel eens onenigheid tussen aanhangers van de verschillende religieus-filosofische stromingen, zoals confucianisme, daoïsme, boeddhisme, mohisme enzovoorts, maar dit ging nooit voorbij het verbale: godsdienstoorlogen in de westerse betekenis kwamen gewoon niet voor.3 4 Deze relatieve tolerantie ten opzichte van elkaar moet betekenen dat de aanhangers van de verschillende zojuist genoemde stromingen voldoende raakpunten konden ontdekken opdat ernstige onenigheid onnodig bleek en, als verdere noodzakelijke voorwaarde, dat ze de openheid van geest hadden om die gelijkenissen te kunnen en willen inzien. Nu stel ik mij de vraag: als het zoeken naar overeenkomsten tussen denksystemen ontstaan in hetzelfde of gelijkaardige culturele en sociale milieus, met andere woorden in dezelfde wereldregio, aanvaardbaar en zelfs wenselijk is (om strijd te vermijden), waarom zou het dan niet mogelijk zijn om hetzelfde te doen met eigenschappen van religieuze systemen5 die historisch weinig of in vele gevallen zelfs niets met elkaar te maken hebben, met bijvoorbeeld het Oude Japan als uitgangspunt, om zo gelijkenissen aan te tonen die duidelijk maken hoe onzinnig culturele conflicten eigenlijk zijn? Dit is een volstrekt verantwoorde onderzoeksvraag. Ik ben er mij van bewust dat de comparatieve aanpak met betrekking tot religieus onderzoek binnen de academische wereld al geruime tijd met een scheef oog wordt bekeken, dit omdat dergelijk comparatief werk de neiging heeft om verschillen te minimaliseren en sociohistorische context te negeren, wat leidt tot ahistorische, acontextuele modellen van universele religieuze tradities. Als reactie op deze foutieve 3 Bart Dessein en Ann Heirman, Boeddha, zijn Leer en zijn Gemeenschap: Een inleiding tot geschiedenis, filosofie en kloosterleven (Gent: Academia Press, 2011): xi. Bart Dessein, Ann Heirman en Dominiek Delporte, China: Een maatschappelijke en filosofische geschiedenis van de vroegste tijden tot de twintigste eeuw (Gent: Academia Press, 2008): 241. 4 Voorgaande uitleg geldt helaas enkel voor de inheemse religies van Oost- en Zuidoost-Azie: in bijvoorbeeld India en Indonesië is er al veelvuldig gewapend conflict geweest tussen aanhangers van de islam en van inheemse religies zoals het hindoeïsme. Dit is in vele gevallen, zoals al eerder aangehaald, natuurlijk slechts een dekmantel voor etnisch en/of economisch conflict, maar dat religie de openlijke reden is, is al erg genoeg. 5 Voor een werkbare definitie van deze en andere termen, zie verder. 4 methodiek, is de nadruk komen te liggen op gebiedsstudies. Jonathan Z. Smith, een zeer invloedrijk vorser van religieuze studiën, is echter van mening dat de tegenwoordig zo vaak verguisde comparatieve vorm van wetenschappelijk onderzoek erg waardevol kan zijn. Smith ziet vergelijking als een proces van deconstructie en reconstitutie, waardoor een caleidoscoop van verschuivende eigenschappen ontstaat die voor de onderzoeker een brug kan vormen tussen zijn of haar theoretisch interessegebied en de data die als voorbeeld beschikbaar zijn. En dit is nu precies wat ik in deze paper ook wil bekomen.6 Bovendien, en dit is ook zeer belangrijk, past de visie van Smith ook in het plaatje van de wereldgeschiedenis, dat comparatief op alle gebied inzetbaar is in twee stappen. Ten eerste kan de wereldhistorische aanpak ingezet worden om na te gaan voor welke tijden en plaatsen een specifiek menselijk systeem, bijvoorbeeld een politiek systeem (clan, rijk, staat) of een religieus systeem (monotheïsme, polytheïsme) op wereldniveau toepasbaar is. Indien deze systemen dan consequent gelijkaardige eigenschappen laten zien, kunnen ze gebruikt worden om inzicht te krijgen in universele kenmerken van menselijk denken en handelen. Deze informatie kan dan, en dit is punt
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Supernatural Elements in No Drama Setsuico
    SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS IN NO DRAMA \ SETSUICO ITO ProQuest Number: 10731611 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10731611 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 4 8 1 0 6 - 1346 Supernatural Elements in No Drama Abstract One of the most neglected areas of research in the field of NS drama is its use of supernatural elements, in particular the calling up of the spirit or ghost of a dead person which is found in a large number (more than half) of the No plays at present performed* In these 'spirit plays', the summoning of the spirit is typically done by a travelling priest (the waki)* He meets a local person (the mae-shite) who tells him the story for which the place is famous and then reappears in the second half of the.play.as the main person in the story( the nochi-shite ), now long since dead. This thesis sets out to show something of the circumstances from which this unique form of drama v/as developed.
    [Show full text]
  • The Goddesses' Shrine Family: the Munakata Through The
    THE GODDESSES' SHRINE FAMILY: THE MUNAKATA THROUGH THE KAMAKURA ERA by BRENDAN ARKELL MORLEY A THESIS Presented to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program: Asian Studies and the Graduate School ofthe University ofOregon in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree of Master ofArts June 2009 11 "The Goddesses' Shrine Family: The Munakata through the Kamakura Era," a thesis prepared by Brendan Morley in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the Master of Arts degree in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program: Asian Studies. This thesis has been approved and accepted by: e, Chair ofthe Examining Committee ~_ ..., ,;J,.." \\ e,. (.) I Date Committee in Charge: Andrew Edmund Goble, Chair Ina Asim Jason P. Webb Accepted by: Dean ofthe Graduate School III © 2009 Brendan Arkell Morley IV An Abstract ofthe Thesis of Brendan A. Morley for the degree of Master ofArts in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program: Asian Studies to be taken June 2009 Title: THE GODDESSES' SHRINE FAMILY: THE MUNAKATA THROUGH THE KAMAKURA ERA This thesis presents an historical study ofthe Kyushu shrine family known as the Munakata, beginning in the fourth century and ending with the onset ofJapan's medieval age in the fourteenth century. The tutelary deities ofthe Munakata Shrine are held to be the progeny ofthe Sun Goddess, the most powerful deity in the Shinto pantheon; this fact speaks to the long-standing historical relationship the Munakata enjoyed with Japan's ruling elites. Traditional tropes ofJapanese history have generally cast Kyushu as the periphery ofJapanese civilization, but in light ofrecent scholarship, this view has become untenable. Drawing upon extensive primary source material, this thesis will provide a detailed narrative ofMunakata family history while also building upon current trends in Japanese historiography that locate Kyushu within a broader East Asian cultural matrix and reveal it to be a central locus of cultural production on the Japanese archipelago.
    [Show full text]
  • A POPULAR DICTIONARY of Shinto
    A POPULAR DICTIONARY OF Shinto A POPULAR DICTIONARY OF Shinto BRIAN BOCKING Curzon First published by Curzon Press 15 The Quadrant, Richmond Surrey, TW9 1BP This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/.” Copyright © 1995 by Brian Bocking Revised edition 1997 Cover photograph by Sharon Hoogstraten Cover design by Kim Bartko All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0-203-98627-X Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-7007-1051-5 (Print Edition) To Shelagh INTRODUCTION How to use this dictionary A Popular Dictionary of Shintō lists in alphabetical order more than a thousand terms relating to Shintō. Almost all are Japanese terms. The dictionary can be used in the ordinary way if the Shintō term you want to look up is already in Japanese (e.g. kami rather than ‘deity’) and has a main entry in the dictionary. If, as is very likely, the concept or word you want is in English such as ‘pollution’, ‘children’, ‘shrine’, etc., or perhaps a place-name like ‘Kyōto’ or ‘Akita’ which does not have a main entry, then consult the comprehensive Thematic Index of English and Japanese terms at the end of the Dictionary first.
    [Show full text]
  • Shintō and Buddhism: the Japanese Homogeneous Blend
    SHINTŌ AND BUDDHISM: THE JAPANESE HOMOGENEOUS BLEND BIB 590 Guided Research Project Stephen Oliver Canter Dr. Clayton Lindstam Adam Christmas Course Instructors A course paper presented to the Master of Ministry Program In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Ministry Trinity Baptist College February 2011 Copyright © 2011 by Stephen O. Canter All rights reserved Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served −Joshua TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements........................................................................................................... vii Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: The History of Japanese Religion..................................................................3 The History of Shintō...............................................................................................5 The Mythical Background of Shintō The Early History of Shintō The History of Buddhism.......................................................................................21 The Founder −− Siddhartha Gautama Buddhism in China Buddhism in Korea and Japan The History of the Blending ..................................................................................32 The Sects That Were Founded after the Blend ......................................................36 Pre-War History (WWII) .......................................................................................39
    [Show full text]
  • Communion with the Goddess Series
    Fellowship of Isis Homepage Archive http://www.fellowshipofisis.com Communion with the Goddess Idols, Images and Symbols of the Goddesses: China and Japan By: Lawrence Durdin-Robertson Lawrence Durdin-Robertson 1979 First published: 1979 2nd Impression: 1991 (Note: Formatting has been retained from the original. For personal use only and not to be reprinted or sold online or in any other format. Copyright is held by the heirs of Lawrence-Durdin Robertson and all rights are reserved.) ____________________________________________________________________________________ COMMUNION WITH THE GODDESS THE MANUAL OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF ISIS IDOLS, IMAGES AND SYMBOLS OF THE GODDESSES: CHINA AND JAPAN by Rev. Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, M.A. (Dublin), Baron Strathloch Priest of Isis Cesara Publications Huntington Castle, Clonegal, Enniscorthy, Eire. Printed by DOFAS, 58 Haddington Road, Dublin 4. Anno Deae Cesarae, Hiberniae Dominae, MMMMCCCXXXVIII ` CONTENTS SECTION: PAGE: I. China 1 II. Japan and Korea 22 ` SECTION I - CHINA THE APSARASES. (Watson) in “The Genius of China: An Exhibition of archaeological finds of the People’s Republic of China, London, 1974” : “243. Stele of white marble representing the Buddha Sakya-muni seated under sala tree…excavated 1959 at Lin-chang, Hopei... Heavenly goddesses, apsarases, hold a garland of flowers over the Blessed One…” Eight apsarases are shown, each in the form of a flying nymph with a pair of wings and her wing-like legs bent behind her. Each is naked except for a dhoti and holds with both hands a length of the garland which stretches like an arch over Buddha Sakyamuni’s head. AUNT PIETY. (Gdss. Ind.) “The form of Aunt Piety is said to be normally that of a vixen..
    [Show full text]
  • Origins of the Japanese Languages. a Multidisciplinary Approach”
    MASTERARBEIT / MASTER’S THESIS Titel der Masterarbeit / Title of the Master’s Thesis “Origins of the Japanese languages. A multidisciplinary approach” verfasst von / submitted by Patrick Elmer, BA angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2019 / Vienna 2019 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / A 066 843 degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / Masterstudium Japanologie UG2002 degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor: Mag. Dr. Bernhard Seidl Mitbetreut von / Co-Supervisor: Dr. Bernhard Scheid Table of contents List of figures .......................................................................................................................... v List of tables ........................................................................................................................... v Note to the reader..................................................................................................................vi Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... vii 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Research question ................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Methodology ........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Fusō Gobusshin Ron
    FUSŌ GOBUSSHIN RON - ENGLISH TRANSLATION – - Fascicle 1 - Translation Treatise on Japan's Protecting Buddha's and Gods - Preface. Anciently, the Great Priest Furi Qisong1 (1007-1072) hid himself near the West Lake for thirty years. Broadly he perused the instructions from Lu2, widely he searched the Indian scriptures, and he wrote down [his findings] in Fujiaobian 輔教編 ("Compilation in aid of the Teaching") and Fei Han 非韓3 ("Refuting Han [Yu]"), thirty chapters in all. He came to the aid of the teachings of Śākya[muni, which] were already on the verge of collapsing. I was forced to withdraw4 to the village Nanmoku,5 [where] I 1 Song Mingjiao dashi is the Chinese priest Furi Qisong 佛日契嵩, a.k.a. Mingjiao-dashi. (N.B. The Japanese pronunciation of the name 契嵩 is "Kaisū.") Amongst other things, he was an exponent of the sanjiao heyi 三教合一 ("Unity of the Three Teachings"). Bussho kaisetsu daijiten lists six titles under his name. 2 The words "the instructions of Lu" are evidently opposed to the words "Indian scriptures," i.e. Buddhist texts. The same applies to the seven loci one can find through the "SAT Daizōkyō Text Database"; here, too, the words are opposed to zhufen 竺墳, (six times) and shidian 釋典 (one time). The term evidently refers to the Confucian corpus (perhaps to Lunyu?). The compound is not listed in Morohashi, 3 Both in Fujiaobian (3 fasc.) and in Fei Han, Qisong takes a non-exclusivist position towards Confucianism and Taoism. N.B. For the change of the characters in the titles, see Honkoku, note 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan Studies Review
    JAPAN STUDIES REVIEW Volume Seven 2003 Interdisciplinary Studies of Modern Japan Steven Heine Editor John A. Tucker Book Review Editor Editorial Board Yumiko Hulvey, University of Florida John Maraldo, University of North Florida Mark Ravina, Emory University Ann Weymeyer, University of Florida Brian Woodall, Georgia Institute of Technology Copy and Production Shoshanah Del Greco Jessica Reyes JAPAN STUDIES REVIEW VOLUME SEVEN 2003 A Publication of the Southern Japan Seminar and Florida International University CONTENTS Editor’s Introduction i Re: Subscriptions, Submissions and Comments iii ARTICLES The Fifty-Year War: Rashomon, After Life, and Japanese Film Narratives of Remembering Mike Sugimoto 1 The Tanka Poetry of Yosano Akiko: Transformation of Tradition Through the Female Voice Harriet D. Grissom 21 Civil Servant or Obedient Servant? Ideal(ized) Officials in 16th Century Japan Ronald K. Frank 33 The Farce of the “Great Russian Salvation Tour”: The Legacy of Aum Shinrikyo in Mother Russia Daniel A. Metraux 47 Anime and Historical Inversion in Miyazaki Hayao’s Princess Mononoke John A. Tucker 65 BOOK REVIEWS Being Modern in Japan: Culture and Society from the 1910s to 1930s By Elise K. Tipton and John Clark Reviewed by Scott P. O’Bryan 103 A Bilingual Guide to the Japanese Economy By NHK International Reviewed by Kiyoshi Kawahito 106 Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Aum Shinrikyo By Ian Reader Reviewed by Daniel A. Metraux 108 Toyota-shiki Saikyono Keiei: Naze Toyota wa Kawaritsuzukeru no ka (The Toyota Style of Strongest Management: Why Toyota Keeps Changing) By Shibata, Masaharu and Hideharu Kaneda Reviewed by Kinko Ito 112 Neither Monk nor Layman: Clerical Marriage in Modern Japanese Buddhism By Richard M.
    [Show full text]
  • Anime and Historical Inversion in Miyazaki Hayao's Princess
    Anime and Historical Inversion in Miyazaki Hayao’s Princess Mononoke John A. Tucker East Carolina University Introduction If box office receipts are any indication of cultural significance, then Miyazaki Hayao’s Princess Mononoke (Mononokehime, 1997) surely stands as one of the most important works of late-twentieth-century Japanese popular culture: currently it remains the highest-grossing (¥16.65 billion, approximately $150 million) domestic film in Japanese history. Prior to the release of The Titanic, Princess Mononoke eclipsed E.T. and reigned as the biggest box-office hit ever, domestic or foreign, in Japan. While The Titanic has since surpassed Princess Mononoke in overall ticket sales, over 13.53 million Japanese, or more than one-tenth of the population, have watched Princess Mononoke in theatres, and over five million copies of the video have been sold domestically (Yoneda, 204). Princess Mononoke also stands as the most expensive animated movie ever made in Japan, with a 3 billion yen (approximately $30 million) production cost (Wakita et al., 168). Critics have lauded it in literally hundreds of media reviews, especially in Japanese film and popular culture publications such as Kinema junpō, SAPIO, Nyūmedeia, AERA, uirumumeekaazu, Bessatsu Comicbox, Bessatsu Takarajima, Tech Win, Shunkan Kinyōbi, Video Doo!, Yurika, Cinema Talk, and SPA!, as well as in the major newspapers, periodicals, and regional media. Additionally, Princess Mononoke has been awarded numerous prizes, most notably the 21st Japan Academy Award for Best Film (Kuji, 3-4; Schilling, 3). Not surprisingly the film has been released internationally, with an English language version, featuring numerous familiar American voices, including that of Gillian Anderson and Billy Bob Thornton, thus making it exceptionally accessible in the United States for anime fans, and those interested in Japanese history and culture.
    [Show full text]
  • The Earliest Societies in Japan
    CHAPTER 1 THE EARLIEST SOCIETIES IN JAPAN Japan's oldest extant chronicles, the Kojiki and the Nihon shoki, de- scribe the trek of Kamu-yamato-ihare-biko no Mikoto from south Kyushu to the Yamato plain accompanied by hand-chosen clan (uji) heads. He is referred to by later historians as the first emperor, posthu- mously called Jimmu. At every step he was opposed by well-entrenched people whose conquest often required ingenuity and guile. The degree of their decimation seems to have been determined by the degree of their physical abnormality. For the bulk of his adversaries, the killing of their chiefs was all that was needed to bring them into line. But in extreme cases, such as the Tsuchigumo (earth spiders) who were people too primitive even to have responsible chiefs, pockets had to be elimi- nated by a process that was not completed until at least the time of the ruler Keikd, sometime in the fourth century A.D. When the physical and social differences were too great, it seems that assimilation was inconceivable and neighborly relations impossible. These stories may look at first like an unnecessarily candid admis- sion of the presence of other peoples, as the Eight Island Country of Japan was implicitly created for the enjoyment of the descendants of the Sun Goddess (Amaterasu). But by stressing the existence of oth- ers, the chosen were sharply distinguished from the undeserving, and the Yamato people could legitimately place themselves at the top of a scaled social ladder. The right to rule was therefore not predicated on prior occupation or existing status but on the act of divine creation.
    [Show full text]
  • Jomon Culture and the Emishi
    Jomon Culture and the Emishi There had been speculation that many ethnic groups used to inhabit the islands during the Jomon period, roughly ten thousand years B.C. to about 300 B.C. (ending earlier depending on the region). What has been found confirms a much older hypothesis that there was basically one ethnic group, the Jomon, who resided on all the islands. The skeletal remains that date back before the Yayoi period, when the Japanese speakers began their expansion, have been of one dominant population group whether in Western Japan, the Tohoku or Hokkaido. The one cultural trait they shared was the type of pottery they produced marked by distinctive rope-like patterns called jomon doki that gave them their name. In the latest research it is found that the transformation of the Jomon population occurred gradually as the Yayoi population identified with the Japanese speakers spread from northern Kyushu eastwards. Intermixing of the populations was widespread as intermediate skeletal types emerge in areas where the two populations came in contact with each other. However, over time, where these contacts occurred the Jomon population gradually changed to become more Yayoi in character indicating that the Yayoi began to outnumber the local Jomon population. Thus, the intermixing was heavily weighted towards the Yayoi population during the historical period particularly in western Japan since the Jomon people there were not as numerous. One exception is in the southern Kyushu areas dominated by the Kumaso during ancient times. To this day the area around present-day Kagoshima has a population that is relatively unchanged since the Jomon, and have characteristics that are more related to the Ainu and Okinawans than to modern Japanese.
    [Show full text]
  • Charanke and Hip Hop: the Argument for Re-Storying the Education of Ainu in Diaspora Through Performance Ethnography
    CHARANKE AND HIP HOP: THE ARGUMENT FOR RE-STORYING THE EDUCATION OF AINU IN DIASPORA THROUGH PERFORMANCE ETHNOGRAPHY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE JULY 2020 BY Ronda Shizuko Hayashi-Simpliciano Dissertation Committee Jamie Simpson Steele, Chairperson Amanda Smith Sachi Edwards Mary Therese Perez Hattori ii ABSTRACT The Ainu are recognized as an Indigenous people across the areas of Japan known as Hokkaido and Honshu, as well as the areas of Russia called Sakhalin, Kurile, and Kamchatka. In this research, the term Ainu in Diaspora refers to the distinct cultural identity of Ainu transnationals who share Ainu heritage and cultural identity, despite being generationally removed from their ancestral homeland. The distinct cultural identity of Ainu in Diaspora is often compromised within Japanese transnational communities due to a long history of Ainu being dehumanized and forcibly assimilated into the Japanese population through formalized systems of schooling. The purpose of this study is to tell the stories and lived experiences of five Ainu in Diaspora with autobiographic accounts as told by a researcher who is also a member of this community. In this study, the researcher uses a distinctly Ainu in Diaspora theoretical lens to describe the phenomena of knowledge-sharing between Indigenous communities who enter into mutually beneficial relationships to sustain cultural and spiritual identity. Cultural identity is often knowledge transferred outside of formal educational settings by the Knowledge Keepers through storytelling, art, and music. In keeping true to transformative research approaches, the Moshiri model normalizes the shamanic nature of the Ainu in Diaspora worldview as a methodological frame through the process of narrative inquiry.
    [Show full text]