In Search of Fundamentals to Resist Ethnic Calamities and Maintain National Integrity
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Scholarship Report – L. Picha Meiji Jingu & Shiseikan In Search of fundamentals to resist ethnic calamities and maintain national integrity Lefkothea Picha June-July 2013 1 Scholarship Report Meiji Jingu (明治神宮) & Shiseikan (至誠館) Contents Acknowledgements and impressions …………………………………… Page 3 a. Cultural trip at Izumo Taishia and Matsue city Introduction: Japan’s latest Tsunami versus Greek financial crisis reflecting national ethos…………………............................................................................ 6 Part 1 The Historic Horizon in Greece................................................... 7 a. Classical Period b. Persian wars c. Alexander’s the Great Empire d. Roman and Medieval Greece e. The Byzantine Period f. The Ottoman domination g. Commentary on the Byzantine epoch and Ottoman occupation h. World War II i. Greece after World War II j. Restoration of Democracy and Greek Politics in the era of Financial crisis Part 2 The liturgical and spiritual Greek ethos …………………………. 10 a. Greek mythology, the ancient Greek philosophy and Shinto b. Orthodox theology, Christian ethics and Shinto c. Purification process – Katharmos in ancient Greece, Christian Baptism and Misogi Part 3 Greek warriors’ ethos and Reflections on Bushido ..................... 14 a. Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) b. Ancient Greek warriors armor c. Comparison of Spartan soldiers and Samurai d. The motto “freedom or death and the Greek anthem e. Monument of the unknown soldier and Yasukunii shrine f. Women warriors and their supportive role against invaders g. Reflections on Bushido and its importance in the modern era h. Personal training in Budo and relation with Shiseikan Part 4 Personal view on Greek nation’s metamorphosis………………… 20 a. From the illustrious ancestors to the cultural decay. Is catastrophy a chance to revive Greek nation? Lefkothea Picha 2 Scholarship Report Meiji Jingu (明治神宮) & Shiseikan (至誠館) Acknowledgments and impressions I would like to thank Araya Kancho for the scholarship received. It was a privilege and honor given to me in order to deepen my knowledge in Budo and Shinto. My contact with the living traditions of Japanese culture is keeping reviving my soul, mind and heart; I feel grateful for this opportunity and I would like to express my deepest gratitude. Misogi, the cleansing Shinto ritual under the waterfall of Mount Mitake, within such a nice forest, has regenerated my senses and reinforced my mind and will power. The night Sampai at Meiji Jingu was a deep spiritual experience filling me with serenity. Special training with the Russian group was a special gift which enhanced my consciousness and skills on kenjustu and taijutsu. Inaba Sensei has always been the limitless fountain of inspiration, purity and light for me and I would like to thank him de profundis. I feel grateful for the honor given to attending his special class provided to sensei of Shiseikan, as a “special guest”. Inaba sensei’s comments as to how I should further develop my personal budo, as well as his analysis on the “Greek budo” in relation to the recurrent crisis have to be deeply considered on my return. The knowledge and power acquired all these years through budo training need to be materialized into patriotism and action. He mentioned that getting rid of ego, we need to join together and hopefully we can give birth to the novel. I would like to thank Uematsu san for his thorough support and kindness during my stay at Shiseikan as well as for fulfilling my secret dream to visit the city of Matsue. I would like to thank Endo san for his fruitful advices, support, philosophical documents provided, and comments in order to enrich my report and deepen into the reasons that caused the trembling of Greek cultural identity and ethos. Endo san’s “criticism” is always very meaningful and thus very much appreciated; I deeply thank him for his sincerity and beauty. I would like to thank Mr Miyazaki Gonguji for I was honored by his attendance of my presentation on the 12th of July at Shamushiou Koudou (社務所 講堂). I would also like to thank him for our fruitful discussion, during the dinner, on my religious faith and everyday rituals at home. I would like to thank Mr Majima, Mr Ito, Mr Uchikoshi and Mrs Miyairi for their lectures and rich knowledge received on Shinto spiritual concepts as well as on Japanese culture and history. They have opened to me their treasure of knowledge which triggered my intellectual curiosity and deeply motivated my research. I would like to thank Yamada sensei for giving me permission to attend his meaningful classes. Receiving his excellent teaching is always important so to deepen into the hara concentration. I would like to thank Watanabe sensei, Udagawa sensei, Aoki sensei, Okada sensei, Miki sensei and Okuda san for their teaching and helpful corrections. I would like to deeply thank Ashida san, for her kindness, daily support and translations as well as for our excellent co-operation to accomplish the bi-lingual presentation. I would like to thank Nishigawa san for our everyday life, co-operation and sharing of ideas during these 6 weeks. Her hospitality and our interesting and joyful cultural trip, thoroughly organized by her, will be kept in my memory. I would like to thank Tamaki san for her excellent hospitality and generosity during the first three weeks of my stay. We have shared very nice moments of family conviviality for which I feel grateful. I am thankful to all Shiseikan practitioners for their quality of practice, kindness and friendship. Lefkothea Picha 3 Scholarship Report Meiji Jingu (明治神宮) & Shiseikan (至誠館) Cultural trip at Izumo Taishia and Matsue City Izumo-taisha (出雲大社) is one of the most ancient and important Shinto Shrines in Japan. According to the two oldest chronicles, Kojiki and Nihon Shoki when Ninigi-no-Mikoto, grandson of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, descended from the heavens, the god Ōkuninushi granted his country to Ninigi-no-Mikoto. Amaterasu was much pleased by this action and she presented Izumo-taisha to Ōkuninushi. During the Kamakura era, around 1200, the main structure was reduced in size. Then in 1744, the shrine was reconstructed to the present size. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the shrine became a central place of pilgrimage. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, close to the mountain, one can feel the divine spirit of the nature and regenerate his/her power. Under the sudden heavy rain, our visit with Nishigawa san was a peaceful walk within the supreme location of divine spirits. Gakuengi The visit in Gakuengi Shinto-Buddhist old shrine within the forest, a serene isolated area, was the apocalypse of the divine spirit through the sounds of birds and waterfalls, emanating the primitive power of the divine nature. Matsue, the city of Lefkadio Hearn Matsue is a picturesque town due to the prominence of the lake (shingiko), the river and canals scenery; it is sometimes called the "water city" (水の 都). There has been a life dream for me to visit the sister city of Lefkada, the Ionian island of Greece. Lefkadio Hearn (1805-1904), also known as Yakumo Koizumi, born in Lefkada, relocated to Japan in 1890 where he found a home and his greatest inspiration. Hearn chose to emphasize the spiritual heritage of the Japanese culture and became known to the world through the depth, originality, sincerity, and charm of his writings; he offered the West some of its first glimpses into preindustrial and Meiji Era Japan and portrayed the romantic and mystical traditions of a rapidly modernizing Japan. Fascinated by the beauty of Matsue and the kindness of its people, got married to Setsu Koizumi and created a residence with beautiful Japanese gardens. The Lefkadio Hearn Memorial Museum in Matsue, which follows the traditional Japanese architecture, displays very interesting handwritten documents and other paraphernalia of Lefkadios’ everyday life. I feel proud of Lefkadio’s Hearn keen intellect and poetic imagination that permitted him to penetrate to the very essence of Japanese cultural elements. One century later his affection to the Japanese tradition is revived within my kokoro. On the summit of the hill above Matsue stands the ancient castle. It is one of the oldest surviving original Edo period castles and was built after the last great war of feudal Japan in 1607 over a period of 5 years under the local lord Horio Yoshiharu. In 1638, the Lefkothea Picha 4 Scholarship Report Meiji Jingu (明治神宮) & Shiseikan (至誠館) castle passed to the Matsudaira clan, a junior branch of the ruling Tokugawa clan. The castle is a complex structure, built in a watchtower style that appears to be five stories from the outside, but has in fact six levels inside. It is a strong structure, built to withstand warfare, yet at the same time it is majestic and solemn, reminiscent of the Momoyama style. For Hearn, the castle was of sublime inspiration. He had an extended view of the city, over the lake, with the daily coming and going of fishing-boats and sampans. Matsue castle intrigued me for still existing in its original wooden form emanating the ambient of samurai’s old ages. The interior is now a museum of samurai warriors who did their feudal service in the past centuries. Exhibition of samurai armors, helmets and weapons was very interesting. The trip ended with very nice food, grilled fish, beer, sake and water-mellon in a small local restaurant, reminding me of Greek “koutouki”. The “fusion project” of Greek and Japanese culture has been thoroughly accomplished thanks to Nishigawa san. Lefkothea Picha 5 Scholarship Report Meiji Jingu (明治神宮) & Shiseikan (至誠館) Introduction Japan’s recent Tsunami versus Greek financial crisis reflecting national ethos There was in March 11 of 2010 that a tremendous, almost a biblical disaster took place in the area of Sendai.