Japanese self-images

A Genealogy of 'Japanese' self-images.

Eiji Oguma

Trans Pacific Press

ISBN 1-876843-04-7

435pp



Of all the myths propagated about Japan, the one I find most disturbing can be illustrated by a quote by Taro Aso, the man in line to be the next Japanese Prime Minister. He said "“Japan is one nation, one civilization, one language, one culture, one race, none of which can be found in any other country”. It is disturbing that even a cursory glance at Japanese history reveals the assertation to be false and yet it is believed by so many, Japanese and other, but it's also disturbing because the idea is the bedrock of the whole "field" of Nihonjinron, and also used to justify Japan's deeply embedded racism. What is more surprising however, is that this idea is very, very, modern, being created in the postwar period but not becoming dominant until the 1960's.

Eiji Oguma's excellent, authoritative study of how the Japanese define themselves follows the debates and lines of thought from the Meiji period up until today, drawing from archeology, history, linguistics, anthropolgy, ethnology, eugenics, folklore and philosophy, and the complete break that occured with Japan's defeat in the war. Prior to that the Japanese defined themselves very much as a "mixed-race" with ancestry traced to north, east, and south asia, as well as ascribing their roots to Greece and Italy!!! Of course this definition allowed them to justify their invasion and colonisation of Korea, Taiwan, and China.

The book fleshes out many of the Japanese politicians and thinkers of the 20th Century as well as proving detailed study of how their colonial citizens were treated, and of course provides the explanation for much of Nihonjinron.

Ichiyama Kids Kagura Matsuri

Last night was one of my favorite matsuris. It was the Kids kagura matsuri in the nearby village of Ichiyama. We've been every year for the last 4 years, and as usual we had a great time.

I enjoy it partly because its great to see kids focus their energies on something other than video games, TV, or martial baseball, but its also enjoyable because of the friendliness and hospitality of the village. Of course free sake is a draw, as well as 50yen yakitori! The first dance (photo above) is always the purification, Shioharae, and this is where the youngest kids start. This year the 4 dancers were all elementary school students.

The second dance, the welcoming the kami, was performed by 2 10 year old boys who were a little more seasoned than the first 4.

In between the dances the kagura group leader introduced some of the new costumes the group had acquired. They had received a grant from a foundation in Tokyo. The outfit above cost more than $8.000. Figuring in the pants, undershirt, wigs, masks, and other paraphenalia, a kagura dancer can be wearing up to $20,000 worth of costume. Mostly this is paid for by donations from the villagers.

The canopy above the dancers is called a tengai, and the kami descend through the paper streamers to "possess" the dancers. The dancer in the Hachiman dance above is 14 years old.

Of course, my favorites are the Oni,.. the demons, the ogres... with the continued depopulation of the villages, there are fewer kids to dance nowadays, so for some of the larger dances adults have to dance the parts.

Kannmai Matsuri

This short video was shot 2 weeks ago on the small island of Iwaishima. It shows the beginning of the Kannmai matsuri, as 2 rowboats, accompanied by a flotilla of gaily decorated fishing boats, head out to see to meet 3 boats coming from Kyushu carrying priests.

The priests are from the village of Imi in Kyushu, and come here every 5 years fro the matsuri.

The priests boats land on a beach in a bay on the other side of the island and perform a ceremony. In 886 a delegation of villagers were travelling back to Imi from Kyoto and were hit by a bad storm. They took shelter on Iwaishima and in gratitude for the help they received from the people on Iwaishima they performed ceremonies for the local kami, Kojin. This was the start of the Kannmai Matsuri which now occurs every 5 years.

After the ceremony the boats form a convoy and head back to the harbor on the other side of the island. I counted more than 30 boats in total.

At the harbor the villagers wait to greet the priests. The older women play shamisen, the young boys play drums, and there are 4 miko. All the men of the village are on the boats.

There now follows 3 days of kagura performances.

Previous post on Kannmai Matsuri

Monkey raid

Monkey Raid

Sitting at my computer yesterday I heard a rustle in the persimmon tree just outside the screen door. An adult monkey had jumped into the tree to try and grab some unripe persimmons. As I moved to grab my camera he jumped back onto the fence. There were 4 other monkeys sitting on the fence, and as I went outside to try and get some photos they jumped down and ran back into the forest. The leader sat on the fence and watched me. There are between 20 and 30 monkeys in the troop that live on my mountain. This was a raiding party of adults, no children. On the topic of monkeys allows me to post some photos I took while in the mountains of Miyajima. The deer is being preened by the monkey, probably for lice or some other such tasty morsel. A fine example of mutual assistance.

Typical Japanese landscape 5

The sun sets over a paddy of ripening rice.
This photo was taken in my village while walking to Bon Odori.

Matsubara Inari Shrine, Miyoshi

Inari shrines are immediately recognizable by their "tunnels" of vermillion Torii. Inari is primarily the kami of rice harvest, but this one is in the middle of an urban area, surrounded by bars, snacks, restaurants, and other forms of "entertainment".

This can be explained by the fact that Inari is the patron kami of geisha and prostitutes, and therefore shrines can often be found in the traditional "water trade" areas of town.

Nima Sand Museum (outside)

Driving along Route 9 as it passes through the town of Nima one is struck by a strange site;- 6 glass and steel pyramids rising out of the hillside. This is the Nima Sand Museum.

Nearby is Kotogahama beach, known for its "singing sand".... actually it just squeaks when you walk on it, but that was the inspiration for the museum. The building was designed by Shin Takamatsu, who was born in Nima. The tallest pyramid was designed to be tall enough to be seen from his mother's gravesite.

The main pyramid houses the world's largest sand timer, and other than that there is little to see inside the museum.

However, the museum was featured in a hit TV drama, and that has provided the impetus for many to visit it.

Millet harvest

Harvesting pearl millet right now.

When I was a kid, millet was what you gave to the budgie! Later I discovered a health-food cookbook from the 1930's that had a recipe for millet souffle that I made often, so I was pleased to try and grow some millet.

It grows easily, and very quickly, reaching a height of 3 metres in a couple of months.

Once its cut and dried, then the hard work of threshing must be done.

For all the pseudo-religious waffle one hears in Japan about rice, its worth noting that for most of Japanese history most Japanese ate little rice. A porridge made of 5 grains, rice, wheat, 2 types of millet, and "beans" was the staple, and of these millet has the longest history in Japan. It was grown by the Jomon a thousand years before the Japanese came to these islands.

We use it added into bread, and it also makes an excellent broom!! This one is still good after a years use.

Susano mask

This is an Iwami kagura mask of Susano. Sometimes spelt Susanoh, sometimes Susano-O, sometimes Susano o mikoto. Susano appears in several kagura dances, but the most common, and most often performed as a finale, is the dance telling the story of his defeat of the 8-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi.

According to Yamato mythology Susano is the brother of Amaterasu, and he was kicked out of the High Plain of Heaven for numerous bad deeds attributed to his violent temper. The dynasty founded by Susano existed long before the Yamato rose to power, and from the stories of him locally, a completely different Susano is portrayed. He was a Culture Hero who brought metal working and other technologies from the Korean peninsular, and promoted intercourse between western japan and Korea. In actual fact the stories have him first arriving in Iwami before he moved to Izumo and slayed the dragon. Ever since Susano's descendant, Okuninushi, gave Japan to the Yamato, they have been denigrating him, but he rightly deserves the title of Father of Japan.

The mask is for sale, so please contact me or leave a message if interested.

Kagura Mask Index

Beluga & Bridge.

This is the official manhole cover for the City of Hamada, the capital of Iwami. It's population is a little over 60, 000, but most of those people live in nearby towns and villages that are now encompassed by Hamada's administrative district. Two of the main elements of the design are a Beluga whale, and the Great marine Bridge.

The Beluga represents a pair that are the main attraction at nearby Aquas Oceanarium, the largest aquarium in western Honshu.

The Great Marine Bridge is a 7 billion yen boondoggle that connects Hamad Port with the tiny island of Setgashima.

Setogashima has a tiny fishing village. The island is already connected to the mainland by a 10 metre long bridge, so the Great Marine Bridge serves no function other than to generate profits fro the construction and engineering industry.