Throughout the quarter, a number of recurring themes were seen in the works we studied. Here, I discuss a few of the more predominant themes in the context of our works.
Rituals/"The Way"
Many of the films and stories we've dealt with have brought up the idea of rituals or a particular way of doing things. Beginning with The Book of Tea and Rikyu, we saw that there was a purpose to every element of the tea ceremony - no instrument or movement was redundant or wasted. This was key to achieving an aesthetic centered around simplicity and minimalism. The value of this aesthetic is emphasized in The Book of Tea, as OKAKURA draws attention to the structure of the teahouse, the importance of the walkway leading up to it, and even the proper way of gathering flowers. OKAKURA ends The Book of Tea with a short discussion about Rikyu, a master of aesthetics. Rikyu's understanding of beauty was highlighted in the film about his life. Viewers see how Hideyoshi is instantly calmed upon viewing Rikyu's presentation of a single morning glory in the beginning of the film, and arrangement of flower blossoms in a bowl of water near the end of the film. This topic of aesthetics resurfaced when we studied Departures. Though Departures takes place over 400 years after Rikyu's time and is concerned with death rather than the refreshing effects of the tea ceremony, the film does an excellent job of showing the ceremonial aspects of encoffining and the beauty that can be seen in it. Once again, every movement in the preparation of the body is deliberate, and extreme emphasis is placed on appearance.
In addition to highlighting aesthetics, Departures also draws attention to the notion of "the way" and the dynamics of a student/master relationship. These concepts were seen in other works we studied: Tampopo, Ping Pong, and Swing Girls. In each of these films, success can only be acquired after rigorous and strict training of some sort. Regardless of the end goal - perfect ramen, ultimate skill at ping-pong, or the ability to play jazz - there is always a wise mentor who guides his or her student(s) through a series of exercises before they go on to achieve a higher level of capabilities. Though the idea of "the way" might have become more of a Japanese film trope over the last couple decades (in Tampopo, they go so far as to say that the proper way of eating ramen includes apologizing to the pork...) it is still refreshing to see that rituals continue to be a key aspect of contemporary culture.
Relationship with the Past
A natural extension of rituals, or "the way", is one's relationship with the past. In seeking to abide by an older way of doing things, one preserves whatever history is associated with that specific methodology. This is certainly the case in the tea ceremony, evidenced by the san-Senke that persist today. More evidence of the remembrance of the past can be seen in Departures, "Turtleback Tombs", and "Bones". In Departures, part of the encoffining ceremony involved putting makeup on the corpse to mimic the deceased's appearance when they were still alive. In many cases, the family members in attendance of the ceremony would not express much emotion up until this point. It was as if this "resurrection" - this bringing back from the past - is what held all their feelings. Those who were still alive only had a connection to the deceased through memories from before, so holding onto the past became the only means of preserving their relationship with that person. "Turtleback Tombs" and "Bones" depicted a slightly different sentiment. In these stories, there is an immense respect for one's ancestors and those lost due to the Battle of Okinawa. To Grandma Ushi and the old woman of "Bones", the deceased were not impotent. Rather, they were beings who needed to be at peace and be remembered. The characters in these stories had a strong relationship with the past by keeping it in mind while living in the present.
However, not all of Japan has the same perspective on the past. Instead of living with the past in mind, some people - especially those of the Tokyo/Yokohama region - choose to forget the past and prioritize the present, or even the future. This difference in perspective makes sense when one takes into consideration that Tokyo and Yokohama are places that are most open to outside influences. In particular, because Tokyo is most connected to the world outside Japan's borders, it drives cutting-edge trends and promotes the adoption of all things modern. Sanshiro experiences this firsthand, as the past and all that he had become accustomed to in the countryside began to recede as he started a new life in Tokyo. This forward-thinking mentality does not only exist in terms of technology, science, or politics. As seen in Adrift in Tokyo, it even manifests itself in the people from the area. Fumiya chooses to forget the past, going to the extent of burning all his old pictures. From Up on Poppy Hill also demonstrates this ideology, as the students must put forth a tremendous effort to have their voices heard and keep the city from tearing down their clubhouse.
These differences are not to imply that the Kanto region is arrogant or disrespectful for forsaking Japan's past. If anything, it just goes to show the diversity of perspectives and value that Japan places in its "traditional" culture. Modernity and consideration for the future are important values that complement another theme that was seen in many of our works - youth culture and children as the future.
Youth Culture and Children as the Future
Youth culture was the focus of a few films we watched this quarter: Ping Pong, From Up on Poppy Hill, and Swing Girls. In watching these movies, it was interesting to make observations on the differences in relationships between males, between females, and between males and females. Ping Pong showed the first category of relationships - how young men tend to interact with one another. In this film, it seemed as if males drove each other to success by constantly attempting to demonstrate their skills in front of one another. With the exception of Smile, competition fueled their desires to improve. The men recognized each other's talents and treated their peers with respect, much in the same way that students viewed their masters in the examples of learning "the way" that we saw in Rikyu or Tampopo. The relationship between young women was slightly different, as seen in Swing Girls. Instead of forming bonds based on reverence for one another, they seemed to become friends due to a common struggle. By supporting one another through a shared experience, the girls felt closer to each other, as evidenced by Sekiguchi's inclusion in the group after the old band returns. From Up on Poppy Hill offered yet another perspective on youth culture, as we saw the relationship between young men and women. Unsurprisingly, there was a sense of tension between genders, mostly in the form of embarrassment on the part of one character who had romantic feelings for another. However, we also saw a combination of elements from Ping Pong and Swing Girls. The males and females of From Up on Poppy Hill demonstrated a sense of respect for the other gender's capability to do things their own gender could not. For example, the females admired the males' fervent activism, while the males admired the females' ability to repair the clubhouse. At the same time, both the young men and women grew closer to one another as they fought for a common cause.
Yet another interesting relationship is that between youth and older generations. In many of our works, children symbolize the future and hope for Japan. This sentiment is made most clear in Ikiru, since Watanabe decides to define his life by the playground he creates. After so many years of not accomplishing anything, Watanabe invests his remaining time and effort on something that benefits children. Even after he passes, Watanabe's legacy lives on because of what he has done for future generations. The juxtaposition of sorrow and promise for a happier future also appears in Departures. With Tsuyako's and Dagio's father's deaths comes the news of Daigo's unborn child, which provides the opportunity for Daigo and his wife to reconcile past arguments and move on with their marriage. The use of children as symbols for the future is approached in an entirely different manner in "The Island of Eternal Life" and "The Crows and the Girl". These stories were released after 3.11, a devastating incident that crushed Japan's spirits. In an attempt to convey lack of hope and their bleak outlook, the authors of these two works give readers images of feeble children and dying youth. Although the treatment of children in these works is far from heartwarming, it is consistent with how children are used to symbolize the future of Japan.
The Non-Homogeneity of Japan
In examining all these works, it is clear that Japan is not defined by a single culture. Across time periods, the various generations, and the distinct geographic regions, there is much evidence that shows the diversity of lifestyles, outlooks, and values that are held by individuals who all identify as Japanese. Through the various films and works of literature that we studied this quarter, we were able to get a good sense of how Japan views itself. Despite - or perhaps because of - years of influence from outside cultures and the numerous tragedies from which it has had to recover, Japan has been able to remain rooted in its rich history while promoting a forward-looking mentality that makes it a beacon of modernity in the international sphere.