Despite the availability of a huge amount of information about Japan on the Internet, this country still remains a mystery behind seven locks. Trips to the Land of the Rising Sun, neither books, nor scientific publications, nor fiction do not help to solve it. The spread of anime and manga throughout the world is increasing interest in Japan, especially among young people. They not only watch such animated films, but also listen to Japanese music, study traditions, language, and read iconic Japanese authors. Some even enroll in oriental studies departments to study the country in more detail. And at the same time, not everyone manages to get to know Japan completely. This is especially true of Japanese culture, which was formed under the influence of various factors over the centuries. A distinctive feature of ancient Japanese culture is its sophistication and its own aesthetics. This is still observed today, but Japanese culture still has not been able to completely avoid the influence of China and Korea, which is reflected in cinema, music, literary works, and everyday life.
General information
According to Wikipedia, Japan (in Japanese transcription Nihon Koku) is entirely located on the Pacific Islands and belongs to East Asia. Its closest neighbors are Russia, China, South Korea and North Korea. The population of Japan in 2015 is 126.91 million people, with an average annual decline of more than 200 thousand people per year. The map of Japan can be represented as a state located on 4 large islands: Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido, as well as many small islands. The capital of Japan is Tokyo with a population of more than 18 million people (including Yokohama). The largest cities in Japan: Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Kawasaki, Chiba, Nagoya. The monetary unit is the yen.
The state can safely be classified as a mono-national entity, since almost 99% of the population of Japan are Japanese. This condition largely determines the careful preservation of traditions and culture. Thus, the appearance of large cities acquired an ultra-modern look, but on the outskirts, almost everywhere, the national style is striking. Accordingly, the official language is one, Japanese.
Officially, Japan is considered a monarchy with constitutional limitations, even an empire. All issues of foreign and domestic policy are decided by the Prime Minister. The highest legislative power is concentrated in the bicameral parliament. The flag of Japan is a white cloth with a red circle in the center. This symbol of the sun seems to emphasize the rooted name - the Land of the Rising Sun. Time in Japan is the same on all islands and is 5 hours ahead of Moscow.
Overthrow of the Shogunate
Patriotic samurai were dissatisfied with the shogun and foreigners. Having put forward the slogan of restoring imperial power, they united around the 15-year-old Emperor Mutsuhito. On the night of January 2-3, 1868, a most important event occurred in the history of Japan - a decree was announced on the “restoration” (restoration) of imperial power, the abolition of the shogunate and the establishment of a new government. The shogun did not comply, and civil war broke out in the country. In the summer of 1869, the shogun admitted defeat. The military-feudal system of the shogunate ceased to exist.
American Squadron Commander Perry meets with representatives of the Japanese Emperor
The restoration of the emperor's power went down in history as the Meiji Restoration. Meiji means "enlightened rule" in Japanese. (Remember where you have already heard about it.) This is the name given to the era of the reign of Emperor Mutsuhito (1868-1912). These events are sometimes called the Meiji Revolution.
Mutsuhito (1852-1912) was the first emperor of Japan after the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate. After his death he became known as Emperor Meiji
Formation of traditional and cultural values
Traditional Japanese values are a tribute to the historical development of the country. The foundations of cultural heritage should be sought in the period when ancestors who migrated from the mainland began to settle on the islands - the Jomon stage. The development of culture and the birth of a special Japanese identity were affected by long-term self-isolation from the other world - the so-called sakoku policy. It was only in the mid-19th century that real contacts between the Japanese and other nations began, when the Meiji stage began. Despite the long-term maintenance of its own identity, starting from the 60s of the last century, the influence of China, Europe and the USA began to be clearly visible.
The special Japanese mentality was undoubtedly affected by long-term isolation, geographical location and climate characteristics. Such powerful factors as frequent earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, and tsunamis could not but influence the formation of unique traditions and culture. The Japanese felt the need to revive inanimate nature, giving various phenomena living images. A distinctive feature of the Japanese has become the ability to sincerely admire moments of natural beauty. Traditional Japanese art grew out of these values.
Traditional Japanese values, which leave an imprint on all aspects of life, include asceticism, family rituals, decency, standards of decency, a sense of dignity, which to one degree or another was associated with religion, and therefore gave deep roots. These norms, sometimes taken to the point of absurdity, are generally supported to this day. For the Japanese, strict subordination, reminiscent to a certain extent of admiration, is quite normal. Society is characterized by the unification of people according to social principles, with the creation of special relationships within the group, and weak contacts between groups. The Japanese have a special attitude towards understanding debt and obligations (a special category is giri).
The catastrophic tsunami in Japan in 2011 particularly clearly revealed the features of society. Japanese traditions are largely determined by the influence of such destructive factors. And the new test proved that people have retained the baggage that gives rise to patriotism, hard work, and high dedication.
Female samurai
The word "samurai" is traditionally applied only to men. The Japanese bushi class, to which they belonged, made it possible to teach martial arts to women - such women were called onna-bugeisha and participated in wars along with men. Their weapon, as a rule, was a naginata - a spear taller than a man with a blade resembling a long curved sword. This weapon, compared to others, was relatively light and quite effective.
Historical texts suggest that there were few female warriors among all Japanese women of noble origin - traditionally, Japanese noblewomen were content with the role of housewives. However, recent research shows that women participated in combat operations much more often than is written in history books. For example, a DNA analysis was carried out on the remains of participants in one major battle, and it turned out that 35 out of 105 belonged to women.
Features of language and literature
The Japanese language has been an important component of culture for many centuries. The concept of hieroglyphs itself is very difficult to write. They are based on 3 types of characters: Chinese kanji, as well as the syllabic alphabet katakana (angular type) and hiragana (rounded type). Ancient Chinese characters became the root basis, but by adding Japanese syllables, a special reading of hieroglyphs appeared, which made it possible to form a special classical Japanese language, which gave impetus to the active development of specific Japanese literature. Writing hieroglyphs has long been considered a real art. To simplify translation for foreigners, a special transcription in Latin script has been developed - Romaji. For Russian-speaking people, the Polivanov system has been created for presenting hieroglyphs in the form of Cyrillic.
Taking into account the nationality of the first settlers, the influence of Chinese culture was clearly visible during the birth of Japanese literature. The first truly national, original literary creations date back to the 7th - 8th centuries, when the Kojiki tales and the Nihongi historical chronicles appeared. During this same period, poetic works were created. They became the basis for the gradual development of such styles as waka, tanka and haiku, which even today have admirers around the world. The works of the great Basho in the haiku style have been translated into almost all major languages of the world. The world's literary treasury includes the works of such masters as Abe, Kobo, Akutagawa, Kenzaburo, Haruki, Ryu, Kobayashi Issa.
Ancient sculpture
In Japanese royal burial mounds, scientists find figurines of warriors, animals, priests, and servants. These finds date back to the 3rd-5th centuries. In the 8th century, statues began to appear to decorate palace temples. They were made from clay, wood, bronze, and varnish. The development of the country contributed to the appearance of sculptures of deities.
During these same years, a sculptural portrait appeared. In the 9th century, deities with many faces and hands were created. This is due to the emergence of various sects in religion. Sculptures cast from varnish were especially popular.
Features of religious influence
Religion played a key role in the development of all aspects of the island society, incl. formation of traditional and cultural values. Religion in Japan has two branches: Buddhism and Shintoism. The basis of Shintoism is the deification of natural phenomena, which gave rise to the Japanese attitude towards inanimate nature as living beings. She also teaches people to live in harmony with nature. It is Shinto that sufficiently personifies the nation and its culture.
Buddhism appeared in Japan much later than Shintoism, and therefore had less influence on the formation of culture. Perhaps he leaves the greatest mark in traditional architecture. In general, both of these religions are quite intertwined, and now it is difficult to isolate them in their pure form.
Western samurai
Under special circumstances, a non-Japanese could fight on the side of the samurai or even become one himself. This was a special honor that included receiving samurai weapons and a new Japanese name. Only special leaders such as daimyo (landlords) or shogun (military leader) could provide it.
There are four known Western men who received the rank of samurai: adventurer William Adams, his partner Jan Joosten van Lodenstein, naval officer Eugene Kolach and arms dealer Edward Schnell. Adams was the wealthiest and most influential man of all four - he became an adviser to the shogun himself.
Features of the development of fine arts
Like the entire culture, the visual arts of Japan developed in their own way, acquiring sophistication and originality. Japanese painting is an ancient and incomparable way of self-expression of the nation. It cannot be confused with any artistic movement existing in the world.
In paintings, nature comes to the fore as the divine basis for the existence of everything. One of the first trends in the history of painting was the illustration of literature - horizontal scrolls in the Yamato-e style. A little later, the sumi-e style appears in the form of single-color watercolors. Starting from the 17th century, wooden engravings (ukie-e) showing geishas, scenes of the Kabuki theater, and nature gained popularity. These unique Japanese styles had a significant influence on the development of world painting.
Japanese arts and crafts have a special charm. Traditional dolls have received particular international recognition. The fame of such applied arts as netsuke, origami, ikebana, bonsai, temari, woven painting, and tea ceramics spread far beyond the borders of Japan.
Japanese sculpture developed in the form of perfecting figures made of baked clay. Ceramic idol figurines (dogu) are considered one of the most ancient forms of national art. A significant place is occupied by sculptural figures of animals, birds and people made of ceramics.
With the arrival of Buddhism on the islands, statues of Buddha appeared in sculptural creativity. Wood began to be actively used as a material, followed by varnishing and gilding. Bronze was used much less frequently.
Transformations in Japan
The new government embarked on a path of reforms and transformations that changed the face of Japan beyond recognition. From a backward medieval country, it has transformed into a modern power in the Far East. This truly revolutionary event took place within the lifetime of one generation, before the eyes of the entire amazed world. The rapid progress of Japan is still of interest not only to scientists, but also to simply curious people.
From the series Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji", 1823-1829. Katsushika o Hokusai (1760-1849). It was this series of works that made the artist famous, and Mount Fuji became a symbol of Japan
Features of theatrical creativity
Japanese traditional theater is the country's calling card. One of the first directions of theatrical art is considered to be the “no” theater, where artists came out to perform in masks and chic costumes. In the 17th century, the most famous version of stage creativity appeared - kabuki theater. Only men played in such a theater, and an impressive layer of makeup was applied to their faces. Men also played female roles (onnagata). At the same time, another famous theatrical direction developed - the banraku theater (with puppets).
One cannot ignore a special originality - Japanese animation “anime”, which was originally aimed at adults. In such films, national comics – manga – were most often processed.
Armor
The most unusual attribute of samurai is, perhaps, their strange, but beautiful and richly decorated armor. Unlike the armor of European knights, samurai armor was intended primarily for mobility.
Good armor had to be durable, yet flexible enough to allow the wearer to move freely on the battlefield. It consisted of plates of leather or metal, coated with varnish, carefully adjusted to each other using leather or silk laces. The arms were protected by massive rectangular shields, and there was a gap at the elbow. The right hand was often left unprotected to ensure maximum freedom of movement.
The strangest piece of armor was the kabuto helmet: the bowl was made of metal plates hammered together, while the face and forehead were protected by armor tied in a circle behind the head and under the helmet. The most popular design was a helmet similar to the famous Darth Vader helmet - such a headdress could protect the wearer from swords and arrows from all sides.
Many helmets also had decorations and separately attached parts, including the mustachioed demonic mengu masks, which both protected the face and frightened the enemy. To ensure softness, a leather scarf was used as a balaclava.
Although samurai armor has undergone significant changes over time, the appearance to the casual observer has generally remained the same. In fact, samurai armor was so effective that the US Army adopted their body armor design from them.
Fashion
Samurai can be called the rock stars of their time: their clothing style greatly influenced the fashion of that era. However, with the exception of special occasions, the samurai themselves dressed discreetly in everyday life. Although their daily costume was complex, every aspect was designed to suit the needs of the warriors.
The suit had to provide speed and freedom of movement. The usual outfit consisted of hakama pants and a kimono or hitatare - a double-length vest thrown over the shoulders. A weapon was a common part of the suit, and the hitatare could be instantly discarded if attacked. Kimonos were made of silk, which provided both a beautiful appearance and coolness. Wooden shoes or sandals were used as footwear.
The most common hairstyle was the bun. With the exception of Buddhist monks who shaved their heads, people of all classes have worn buns for hundreds of years. The habit of combining a topknot with a partially shaved head may have developed out of necessity—it was more convenient to wear a helmet with a shaved forehead.
