1. Considering Hedataru to Najimu what are physical and psychological distances between General Kuribayashi and Saigo?
Between the General and Saigo themselves I would say that each kind of experiences a different level with the other. It doesn't seem that the General really knows Saigo so a certain Hedataru, or seperation, exists in the form of military rank. On Saigo's end it seems he feels a level of Najimu, or attachment, for the General; He seems to admire and look up to him with some fascination and respect it seems. In terms of the two with everyone else, the General it seems, as a General, keeps a level of Hedataru with everyone, but shows Najimu especially in the form of offering to sit and have a drink with the other soldiers. Saigo has his friends and his acquaintances, he definitely feels Hedataru for Shimizu whom he really just met and has a particular dislike for, but it seems that changes as the two interact and are thrown into stressful situations together.
2. Considering Hedaturo to Najimu, how does psychological distance changed between Saigo and Shimizu. What was changed between them?
I think they both got psychologically and physically closer to each other as they spent more time with each other and learned about each others past. Especially, when Shimizu told Saigo his history and how he was expelled from the school he went to for not killing a dog and then was shipped out to Iwo Jima as punishment for that as well. This brought Saigo closer to him after he learned he wasn't there to spy on anyone and report traitorous thoughts.
3. Considerin the do spirits of japan, what kinds of aspects did you see in the film? Explain the reason you think so.
I think the military is a good example of the do spirit and in the case of this film it really shows in the interactions between officers and the troops. The troops are supposed to listen to their commanding officer and go as hard as they can, should they fail this is punishment only recoverable by suicide. This makes a bit more controversy when some of the commanding officers refused to listen to the general because they thought he was too American in his ways, especially when not allowing them to regain honor by committing suicide but ordering them to regroup at a different location.
4. Considering Hedataru to Najimu, what does drinking (for General Kuribayashi) mean?
I touched on this in the first question, but for the General I think the drinking signifies a level of respect and Najimu for the other person. The offer to drink is similar to the Lord asking his samurai vassal to sit closer, it shows that the General trusts the person and is sort of letting them into their circle, their personal space. This concept seems pretty standard in both the Japanese and American cultures. In the old days of lords and vassals, I think it varies between are cultures in that sense, but offering a drink to a friend seems pretty standard.
5. Considering hedataru to najimu and shudan ishiki, the sense of uchi to soto is more reinforced. what is the negative effect of uchi to soto? how is this shown in the film?
I think this is mainly shown between Shimizu and Saigo and the differences and feelings they have toward each other, or at least that Saigo has toward shimizu created a seperation between them. Saigo was on the inside and shimizu on the outside. It can also be shown in the nationalistic pride that all the Japanese people are sort of forced to take on, everyone has to raise a flag to support the country and the emperor and anything else is traitorous and punishable with utmost severity.
6. Considering Shudan Ishiki, what is the negative effect of group-ism in this film? Explain the scenes that demonstrate it.
There for sure is one scene in particular that sticks out in my mind as a prime example of group-ism and the negativity that it brings and that is the seppuku by grenade scene. The Japanese primary thought is that they have an objective and to fail this objective is a great dishonor redeemable only by seppuku. Seppuku is the samurai act of slicing open their stomach with their blade as an act of honor, this is translated into more modern times when the whole group (excluding a few) grab grenades and proceed to blow themselves up. This, of course, is all in defiance of the General who ordered that all remaining soldiers were to report to a different location to continue the fighting. These orders were promptly ignored by a CO and group-ism took over and one by one people were blowing up. I don't want to insult a different culture for having different beliefs by calling this stupid, but this was stupid. As an American it seems much more logical and more effective to obey the orders and go fight and kill for your country than it is to blow yourself up for it, shame redeeming or not. I digress. Shudan Ishiki, or group-ism is very evident in this scene when you have people who obviously have no desire to die, especially in this manner, blowing themselves up simply cause their neighbors are.
7. What is the connection between this film and "The Last Ronan"? Do you see "bushido" in this film? How do you think it affected this war? Explain the reasons.
The Japanese soldiers are a product of the bushido era and mindset, I think this made them a ferocious and difficult enemy to face in the war, despite the size of their country. I think it seemed like a lot of the COs and the overall mentality of the civilian population seemed to be in a Bushido mindset.
8.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Blog 7- Hadataru to Najimu, Shudan Ishiki, The Do Spirit of Japan
Hadataru to Najimu- "Hedataru means 'to separate one thing from another, to set them apart,'... a relationship between two persons without hedatari means they are close. On the other hand, najimu means 'to become attached to, become familiar with, or used to'" (pg 109). Distance has a huge role in Japanese relationships; the book talks about how samurai would sit near their lord, but at 90cm away from their shadow, more than a swords distance away. When the lord felt comfortable enough with the samurai, they could say come closer, signifying the strengthened relationship between the two and the samurai would move closer. When people meet they start off as acquaintances and develop Najimu as that develops. I would say this is pretty similar to American culture where we have people we just met, but as we hang out with them and experience them more they become friends and move closer in the circle. The big difference I see between American culture and Japanese culture is that 1, we don't hold a distance away as much as they might, or the significance of distance isn't as prominent. The second thing is the book talked about how when a new member joins the group, they remain silent or quiet until they are accepted as Najimu, where as in America, I feel like we get to be friends by speaking up more and participating in conversation and the activity at hand.
Shudan Ishiki- Or Japanese group conscience is really a recurring topic in these vocabulary/topics. "In Japanese society, people are primarily group-oriented and give more priority to group harmony than to individuals" (pg 195). We've seen this come up several times in topics like Kenkyo or Aimai, these efforts of the Japanese people to not stand out from one another, to be one group, is really a big deal to them. I would say that any group of people, for the most part, generally likes to be a part of the group and will do things in order to maintain those friendships, but, in America especially, people I think will generally speak their mind about something, but in Japan, they are ambiguous, they keep to their group because the group is everything.
The Do spirit- "Many Japanese expressions contain the kanji do, and these words reflect a wide range of meanings, from the mundane to the profound" (pg 71). The spirit of Do finds its way into many aspects of the Japanese culture, we saw it before with the samurai and the Bushido way of life. It finds its way into other aspects as well and seems to encompass a vast array of meaning. The origins of Do found their way through Buddhist culture, in temples monks practiced forms repeatedly until mastery of everyday chores or tasks. This eventually spread out from their as the teachings became wider and more used by the common person. Eventually, this mindset stuck that in everyday tasks, you should go above and beyond the call of duty. To give an American phrase, you should give 110% in everything, and that's what the Japanese did, for a very long time. But, as the book points out, "... the spiritual and aesthetic values of Japanese culture, which are reflected in the spirit of do, are rapidly being lost, and nowadays even the kata are disappearing, with nothing being created to replace them" (pg 78).
Shudan Ishiki- Or Japanese group conscience is really a recurring topic in these vocabulary/topics. "In Japanese society, people are primarily group-oriented and give more priority to group harmony than to individuals" (pg 195). We've seen this come up several times in topics like Kenkyo or Aimai, these efforts of the Japanese people to not stand out from one another, to be one group, is really a big deal to them. I would say that any group of people, for the most part, generally likes to be a part of the group and will do things in order to maintain those friendships, but, in America especially, people I think will generally speak their mind about something, but in Japan, they are ambiguous, they keep to their group because the group is everything.
The Do spirit- "Many Japanese expressions contain the kanji do, and these words reflect a wide range of meanings, from the mundane to the profound" (pg 71). The spirit of Do finds its way into many aspects of the Japanese culture, we saw it before with the samurai and the Bushido way of life. It finds its way into other aspects as well and seems to encompass a vast array of meaning. The origins of Do found their way through Buddhist culture, in temples monks practiced forms repeatedly until mastery of everyday chores or tasks. This eventually spread out from their as the teachings became wider and more used by the common person. Eventually, this mindset stuck that in everyday tasks, you should go above and beyond the call of duty. To give an American phrase, you should give 110% in everything, and that's what the Japanese did, for a very long time. But, as the book points out, "... the spiritual and aesthetic values of Japanese culture, which are reflected in the spirit of do, are rapidly being lost, and nowadays even the kata are disappearing, with nothing being created to replace them" (pg 78).
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Blog 6- The Last Ronin
1. I would say the first instance is his overall acceptance to leave the 40 warriors on the eve of their battle to take care of their leaders daughter. I think this was kinda the ultimate sacrifice because he had to go into hiding, he was seen as a disgrace, when in reality he was performing this deed. The second was when he was taking care of the daughter, just his overall behavior towards her, how he treated her, taught her, etc was all very fitting for a samurai.
2. I feel like the biggest difference between the Japanese Giri and the English Obligation is that obligation, to me, doesn't really hold the person to the same standard as Giri. Obligation is more like, you should do this, but, really, it's not your biggest priority/ you don't really have to do it. Giri on the other hand is a complete rational where this obligation to the other person means everything, up to and including their happiness.
3. Bushido is more the guidelines to how a warrior should lead their life, how the should follow their leaders and other samurai. Giri on the other hand seems to be more for everyone than just samurai and is more like a debt of gratitude. Bushido would be where the other samurai felt they needed to beat up Magoza when he was cleaning the masters grave site, but Giri would be when later they apologize after finding out he was under instruction the whole time and never really abandoned.
4. The first scene would be where the owner of the silk was trying to find Kane so that she could marry his son. The other would be the household of Magoza where even though it wasn't really his house he, as a man, sort of runs it and operates it day to day.
5. Well Kane likes Magoza, which even though Magoza raised Kane he isn't her father, making it more socially acceptable. One main problem is that since Kane is the daughter of Magoza's master it makes it a little awkward when Kane admits to wanting to marry Magoza. Also, since he is sort of head of the house hold and she's kind of like a daughter to him, raised her, took care of her, some of the things that wouldn't normally be acceptable between a man and a young woman are kinda blurred lines.
6. Well Americans themselves, 60 years ago or so, had a very predominately based male culture where the women stayed home and worked while the men went out to work each day and brought home the money. We as Americans in accordance with equality among sexes are well ahead of the curve, maybe not the best as far as female equality goes, but definitely up there. Woman in America obtained the right to vote and have their own equality in the 1920s, where as in Japan it wasn't until the end of WWII or so when women obtained that right there, putting them slightly behind us. They aren't near as bad as some countries, actually quite good, and it's getting better.
7. I don't think her wish is ignored, I think he took how she felt about it into much consideration because he didn't tell the silk maker that he knew the girl and about her really until after she had told Magoza to accept. I think Mogoza's wish as head of the family was mainly to make sure that Kane got married to someone that would make her happy, not necessarily to just marry her off.
8. I think he's kind of confused and doesn't know what to do with himself. He's been undercover, in hiding, and thought of as this traitor to the samurai way where killing himself with his sword might not cut it (pun intended). He's been out of the loop so to speak taking care of this girl for so long I think being thrust back into the samurai way has sort of shook him. I can only think that the only thing this movie is missing to befit a samurai movie is a seppuku, someones committing it.
2. I feel like the biggest difference between the Japanese Giri and the English Obligation is that obligation, to me, doesn't really hold the person to the same standard as Giri. Obligation is more like, you should do this, but, really, it's not your biggest priority/ you don't really have to do it. Giri on the other hand is a complete rational where this obligation to the other person means everything, up to and including their happiness.
3. Bushido is more the guidelines to how a warrior should lead their life, how the should follow their leaders and other samurai. Giri on the other hand seems to be more for everyone than just samurai and is more like a debt of gratitude. Bushido would be where the other samurai felt they needed to beat up Magoza when he was cleaning the masters grave site, but Giri would be when later they apologize after finding out he was under instruction the whole time and never really abandoned.
4. The first scene would be where the owner of the silk was trying to find Kane so that she could marry his son. The other would be the household of Magoza where even though it wasn't really his house he, as a man, sort of runs it and operates it day to day.
5. Well Kane likes Magoza, which even though Magoza raised Kane he isn't her father, making it more socially acceptable. One main problem is that since Kane is the daughter of Magoza's master it makes it a little awkward when Kane admits to wanting to marry Magoza. Also, since he is sort of head of the house hold and she's kind of like a daughter to him, raised her, took care of her, some of the things that wouldn't normally be acceptable between a man and a young woman are kinda blurred lines.
6. Well Americans themselves, 60 years ago or so, had a very predominately based male culture where the women stayed home and worked while the men went out to work each day and brought home the money. We as Americans in accordance with equality among sexes are well ahead of the curve, maybe not the best as far as female equality goes, but definitely up there. Woman in America obtained the right to vote and have their own equality in the 1920s, where as in Japan it wasn't until the end of WWII or so when women obtained that right there, putting them slightly behind us. They aren't near as bad as some countries, actually quite good, and it's getting better.
7. I don't think her wish is ignored, I think he took how she felt about it into much consideration because he didn't tell the silk maker that he knew the girl and about her really until after she had told Magoza to accept. I think Mogoza's wish as head of the family was mainly to make sure that Kane got married to someone that would make her happy, not necessarily to just marry her off.
8. I think he's kind of confused and doesn't know what to do with himself. He's been undercover, in hiding, and thought of as this traitor to the samurai way where killing himself with his sword might not cut it (pun intended). He's been out of the loop so to speak taking care of this girl for so long I think being thrust back into the samurai way has sort of shook him. I can only think that the only thing this movie is missing to befit a samurai movie is a seppuku, someones committing it.
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