From up of Poppy Hill

1.       “…So if one presents an entirely opposing point of view, no matter how logical or effective it might be, it will be seen by others as losing face and insulting.” Nemawashi is the behind the scene politics of decision-making in business-world Japan. I found this quote about nemawashi interesting because it is different from American ideals. For example, there was recently a debate between Bill Nye, a famous scientist, and a well-known creationist. This would not happen in Japan where people are supposed to reach decisions with little conflict. America sensationalizes opposition and conflict.

2.       “…causes individuals to refrain from becoming independent.” This quote shows how group-consciousness of Japan is deeply related to Nemawashi. For example, both are about choosing harmony over your own views, and both are about self-sacrifice for the sake of group cohesiveness.

3.       Sempai-Kohai:

(191) “For example, third-year students have great power in junior high and senior high schools, and especially in clubs, these relationships are important.” This is similar to American culture. Even though it is not necessarily based on rank, more often than not the leaders of clubs will be seniors. Another similarity is that the as you move through the ranks at school, you gain more responsibility.

(191) “in most classes students would never criticize or talk back to the teacher.” This is the opposite of American culture where student are constantly testing their boundaries with teachers. I have observed my fellow classmates, throughout school, purposely trying to show that they are smarter than the teacher; and, goofing off just to prove that the teacher has no control over them. Also, it is portrayed in American media that it is cool to rebel against authority.

4. According to Sempai and Kohai, Syun is a higher ranking than Umi. This is because he is in a higher grade level and because he is in charge of a literature club. Therefore, in their relationship he is dominant.

5. I do not believe the club house embodied wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi deals with quite, solitary, empty space. The club house, however, was always loud, full of people, and filled with clutter.

6. One of the themes of otogibanashi is patience and pity, this can be seen in the scene when the kids wait for the head of education: it shows the kids patience, and the pity of the head of the education. Later in this scene, Umi acts as the tragic heroine when she describes the loss of her father. Otobanashi women often had to endure grief; therefore, it was significant that Umi used the death of her father to win the favor of the head of education.

7. When I watched the movie I had thought that Miyazaki did not know that they were not actually brother and sister. If this was true then it would have been an example of ambiguity in Japan. I thought it was all a misunderstanding based in aimai.

8. The club house served as Nemawashi because it was similar to a place of business and it was where decisions where made behind the scenes. Moreover, it was a place where the background decision making of nemawashi could take place.

9. I do not believe so because she was an independent woman. The textbook says that “women were not allowed to be superior to men”. She however, did not have a man to define her. Another reason I do not believe so is because Umi did all of the housework. The book says that “women have the additional pressure of doing the housework.” If any character captured the concepts of Ryosaikenbo it was Umi and not her grandmother.

10. I think she has already developed the housework and childrearing aspect of Ryosaikenbo. However, because of the independent women around her, I doubt that she will ever consider herself subordinate to a man.

11. I thought the film had a strange plot. At the same time though, it followed the same basic plot of American movies: couple meets, start to like each other, something happens that they can’t be together, then they overcome that obstacle. I thought it was interesting that there were two mostly unrelated plots happening simultaneously. 

Memoirs of a Geisha

1.       From the movie I learned that geisha practice being walking forms of art by wearing traditional clothing, using traditional make up, perfecting fan dancing, having artful hairstyles, and being able to hold intellectual conversations.

2.       I like when the snow has just melted but there is still some piles of dirty snow. This aesthetic is in line with the Japanese concept of aware because it appreciates a wilted, weathered, and subtle beauty.

3.       I think it lost moments of ma but not aware. It lost ma because when the film is in English the American viewer assumes that all the important information will be communicated verbally; therefore, the viewer is not looking for the meaning of silence or subtle body language. However, I do not think that it lost aware because of the visual quality of the movie. For example, the overall color palette switches between scenes of high saturation and scenes of muddy neutrals; and this juxtaposition draws attention to moments of aware.

4.       In America, one event that celebrates the seasons is July 4^th . Even though this celebrates the history of America, it is the first summer holiday. This day is celebrated by common summer pastimes, such as cooking out, swimming, and back yard sports. If this were a Japanese holiday the celebration would call attention to the fact that it was summer rather than just being a product of summer.

5.       The end scene where the man becomes her donna embodies the otogibanashi themes of patience and pity. It shows the patience of the man because he waited for her even though it was unlikely he would be allowed to pursue her because of his friend. It also shows pity because she thought she was going to have to have the other man be her donna. Moreover, their crying shows the emotional beauty of Japanese folklore.

6.       Wabi-sabi describes a visual and emotional beauty of Japanese culture. The book defines this as “emphasis on empty space , lack of ornamental, and quiet.” This was influenced by Buddhism and is expressed through Haiku and Tea Ceremony. Moreover, the book says that the Wabi-Sabi “sense of beauty should not be explicit.”

I find this same approach to art in some Modern and Contemporary American artists, such as Hellen Frankenthaller and Mouris Louis. Both of these artists were working with the soak stain method which involves pouring oil paint onto raw canvas. The result of this method is an image that is about color and simplicity. Also, it I often the type of art that people who do not know art history consider “not to be art”. Therefore it is not explicit, which is how the book defines Wabi-Sabi.

7.        I saw Wabi-Sabi during her first fan dance and during her major preview dance. More specifically, in her spotlight dance her movements were elegant and emotionally charged, but the overall progression of the dance was simple. This drew attention to every more she made. This was also a dramatic dance, especially when it started snowing.  Moreover, this reflects wabi-sabi  because it was dramatic but not too extravagant, and  because it used delicate movement to create complexity.

8.       My favorite scene was the main dance. I thought this was a powerful moment of human expression. I was somewhat shocked by the ending of the movie. Even though it was foreshadowed that they were going to end up together I thought the other guy was going to be her donna. If this were an American movie, the scene of him becoming her donna would have been filled with action as opposed to a quiet cry. 

Blog#8: What makes me American/wabi sabi/ otogibanashi/ Kisetso/Bigaku

What makes me American?

       I am American by geography. There are too many facets of American culture and too much diversity to say that any one characteristic of my culture defines me. And in many ways I am not American: I don’t like hot dogs, I find baseball boring, I think an individualistic mindset can be destructive, and I don’t want to get married and have 2.5 kids. I do not share the American dream; therefore, I am an American by location.

Bigaku

       “…in Western art, people try to construct something of beauty with logic of what is beautiful. In contrast, Japanese focuses on what people feel is beautiful.” (37)This is a true statement for traditional western art such as Manet and Hals. These artists saw art as a system for beauty and developed techniques of oil painting accordingly. However, once Abstract Expressionism began, this view of art completely changed. Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and DeKooning were working to replicate what they felt as beautiful. Now, in contemporary western art, there are still many artists working such as the Japanese in that they develop compositions based on instinct rather than systems.

       “Young Japanese study how to play them so that they can create their own songs.” (36) I was shocked that this was only a recent occurrence. American culture has always stressed the importance of developing your own style, innovation, or creativity. This makes me wonder if Japanese culture has the same copyright controversies that America does. I would guess that they do not, since most of America’s problems come from a deeply individualistic mindset.

Otogibanashi

       “Japanese heroines are often tragic figures and have to endure grief.” (173) I found this interesting because all heroes in American culture are men. It hasn’t been until recently that this has been changing.  This can be seen in classic princess movies such as Cinderella and Snow White. Even though the women are the main characters they are completely dependent of men and are often idiots. Moreover, American women in literature don’t endure grief and aren’t tragic figures; instead, they are worthless and mindless.

       “Patience and pity are seen as virtues” (175) This makes sense with previous concepts discussed in this book, such as the way Japanese don’t have public recognition. In American folklore there is more of an emphasis on vices rather than virtues. For example, the Iliad by Homer is more about the vice of hubris than the virtues of being a strong warrior.

Wabi Sabi

       “Sense of beauty should not be explicit” (226) I am a security guard at the Akron Art Museum and there is a painting there that was influenced by Japanese culture and is simply a textured black square in between two white rectangles. This painting is epitome of inexplicit beauty and is a successful and thought provoking piece; however, the general public gets irate when they see this piece and often ask me why it is considered art. After I explain the piece to them they are usually appreciative of it; but, people’s initial reactions reveal that in American culture beauty is obvious and blunt.

       “Simplicity and elegance are often considered two of the essential aesthetic qualities of Japanese culture.”(223)  This reminds me of the Minimalism (a western art movement that was popular in the 50’s and 60’s). The difference though is that this Japanese aesthetic uses subtle organic and gesture to lead the viewer on a journey. Minimalism, however, uses factorized products and geometry to create simplicity that is void of the artist’s touch.

Kisetsu

       “Omisoka is a family event in which people are busy all day preparing to welcome in the New Year.”(155) I find it interesting that the one holiday a year that America puts more importance on community is the one holiday that Japan puts more importance on family. In Akron, for example, there is this community program called First Night, which helps build a sense of community. Another tradition that builds as sense of community is watching the New York Ball drop- either in person or on television .In Japan; however, there is more of a focus on family. This is counterintuitive because Japan is known for groupism and America individualism.

       “… to enjoy beautiful colors of autumn, most people have to go to the outskirts of their cities.” (157). In large cities of America people encounter the same problem. However, America is very big and there are vast areas of protected wilderness, such as Alaska, Yellow Stone, and National Parks in general. Even though this is true, many Americans don’t have the desire to venture into the wilderness.  When Americans do take vacations it is most often in large cities with oceans, and not the undeveloped wilderness.  

Iwo Jima

1.       At first they are distant and Saigo does not let Shimizu sleep next to him. They move through hedataru and deepen their friendship by najimu when Shimizu opens up and tells Saigo about how he was discharged for not killing a dog. Another incident that helped them move to najimu was when Shimizu gave Saigo the advice to stay back and crawl on the ground.

2.       One focus of Do Spirits is repetition and ritual. This can be seen when the general gives the men a speech and then raises his arms and shouts. Even the soldiers who did not believe in the cause followed the ritual. This put most of the soldiers at ease and prepared them for battle. Another aspect of do spirits is appreciation of nature and beauty. This shows up in the movie when the soldiers debate whether their lives are worth the barren island, for many of the soldiers it was.

3.       General Kuribayashi used drinking to move from hedataru to najimu with the Olympian. For him it was a sign that he wanted to open up and deepen their friendship. It was a sign of such because alcohol was rare in that situation and therefore saved for special occasions. This scene reminded me of the American smoking culture. At social gatherings there is always a point when the smokers have to go outside and then there is this division of people who go outside and deepen their friendship.

4.       One negative effect was the general became an outsider for going to America. This resulted in his men not listening to him, which led to a mass suicide and a foolish attack. It also led to an officer almost murdering Saigo. If uchi to soto wasn’t so integrated in the mindset of the officers, they would have obeyed their general.

5.       Two negative groupism scenes was the mass suicide and the almost murder of Saigo. In the first scene many of the soldiers were reluctant to commit suicide but as more soldiers gave in even the most reluctant committed suicide. Then when Saigo escaped that situation he was almost murdered for not going along with the group.

6.       One connection between the two movies was the need to follows orders and die admirably. For example, Bushido can be seen in both of the suicide scenes. Dying with honor was rooted in Bushido and is why the soldiers committed suicide. In the first movie he died when his final task was complete and in Iwo Jima they died because their orders were to die before giving up their position.

7.       General Kuribayashi was different because he visited America for some time and therefore has a humanized perception of American soldiers. However, he was still maintaining his patriotism and loyalty to the Emperor by taking his military position seriously. An example of his softness towards the Americans can be seen when he gave the American soldier medicine.

Saigo hated his position and often voiced his negative opinion of the emperor and the war. He had these feelings because his county took him away from his family and made him fated to die a meaningless death. This influenced his decision to not commit suicide.

Shimizu was serious about his military duties and was a loyal patriot with favorable views of the emperor. This is because he trained at a prestigious military academy. This effected his decision not to commit suicide and was why he was convinced when Saigo brought up the point that a dead soldier is worthless soldier.

8.       This is a memorial for all Japanese soldiers who died in war, including those of WWII. It is controversial because the souls of war criminals reside there. I don’t think it should be a problem for officials to visits this site because even though it houses war criminals, it also honors loyal soldiers who died for their country.

9.       The movie was unlike American war films. In American films the soldiers don’t have a need for “honor” but they have a desire to die fighting. Also, American culture is more understanding of the fact that if you were drafted you put your own life ahead of the country. This difference can be seen by comparing this movie to Saving Private Ryan, where even though the soldiers have mission, they are mostly focused on their own survival.

10.   Do you think that because of hedataru and Najimu, that the pistol held more significant for the Japanese general as opposed to the American one?