EPQ PRESENTATIONMELISSA PARNABY

“To What Extent is Religion Relevant in Japanese

Culture?”

日本の宗教

Why did I choose this title?1. I Have a strong interest in JapanMy long term interest in Japan alongside studying Philosophy and Ethics led to my curiosity about Japanese religion. I realised that despite having studied the language and been passionate about the culture for so long I did not know much about this subject area.

2. I had heard that religion isn’t important in Japan I was under the impression that few modern Japanese are religious, so I became curious as to whether this was true.

3. There are two religions in JapanOnce I discovered that Japan is unique in that traditionally citizens follow two religions, one of which (Shinto) is not found anywhere else in the world, I became very keen to explore the relevance of religion in Japanese culture. I was especially motivated when I discovered just how different their religion is compared with western religion.

Why did I choose this title?1. My trip to Japan inspired meDuring the summer I went on a trip to Japan for four weeks to study. Throughout my stay I was able to experience first hand the religious atmosphere in Japan. There are many beautiful shrines and temples which are well respected and looked after. I even visited them with Japanese friends who taught me shrine etiquette.

2. The young didn’t seem religiousBut I noticed that the number of people who are actively religious seemed quite low. I saw many elderly frequent the shrines but few young people. The young people I made friends with often said that as a child they would often pray at shrines but since growing this has changed.

3. Religious festivals are holidaysI also noticed that despite the fact that many aspects of culture in Japan come from religion, such as festivals, they are treated more like holidays than religious celebrations.

Project Aims

1. My extended project aims to explore the impact of religion on Japanese culture today by exploring its involvement in key aspects of cultural history and traditions.

2. I aimed to provide direction to my project by focusing on a select number of cultural aspects.

3. For each aspect of culture I aimed to explore the connotations, links and involvement with religion in as much depth and detail as possible and link this to their respective role in the formation of society today.

ReSearcH

I used many sources of information which provided me with the essential knowledge to explore this topic: My observations and conversations with

Japanese natives during my trip to Japan provided me with the underlying knowledge to investigate this subject

I read books such as ‘The Japanese Mind’ which is a collection of essays by Japanese Masters Students describing different aspects of Japanese culture and psychology

I used mainly online resources such as journals, scholarly essays, information pages etc

CHaNGeS MaDe

My original title stated ‘To what extent is religion relevant in Japan?’ which was extensively broad and concerned a vast range of topics which could be discussed. I felt that taking on such a general question would be too much to take on, so I decided to slightly alter the title to ‘To what extent is religion relevant in Japanese culture?’ which is somewhat narrower.

CHaNGeS MaDe

Initially I planned to tackle four main topics: Imperial Family, Samurai, Matsuri and Japanese Virtues. After planning each section I realised that in order to discuss each topic area in depth I would not be able to stay within the word limit and therefore have to brush over each topic too briefly. I decided to incorporate the content of ‘Japanese Virtues’ into the other topic areas since they are so closely connected. For example Japanese Virtues such as duty, perseverance and loyalty which are embedded in Japanese psychology have clear routes in the Samurai ethical code of Bushido. And the Japanese fussiness over hygiene and cleanliness have strong routes in Shinto and Buddhist teachings.

Key FindiNgS

When I began to investigate my subject I discovered some fascinating things: The unique nature of ShintoShintoism, a nature based religion, has no God and no sacred texts. It is inherently Japanese and full of mythology. Shinto teaches that there are ‘kami’ (Gods or spirits) which inhabit this Earth in the form of concepts and ideas such as a kami of the mountain. Believers establish shrines in every settlement to thank the kami for the use of their land, and provide offerings.

The way in which two religions work togetherIn the 6th century Buddhism was introduced from the mainland, and since then it has worked in harmony with Shintoism, even complementing it. Japanese citizens normally class themselves as both Shinto and Buddhist.

Key FindiNgS The persecution of ChristiansChristians have been persecuted in Japan for a very long time by the clan leaders and feudal lords and foreigners were expelled during the isolation period.

The Shogunate systemUntil the Meiji restoration where a government was established, Japan was ruled by different clans with their clan leaders (Shoguns) at the top. Feudal lords (Daimyo) ruled different areas of Japan and the samurai were aristocratic warriors who served them. The emperor was the figurehead of Japan but the real power lay in the shogunate.

Key FindiNgS The contrast between the West and the EastJapanese culture is highly different from Western. They are a community based culture who honour their families and groups and adjust their behaviour depending on somebody else’s status. In the West people are brought up to be self-sufficient, self assertive and independent – to have their voice heard above a crowd. This is not the case in Japan, citizens can not disrupt the harmony of their community.

The contrast between West religion and Japanese religionJapanese religion does not really dictate rules and objective laws. It focuses more on peace, duty, loyalty, harmony, cleanliness and hard work in order to formulate a peaceful and efficient community. It is group-oriented unlike Christianity which is focused on the individual and expects followers to obey God above their family.

Key FindiNgS: ImperiaL FamilY The Emperor is a “Living-God”In Shinto mythology the Imperial family is seen to be of direct descent from Amaterasu Omikami – the great sun goddess. The Emperor is also seen as an arahitogami – a living god. It’s said that the great deities Izanagi and Izanami gave birth to Japan but the Japanese people were warring with each other so their daughter Amaterasu Omikami sent her grandson Ninigi to become the first emperor and create peace.

The shogunate is comprised of aristocratic lords In Feudal Japan, although the shoguns held the real power they were descended from royalty and often strategically married into royal family.

Emperor Hirohito renounced his divinity on New Year’s day 1946.

Today, Emperor Akihito’s main role is as chief priest to perform Shinto Rites.

Key FindiNgS: ImperiaL FamilY Prince Shotoku was a Buddhist scholarPrince Shotoku, emperor during the Yamato Period (300-538) was hugely inspired by the Buddhist and Confucian ways of China and they became the underlining principles of his government. He was a huge promoter of Buddhism in Japan before it was popularised and founded many of the first Buddhist temples.

Emperor Shomu promoted BuddhismAnother influential emperor was Emperor Shomu who ruled in the Nara Period (710-794) who named Buddhist clergy as guardians of the state.

Key FindiNgS: SamuRai Jimmu Tennu was “The Divine Warrior”In 660 BC Jimmu Tenno became head of a confederation of warlike clans and was known as ‘The Divine Warrior’. His samurai descendants also believed they were divine.

“The Rise of the Samurai” followed Zen BuddhismIn the Kamakura Period(1185-1333) all real political power went to the Samurai. The Kamakura military leadership particularly welcomed the Zen sect. They supported the activities of Zen monks and sponsored the establishment of many Zen temples. Its emphasis on discipline, self-reliant effort and focusing the mind was particularly appealing to the samurai.

Key FindiNgS: SamuRai Samurai also followed Pure Land BuddhismThe pure land concept of impermanence (life is short) was especially relevant to Samurai of whom many die young. Pure Land monks taught that followers would be able to escape nirvana and enter paradise after death. Two of the most prominent monks, Honen and Ippen, were of samurai descent themselves. Monks would often accompany samurai into battle to guide and pray to them.

The samurai code Bushido has routes in religionThe underlying Samurai ethical doctrine and code of conduct is Bushido (born from the Way of the Horse and Bow) . It has strong Shinto origins and was adopted as the ruling moral code for Shinto. Bushido is comprised of seven virtues: Morality( 義 ), Courage( 勇 ), Benevolence,( 仁 ) Respect( 仁 ), Honesty( 誠 ), Honor( 名誉 ) and Loyalty( 忠義 ) which are embedded in society today.

Key FindiNgS: FeStivalS Festivals are a time of the year when Japanese people have time off

work to relax, spend time with family and celebrate.

Festivals are deeply religiousWhile festivals based on nature and life such as setsubun (coming of the seasons) and shichi-go-san are Shinto based while festivals based on ancestral worship and death are dealt with by Buddhism such as obon week. Citizens pray at shrines and temples for good luck. Shinto festivals are unique in that they are the only time when kami leave the shrines.

New Year is the most important festival of the yearFamilies are meant to come together and it is tradition that one prays at three different shrines or temples for luck in the coming year. On the day of the new year the Emperor performs the Shinto shihohai rite where he prays for the wellbeing of the nation.

Evaluaion I felt the project went well and was full of interesting

content But I felt that my structure could have been improved

and my sentence/paragraph length needed to be shorter.

I thought I covered some key aspects of Japanese culture and thoroughly researched my topics.

But I feel like I often spoke more about the history of my topic rather than balancing it with the modern day effects

If I had not already begun my project I would have liked to make my title much narrower as, even though I altered it, the title is still very broad.

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