Japanese Personality

Early Religious Influences

Part 2 of Japaneses Personality. See Part 1 - Samurai Meets the Black Swan

Japan has an ancient tradition that includes numerous influences. In modern history, the aftermath of World War II had a great impact on the government, Japanese Royalty and the national religion.

We will not discuss the influence of neighboring countries, educational and business philosophies, and Western cultures, and various challenges imposed on an island by Mother Nature. Challenges have polished and honed their armor leaving the Japanese people strong and highly resilient. According to the Reference Dictionary resilient means:

... the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity

Religious and Cultures

Religion is a frequently the source of the entrenched rules by which a people live. The religious influences in Japan are many hundreds of years old. I will briefly describe some of the guiding principles of these major religions.

It is not my intent to write a comprehensive study of philosophies or to attempt to explain how they affected the cultural fiber of this exceptionally complex society. Again, I am not a student of Asian Culture or religion—I am a psychotherapist and I am interested in behaviors and the possible determinants of behaviors. I hope you will be inspired to learn more about the Japanese people—on your own.

Three Early Religious Influences

Confucianism (孔子+)

Three early Japanese religions or philosophies are called the unity of the great philosophers. This includes Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. This unity of the three creeds is called Sankyo (三教). Thomas (1998) associates loyalty and honor with Confucianism, the

... imprint of Confucianism has been most noticeable in the areas of social structure, government organization and ethics. Philosophically speaking, the social self in Japan has its roots mainly in Confucian ideals, blended since the sixteenth century with certain indigenous ideas of loyalty and honor developed within the Japanese samurai or warrior class.

Kaibara Ekken, early in the 18th Century, wrote manuals on Confucianism and ethics in the language of the common people. His self-help manuals were instrumental in linking the teachings of Confucius to everyday life thus helping to incorporate his message into the culture of the Japanese people.

Shinto (神道)

Shinto is Japan's native religion -- though that is debated by some authors. This ancient religion has four affirmations that are to be observed on a daily basis. The affirmations are,

• Cleanliness
• Love of Nature
• Tradition and Family
• Matsuri –Festivals devoted to spirits or kami

According to some sources, such as the one below, Shinto is a very simple religion. One source indicated that Shinto is a Japanese religion created by the Japanese people for the Japanese people. Therefore, it is unique to their culture. The following quote describes early Shintoism,

There are no images, no sacred books, and no commandments. It was originally a way of thinking, a way of looking at life. As a religion, it is concerned with a variety of gods -- the spirits of trees, animals, and mountains; the principles of love, justice, and order; and the god-like ancestors, heroes, and Emperors -- (the history teacher-global history)

Shinto has evolved through its lengthy history and its relevance to the modern Japanese people and their culture is quite different from the early religion. Shintoism was the national religion closely associated with the Emperor until post World War II. Many Japanese perform rites of this ancient religion without thinking of themselves as strict adherents. The heart of Shinto is living a simple harmonious life with nature and people.

Taoism (道学者)

This is another ancient religion or philosophy dating back two thousand years. The Three Jewels of Taoism are: compassion, moderation and humility.

Early precepts emphasized austerity and self-discipline. Nature and living in harmony with nature were esteemed values, as this except from, Tao Te Ching-Mitechell translation (Bill Mason), illustrates,

The Tao gives birth to all beings,
nourishes them, maintains them,
cares for them, comforts them, protects them,
takes them back to itself,
creating without possessing,
acting without expecting,
guiding without interfering.
That is why love of the Tao
is in the very nature of things.

Early Taoism was influenced by both Confucianism and Buddhism. Taoism virtually abandons imposing rules; it suggests that humanity will be virtuous if given the freedom to be so. The Taoist religion includes divine beings, scared texts and some concepts of life after death.

Influence of Religion on the Japanese Personality

There are other religions in Japan, including Christianity, though these religions are not as conspicuous. Again, the three major religions form the Sankyo (三教), the values attributed to these religions and philosophies are:

• Harmony with nature
• Humility
• Compassion
• Moderation
• Family and other focused
• Austerity
• Self-Discipline
• Simplicity

Perhaps the Worst Black Swan Event in History

Let's review our data, folks. A Black Swan (rare) event hit the Japanese coast on March 11, 2011. The reverberations left behind by the massive 9,0 earthquake included a tsunami moving at about jetliner cruising speed over the ocean and rogue nuclear plants capable of crippling destruction. The traditional character of the Japanese people dictates how they will and have handled this catastrophic event.

In times of emergency we tend to fall back on our religious beliefs, cultural and philosophic values and characteristics. This Samurai culture as evidenced by the determined workers at Fukushima exemplifies their focus on duty and self-discipline. This may be the worst Black Swan event in history -- the full story is yet to be told. It has been 1200 years since such a monster earthquake hit Japan. The Japanese people are faced with unpredictable as well as known challenges in the days and years to come.

I will leave it to you, Dear Reader, to decide if the principles and values in the previous section have influenced the resilient Japanese culture. They face the current disaster with dignity and self-discipline, much as they have faced innumerable disasters in their long and distinguished history.

No doubt the "Samurai Nation" will meet this Black Swan event and survive it just as they have always survived as a people united in their cultural ideals and principles.

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This is part two of a series on the Personality of the Japanese people. See part 1 - Samurai Meets the Black Swan.

References
KASULIS, THOMAS P. (1998). Japanese philosophy. In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from Routledge