HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Yayoi Period, 300 BC: Agricultural development. Nara Period, 700 BC: First strong central state. Heian Period, 784 CE: Indigenous Japanese culture developed, noted for art, poetry, and literature. Era of warring feudal states, 1180: Samurai culture emerges. Tokugawa (Edo) Period, 1600: Japan is unified and Samurais are divested of some power. Japan flourishes, and becomes isolationist, only trading with Dutch and Chinese from Nagasaki. Meiji Period, 1868: Japan is forced open by Commodore Perry’s US Naval threats. Samurai culture is abolished, and Japan begins to modernize and industrialize. Era of Japanese Imperialism, 1910: To establish itself as a world power, Japan begins invading and occupying Korea, China, and other regions of Asia. Japan declares war in the Pacific with the attack at Pearl Harbor in Post WWII Era: Japan has developed into one of the world’s economic powers.

 Samurai were the military nobility of feudal Japan who served overlord Shoguns.  Samurais were expected to be educated, and were influenced by the religious philosophies of Buddhism, Zen, Shinto, and Confucianism.  The Samurais were disbanded in the late 1800s during the Meiji Period.  However, Samurai culture was at the base of the Japanese national identity as a martial nation.

SHINTO Shinto is animistic and polytheistic, and devotees worship the Kami deities and spirits, and ancestors. Japan’s indigenous and largest religion. It is syncretic with Buddhism. During the Meiji Period, Shinto was declared Japan’s official state religion, and the religion of the Emperor. There are three main types: –SHRINE SHINTO –SECT SHINTO –FOLK SHINTO

SHINTO SHRINE ON MOUNT HAKONE

SHINTO KAMI GODS

BUDDHISM Buddhism is comprised of a variety of teachings, but a common characteristic is learning a way of life to bring personal peace and spiritual enlightenment. THREE MAIN BRANCHES: –Mahayana –Theravada –Vajrayana

Mahayana All people can be enlightened Ultimate goal  help everyone find freedom from suffering –Called ENLIGHTENMENT Goal is to be a “bodhisattva” –Someone near enlightenment who comes back to Earth “other” focused, but you can only help others if you perfect yourself Came to Japan in the 6 th Century

Theravada Regular people probably won’t reach enlightenment Theravada monks only work for their own enlightenment Goal is to be a “araht” –A self-enlightened one

Vajrayana Believe that if you practice enough, you can make yourself Buddha in one lifetime

ZEN A particular type of Mahayana Buddhism. Emerged in Japan around 1100, and was particularly favored by the Samurai culture. Zen teaches meditation in order to “awaken,” and live in the immediate present, be spontaneous, and liberated from self conscious and judgmental thoughts.

CONFUCIANISM An overall philosophy of life and society. Neo-Confucianism was introduced to Japan in the 12th century and impacted Japanese politics and social structure. It emphasizes harmony, nature, and humanism. Neo-Confucianism supports a social hierarchy in which each individual fulfills the obligations of their place to the fullest for the benefit of the entire society.

ON: A Japanese, hierarchical social system that operates on the concepts of honor, responsibility, and obligation. Individuals are born into their social place, and must conform and fulfill the obligations of that place. Conformity to on will foster material progress for all. Japanese society has long been intolerant of individualistic views and behaviors, but younger generations are instigating social transformation in Japan. With modern industrialization, a capitalist class system has emerged in Japan, and been integrated with the on system. JAPANESE SOCIAL STRUCTURE

TAOISM Pronounced “Daoism,” and means “the path.” Combined interrelated philosophies and religious beliefs. The three foundational “jewels’ of Taoism are compassion, moderation, and humility. Taoist philosophy emphasizes union of self and nature, and non action: spontaneity, transformation, and omnipotence through emptiness. Taoists worship nature and ancestor spirits.

SHUGYO ASCETIC DISCIPLINE This Shinto, Mountain sect was established in 1920 by local women, and is supervised by many women spirit mediums. During the spring and summer, devotees ritualistically climb the mountain. Although shugyo may be profoundly transformative for the soul of the ascetic and the well-being of her family, it is also dangerous. Ascetics may be possessed by the numerous mountain demons (oni).

SHUGYO RITUAL ON MOUNT AKAKURA

Shugyo ascetics believe Mount Akakura is inhabited by dangerous oni who can possess them and cause harm. The Japanese think that Oni are former gods who are angry that no one worships them anymore.

JAPANESE GHOSTS Japanese culture is steeped in ghosts, hauntings, and dynamics of the uncanny. OBAKE or BAKEMONO: Anything that is weird, grotesque, or uncanny. YOKAI: Ghouls, goblins, and monsters--some dangerous, others amusing--that appear at dawn or dusk. YURIE: Spirits of dead people who remain among the living for a specific reason, often vengeance. THE GHOST OF OKIKU

JAPANESE GHOSTS GONE GLOBAL   Along with the US and the European Union, Japan is a major economic global power.   A particularly artistic and extreme ghost film genre has developed in Japan over the past few decades.   Media conglomerates elsewhere recognize this genre’s box office potential, and have adapted it for “Western” audiences, often contracting Japanese directors.   Both the Japanese and “Western” productions of this genre are gaining popularity worldwide. THE RING 2