Young Japanese Woman in Kimono

Young Japanese Woman in Kimono

2008-01-17

I took this on Seijin No Hi, Coming of Age Day. She is standing on the steps of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the main Shinto shrine in Kamakura. Young Japanese women who turned 20 in the previous year attend civic ceremonies to celebrate adulthood. Then they go out for dinner with family and friends, and some (many? most?) visit a Shinto shrine. Most Japanese don't "believe in Shinto" if you ask them, but certain customs and rituals are deeply ingrained. There is a degree of fear involved, since many Shinto rituals are aimed at preventing bad luck, or bad spirits, from wreaking havoc in a person's life. Some of the young women dress up in beautiful kimono, but others don't because of the high cost (of renting a "kimono*, having their hair done professionally, probably packaged with a studio portrait, etc.).



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  • All these Japanese women who wear kimonos are so elegant!
    Isabelle (^^) @ 2008-01-17 17:45:55
  • Great image and a particularly good angle to shoot from. Once again a fascinating description and insight which I am sure only a westerner living in Japan could have and pass on. Keep up the good work.
    Mike Golding @ 2008-01-17 20:57:16
  • Thanks, and I appreciate your comments.
    Andy @ 2008-01-17 22:10:41
  • Good commentary Andy, and I definitely have experienced the same ambivalence toward religion in Japan that you pointed out. Even though Buddhism is the more dominant religion in Japan, most Japanese do not identify themselves as Buddhist either (and as you said, nor do they identify with Shinto). Yet we see in everyday life various reminders of the roles the two religions play in Japanese society: kamidana, o-bon, siti-go-san, seizin no hi, childbirth - go to a shinto shrine, death - buddhist temple etc. Hence I like to perceive Japan not as a religious society, but as a ritualistic society (which you aptly point out as well).
    Andrew @ 2008-01-18 00:37:27
  • What is the difference you see between religion and ritual?
    Andy @ 2008-01-18 08:57:06
  • Hi Andy,



    Certainly there is no "correct" answer to this question, but here is my 2 cents worth. Rituals are things that I equate to as habits. Things we do regularly and sometimes don't understand the reasons for doing. Just do because everyone else does. Religion (and the actions/rituals(?)) that are involved are things we do with a greater understanding of the meaning for those actions. In a way, rituals is a subset of religion.



    An agnostic's view :-)



    Cheers,

    Nick
    Nick @ 2008-01-18 09:51:46
  • Hmm, I see a lot of what you describe as ritual in religion. One difference may be that religions are systematically organized, and because of that participants may have more understanding about why they do things. I'm not an agnostic, as you can see from my other blog (at brushed.org), although I probably share your sense of mystery. I would say religion and ritual (human made things) even when well understood are not equivalent to the experience of knowing or trusting God in reality.
    Andy @ 2008-01-18 10:40:09
  • Nick pretty much summed up what I would say in response to your question as well, Andy. It's an interesting dichotomy of concepts that is narrowly defined by abstract, and to some extent, subjective principals; the border between the two (religion and ritual) is easily traversed. One could argue that the act of going to one shrine for good academic fortune, and another for business, would imply an understanding of a greater systemization of these actions - would that be ritual or religion? The answer could be either depending on the individual's perception.

    Another example of an interesting religion/ritual context is this: I stayed with a Joudosyuu (Pure Land) Buddhist priest for a month to learn more about Japanese religion (I had not had the opportunity to study this formally). Although he was an ordained priest, when he took me to Izumo Taisha and smaller shrines around the area of Shimane-ken (actually, quite near to Iwami Ginzan) where he and his family lived, he would also follow 'ritual' and pray for fortune at the shrine. If you asked him what religion he celebrates, he would clearly say Buddhism, but would not think of his actions at the shrines as "celebrating" Shinto.
    Andrew @ 2008-01-18 13:37:34
  • I guess, following the logic, I would say when rituals are practiced systematically then you're crossing into religion. Some religions are more or less exclusive than others, so a Buddhist priest visiting a Shinto shrine in Japan isn't necessarily creating a religious contradiction. In Japan the Buddhist and Shinto religious systems are not exclusive. In fact, you usually find shrine and temples next to each other, and visitors to one will frequently visit the other. If there IS a contradiction, then it has to do with the truth claims, or call it the cosmology, of Buddhism and Shinto. I'm not an expert on what Buddhism (in it's forms) holds to be true about reality (life/God/gods), but I believe it's quite different than Shinto. Regardless, I think that religious practices and beliefs (and systems) are one thing, and whatever is ultimately the reality of life is another.
    Andy @ 2008-01-18 14:41:43
  • I think the non-exclusiveness of religions in Japan is exactly why it's a very ritualistic society. There is no thought about how "A contradicts the tenets of B, yet I still do both." Rather, it is a train of thought along the lines of, "this is what you do on this day/occasion." I did a little searching and found two articles that might be of interest:

    The following is a bit of an older study (1981) by the Asahi about Japanese religiousity (very interesting). http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/Bulletin_and_Shoho/pdf/5-Swyngedouw.pdf

    The other is a more recent, but much smaller scale and informal survey done by www.japan-guide.com: http://www.japan-guide.com/topic/0002.html
    Andrew @ 2008-01-19 00:52:02
  • Hi Andy,

    I have been here for only a short time (4 years), but have observed what you note as Japan's "non-exclusiveness". While I think that this can be a good thing (from my perspective), I feel that religion here is also non-inclusive. Unlike other religions that have regular meetings in a week, or others that actively seek out new members, I found that this characteristic makes religion here more ritualistic and less of a religion.

    A question on your earlier statement, "Regardless, I think that religious practices and beliefs (and systems) are one thing, and whatever is ultimately the reality of life is another.". How would you separate beliefs from reality? I have always felt that they are 2 sides of the same coin, in that whatever one believes, that is their reality.

    Regards,

    Nick
    Nick @ 2008-01-19 07:05:23
  • Great photo BTW. However, I have been debating the arrow at the top of the photo. I can't decide whether is actually helps or hinders the photo. For those who understand the 'rituals' and significance of temples at this time of year, the arrow might add meaning to the context of the photo. To those that don't then it might not. Either way, it looks interesting.
    Nick @ 2008-01-19 07:08:38
  • Hello.

    StartThe wish has been put in an individual matter much now 1500 years old times ago though there should have been a ceremony though of the ceremony society in Japan seen from me Japanese is done. It is not possible to enclose it with one circle.

    Wish that can spend it a day safely by kamidana company and family. Day that is o-bon, returns soul of ancestor who became it, and faced. Wish that siti-go-san a man must be five years old, and woman must grow up healthily also in congratulation and the future that was able to grow up up to three years old, seven years old, and this age safely. Pleasure that was born in safe birth and wish of healthily growing up.

    All apply about parents and the relative. I hope it ..the Shinto shrine (god)...

    Therefore, it prays to say the ceremony society, and the society of asking.

    I'm sorry it is not told well because it is not so good at English.


    Takeshi @ 2008-01-19 15:49:02
  • In answer to Nick's questions: If I could make things reality just by believing them, then there would be some changes...I'd be able to dunk a basketball for one thing. I'd say what we each believe is an interpretation of reality (or someone else's that we go along with). Reality is the ocean we swim in. It makes sense that interpretations are a matter of perspective and that some are more accurate than others. Some may be plain wrong (e.g., "the whole world is out to get me"). It also makes sense that despite religious or simply spiritual differences, people who are searching all have some things in common, and that some are more active and aware than others. People on a journey, passing on the road, will almost always stop to share stories and exchange travel notes. They listen well and alter their courses if they perceive their former view of reality had been skewed a bit.
    Andy @ 2008-01-19 20:35:27
  • Love the picture, and am enjoying the great dialogue
    Cory @ 2008-01-20 04:34:48



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