Thoughts on Session #7 (Warrior Japan, May 7)

Thank you Professor Yamashita for giving your time to this seminar. It is wonderful to think that we are getting "exclusive" info that isn't found anywhere else. I would love to see you pulish your lectures in a series of essays, very informative. As for the material covered today, very cool info. Loved hearing about the sanctioned behavior that went from prostitution to revenge vendettas. Somewhat reminds me of the red light districts that exist and of course the modern day Geishas that exist today.

A thought on the Tokugawa order on principle that was presented today. The principle of fixity and the that idea that everything was permanent and status was fixed. It somewhat reminded me of the strict Legalist though tin China. Everyone knew of the system that was in place in China and the punishments that existed, and it was a way of maintaining order. The strict rules or permanence that was in place and there was no way out exceot to buy your status. Interesting that people still chose to violate the laws despite the consequences. As with today there are systems in place with rules and people still choose to violate them. Not much changes.

It was neat to learn about ways the Tokugawa centralized its control on the rest of Japan, not only in terms of civil behavior, but people's emotions. Could we say Tokugawa Japan was an early manifestation of a totalitarian state? If Hitler and Stalin had the benefit of time--if the Third-Reich really lasted "a thousand years"-- would it have the impact on a race of people such as the Tokugawa have on the Japanese? Also, could the Tokugawa achieve such success if Japan was not a homogeneous, island nation?

I agree with "mandrade's" comment that the Tokugawa system seemed most aligned with the Legalist School. The government establish and make public laws that must be followed, then carry out justice when laws are violated. Rules are rules. I would also add to that the Tokugawa were realists. No social subject of the day were taboo, not even prostitution and vendetta-killing. Would it be correct to assume this attitude of practicality and realism also spared Japan the devestation western imperialism caused in China? Japan was able to quickly identify and adapt to a superior outside world in the 19th century, then mimic it to become itself an imperialist power, no?
edited by eting on 5/8/2012

Once again, an excellent presentation. Dr. Yamashita pulled back the curtain and put a spotlight on numerous topics pertaining to Japan. Asia, the largest and most populous continent, seems to be marginalized in middle and high school textbooks. Accordingly, I found the discussion of the roots of bushido, ritual suicides, and the 'lawful' practice of vendetta especially, dare I say, fascinating. Although India's Siddharta Gotama certainly has had a profound influence on Japan's culture via Buddhism I remain puzzled that Hindu literature and philosophy in its original form never connected much to the minds of Japanese scholars.
edited by rnuranen on 5/8/2012

Perhaps, like me, you taught world history students for decades that the horse was first domesticated in Mongolia around 4,500 B.C.E. Well, much to my surprise ,I learned today that researchers from the U.K.'s Exeter University have traced the origins of horse domestication to the Botai Culture of Kazakhstan to 6,500 B.C.E. With solid archaeological evidence backing their findings the researchers come to the conclusion that perhaps the domesticated horse facilitated the Bronze Age appearance across Eurasia some two thousand years than previously thought. Also, with the horse Indo-European language elements spread more rapidly across the Eurasian lands helping to found English, German, Hindi and Persian languages. Learn more from Dr. Outram on the Science In Action program on the BBC World Service. You can also download the program. Let's get to it now and revise a few of those 'old reliable' lessons.

I also found that there are similarities between the Legalism and the Tokugawa order. For example, Legalists abolished hostels and discouraged people from traveling. They advocated that people should not be allowed to change their abode without authorization. These restrictions limited people’s occupation to farming. The 2nd principle of the Tokugawa order (i.e. fixity) also made traveling difficult for people by requiring a permit first.

The four principles of the Tokugawa order created a highly hierarchical society in which people were born into a certain hierarchy, controlling where they would live, what their occupation would be and the special rules they should follow. These principles must have had great influence on the modern Japanese culture, for Japanese people are often known as hard-working, polite and well organized.

Relating to Rnuranen's comment, I still am unclear on how Buddhism, first of all, differed from Hinduism and which influenced the other the most. I think Hinduism started in India and also Buddhism and that Buddhism then spread to China and Japan. Maybe Clay will clarify this. The session that we had on the warrior class in Japan was fascinating in many aspects, including the organization principle of having one castle per feudal domain, later in history, after the reign of the lords in the mountain castles and that the lords had to go to Edo every other year and then leave at the appointed time, with punishments for being late.

In my own post this morning, 5/9, I said that I didn't know how Buddhism differed from Hinduism. I meant in the philosophies, the prescribed ways of behavior. I do understand a lot of Hinduism, from the pantheon of gods, to yoga and that Buddhism does not have a pantheon of gods, nor believe in reincarnation, for example.

What's especially curious to me is the rise of state-sanctioned control of everything. I think eting's allusion to the Third Reich and other totalitarian states is apropos. What is interesting is the study in contrast between Confucian philosophy and the cultural markers that remained (hereditary accession of power, a systemic control of arts and emotion). I especially appreciated the anecdote about the 46 ronin. That does bring up several interesting ideas about the tension that exists between what was legal and what came to be socially acceptable in that particular situation. While they were technically breaking the law, they were abiding by the warrior code. Of course the whole story would be quite different if Kira had not lived to be the subject of their vengeance.