Thoughts on Session #6 (Classical Japan)

[Anonymous]

Definitely interested in hearing about feudal Japan tomorrow - I know that Japanese feudalism is often compared with European feudalism, but I don't feel very comfortable with my understanding of the Japanese version. Hopefully that will change!

[Anonymous]

Seems to me given any people-group's history, such as the Japanese and Chinese, one will eventually encounter (if you go back far enough) a mythological account of the people's origin. This is true for every group I've studies (limited as it is), such as Greek, Roman, civilizations of the Americas, African, Egypt, Middle Eastern, and now Asian cultures. Many of these mythological tales have similar themes. I persume a major reason for such stories is to help establish legitimacy (who can argue against a god or gods?). Some of these creation stories (origination stories?) are so fantastic it's a no-brainer separating fact from fiction. In the footnote of chapter 11's first page, it says the Kojiki is "a work of mainly mythology and hence is not regarded as history...", but the Nihongi is considered "the oldest extant history of Japan..." Later (page 239) it says the mandate for Japanese imperial rule came from a passage in the Nihongi ("the Sun Goddess bestowed on her grandson Ninigi...). Is this the point of separation of Japanese mythology from history?
edited by eting on 5/7/2012

[Anonymous]

For some reason, I used to think the history of Japan goes back a long ways, a least a far back as China's or European history. I did not realize it began around the 5th century C.E. Now I'm curious what kind of people occupied Japan during the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, or even the Egyptians.

[Anonymous]

I too like everyone else am looking forward to the next session. As I think about the orgins of japanese culture, and Iknow it's already mentioned here, but I found it fascinating that there are such distinct differences between Northern and Southern Japan, but makes total sense. One of the classes I teach is on World geography and this is the sort of information that students can certainly take away and realize the impact of maigration patterns and the origins of culture. Very cool.
the other interesting note that I love about the class/lecture, is that there is so much common thought between Eastern thought and Wester thought. The more I think about where we left off in the lecture on japan, the more commonalities I see between the established feudal system in Europe and Japan's origins. The fuedal sysstem in Europe also led to the basic structure of the social contract that lent to the framers relying heavily on Locke for political thought. really cool to think about how all this amazing structure emerged atthe same time.

[Anonymous]

As previously mentioned by most colleagues, session 6 was very interesting. Japanese history and culture is fascinating and I appreciated all the information and knowledge Dr. Yamashita shared with us. Since I'm not familiar with much of Japanese history, it was a great crash course. My daughter, who loves all things Japanese, is so impressed with my newfound knowledge! I'm looking forward to tonight's class and learning more.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, Dr. Yamashita. You and Clay have made this such an interesting, thought- provoking introduction into so many aspects of Asian culture. The readings for Session #6 show the struggle to codify what responsibilities each has in a well-functioning society.

[Anonymous]

I was excited to learn about the very beginning of Japan's origins, since it was my first time hearing about it. I too was not aware of how much younger the civilization of Japan is compared to China. I especially enjoyed learning about the courting process of the Japanese gentlemen, involving the writing of poems. I also enjoyed looking at the art slides of artifact from the tombs. I find that learning about the past art of a country helps me remember facts about the culture better.

[Anonymous]

There was a lot of information presented in 3 hours and after a full day of work, it was hard to concentrate the entire time. The information was very interesting and I gained a greater appreciation for the dynamic culture and persona of the Japanese people. Since so much was covered I would use this information to enhance the literature stories and books students read during the year. Students enjoy listening to vignettes that make the lessons more engaging; it makes the stories come alive or at least become more relevant to them.

[Anonymous]

I agree - if we, as the human race, looked at our similarities more often than our differences we'd gain a greater appreciation for each other. There would be more peace, collaboration, and understanding. And even though we have differences we could learn from them instead of letting them become our dividers. After this session, I found myself more connected to the people of Japan because I noticed the similarities. We all yearn for the same things essentially...

[Anonymous]

I to was enjoyed learning about the courting process of the Japanese gentlemen, involving the writing of the poems. I guess it was how Dr. Yamashita presented it. Again, there was such little time pact with a lot of information in a 3 hour period.

[Anonymous]

It's such an interesting contrast to see the level of attention that was given to poetic romance rituals as compared to the remarkable brutality of other aspects of Japanese culture during that time. I'm not sure how to reconcile these two very different aspects of Japanese history.

[Anonymous]

I remember reading both of these tomes when I took Professor Yamashita's course in college and I couldn't put them down. I felt as if I was reading more advanced versions of the Harlequin romances I devoured when I was thirteen and felt a bit like I was engaging in something scandalous. I think I could find them in a box of old books in the garage so I may just have to dust them off, or see if I can get digital copies for my Kindle.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Dear Colleagues,

Please share your thoughts on Session #6 (Classical Japan) with Professor Yamashita and Clay.

Best,
Ying Jia

[Anonymous]

I missed this session. I posted my make-up assignment in the appropriate forum.

[Author]

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