Session 5 - July 14

[cgao]

Ritual and Materiality in the Construction of Traditional Culture in Modern Japan

Lecture 1

 

 

Lecture 2

 

 

Required Assignments and Readings

• Shino tea bowl by Suzuki Osamu, "Living National Treasure" (Ningen kokuh)
• Geisha Kimono
• Portable Shrines
• Imperial Portraits
• Ofra Goldstein-Gidoni, "Kimono and the Construction of Gendered and Cultural Identities," Ethnology 38:4 (1999): 351-370.
• Takahashi Fujitani, Splendid Monarchy: Power and Pageantry in Modern Japan (UC Press, 1996), "Introduction," 1-28.

 

 

[David Millians]

These lectures and materials bring together so many threads from previous weeks. I'm fascinated by the interplay of the elements of objects, behavior, and identity and the ways in which they are constantly re-interpreted in each new era to create new ways to be Japanese. My ten-year old students in 2021 know only a few aspects of Japan, an uneven mix of what it is to be Japanese, and this week's material helps me better disentangle the shifts, stereotypes, and assumptions in coversations with them.

The short film "99" is a wonderful dip into broken traditions and re-making. Mount Fuji at the end re-orients all of the images that came before as at the core of Japanese tradition. I will definitely use it in class! I'd like to have students handling and working with umbrellas, fabric, and shrine materials, imagining Japan.

My wife is a potter, and she's loving all of Professor Peralta's images and insights. I'm learning from her too!

[Deirdre Harris]

Hello, I enjoyed these Session 5 Video Lectures so very much.  They shed so much light on traditions and rituals of Japan that I didn't know about, and would love to share with my students.  In reading the article about "Kimono and the Construction of Gendered and Cultural Identities ", my thoughts veer off in so many different directions.  From how government has continued to restrict the people of Japan by forcing it's people to look a certain way, and to wear certain clothes, both men and women, to the point of not allowing women to wear their hair short, cut the way the men were asked to, to how the coming of age ceremony has a slight similarity to a "Sweet Sixteen" celebration for girls.  (Boys don't seem to have this in Mexican culture that I am aware of.)  

The reading makes me feel that the girls have to invest not only more money in their Kimono, but carry the burden of Cultural Japanese tradition of the old world, but in a modern way.  The boys on the other hand only need to purchase a western suit, which they can wear for future job interviews, and that seems to be all there is to it.  The ceremony seems to take on so much more meaning for the girls and their families to show their "Japaneseness".  

It seems to me that Japan wants their cake and to eat it too in many respects.  They want to keep the old traditions, but show the world they are modern as well.  They want to keep their cultural identity through so many rituals and methods, some of which are artistic and new, but seem to force their people to project an image that the government wants and enforces, to show the world they accept the Western ways, but not allowing the old traditions slip away.  They want it both ways.  

I feel that one way we could teach our students to appreciate their freedoms in our country, is to be thankful that our government doesn't interfere in how we dress, wear our hair, etc... we can also show that it's a gentle balance for a country like Japan, so very proud of it's culture and traditions, to try to move into the future while appreciating the past.  We can look for comparisons in both cultures, ours and theirs, and do research on other countries traditions as well.  Thank you for these very interesting articles and slides.

[Katharine Davis]

I am so in love with the idea of "National Living Treasures." As an educator, to have the KNOWLEDGE and SKILL of a person to be so respected that the person themselves is treasured, rather than the objects they make, is wonderful.

Apparently this is only a thing in six (6) other countries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Human_Treasure), though three other countries (including the USA) have awards given for contributions to culture/heritage. I'm really surprised that this isn't a wider spread idea.

It might be fun to have a discussion with students, asking, "If the USA were to create a 'National Living Treasure' award, who do you think would be deserving of such a title? What kind of requirements would be necessary?"

[Angela Granata]

I think this week the learning knowledge we are receiving are coming together! I have asked my students (I am teaching summer school) about their thoughts about Japan and China and most think of WWII and of course the food. They do not know about the rich culture and I am looking forward to teaching them this year about Japan's cultures and customs!

[Angela Granata]

This was such an informing lecture! I loved learning about the Meiji Emperor and the changes of widespread social upheavel and how the power was restored tot eh Emperor and he created a "new" modern government by looking at Imperialism, Nativism, and Westeralization thinking and how the Japanese empbraced the west and modern world power but at the same time rejected western world view.  I felt it was ironic that the Japanese men (Emperor) could wear "Modern" clothing but the women had to wear the traditional garb.....

I loved learning aobut the Reinvention of Shinto (and the raiding of the Buddhist Temples). I was intrigued by the Yasukuni Shrine to the War dead and how cool it was to see "mini shrines" around japan for all to honor the War dead. The Misogi (water cleansing) reminded me of the same in St. Lucia where we stood under a water fall (the Pitons) and were "cleaned" of evil spirits. I think it's a beautiful tradition to be modern and still Japanese. I enjoyed learning of the Shino tea bowl as well as the Imperial Portraits. I loved reading the article on "Kimono and the Construction of Genered and Cultural Indentities" and found it fastinating how "Producing the Perfect Japanese Female Form" as the men only have to worry about what suit to purchase (the right one) but the women (Kimono Schools) expect their daughters to be picture perfect, hiring aids to assist them in achieving that desirable image.....with a cost of at least $10,000! Ouch!

[Shuang Yang]

Textiles and clothing are always fun elements of culture to teach students, especially the young ones. I have learned so much about the backstory behind kimono and Japanese national identity in these lectures. I think it shows a pattern of how Japanese deliberately “selects” certain parts of other cultures including Chinese and western to study and adapt. Meanwhile, they reinforce what is unique in their own culture to preserve their national identity and offset against changes. In culture units, I plan to teach students traditional clothing in China, then they can compare with Japan, Korea and other countries. “Qipao” is more well known as traditional Chinese dress in western culture. Actually women started wearing it after the Qing dynasty and it was part of the women's liberation movement, kind of opposite of kimono. “Hanfu” is the historical style of clothing that started from the Han dynasty. I think students can explore and discover the connection between hanfu and kimono. Hanfu has become more and more popular in China among young people in recent years which is very interesting. When I visited Japan, I saw so many people wearing kimono or yukata, locals and tourists. The most memorable moment was at the famous Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, a lot of people wearing kimonos gathered to take a picture when the traffic light was green and scattered when the light turned red. There were men and women, even kids. Now we can see more people wearing hanfu in China walking around. People have different  attitudes and opinions about that, it is not seen as just the national identity. I know this is another topic. I just find it interesting to compare. 

 

[Thomas Pineda]

This is a place to revere and honor the deceased Japanese from war. However, some of the deceased are considered war criminals based on their participation and acts in the invasion of Korea & China during the Pacific War. I think the controversy of the shrine visits by the prime minister have a similarity to the Civil War monuments and statues here in America. As of recently, more renaming of certain places based on the reverence of Confederate leaders has occurred due to the fact that they had fought for slavery. This Japanese shrine and these American Southern locations can bring up an interesting discussion about how do countries move forward from historical events and war, particularly after they end up on the losing side or wrong side of history.

[Lou Kindschi]

The controversy over dignitaries (and famous international visitor) paying respect at the Yasukuni Shrine provides a rich opportunity for students in our classrooms to discuss the role of memorials, symbolism and collective memory.  How can countries teach about or represent sensitive and painful parts of their history?  I have used the Yasukuni Shrine, and memorials from other wars, including Civil War monuments to challenge my students to consider the role of monuments in providing space for reflection.  How can citizens in a new era provide context for painful events in history?  Should the teaching of dark times be required content in curriculum?  This question has haunted Japan for decades in regard to the treatment of Comfort Women in WWII.  These women (from Korea and other areas of SE Asia) were forced to provide sexual services for Japanese soldiers during the war.  Koreans, including women who still survive today work tirelessly to ask the Japanese government to acknowledge the acts and also to teach about it so that it becomes part of collective memory for a new generation of Japanese citizens.  I have asked students to consider the role of memorializing painful history and whether they believe memorials, rituals and teaching about these events play an important part in shaping collective memory as well as current policy making.  It seems that Japan still struggles with casting a bright light on actions taken during WWII.

[Thomas Pineda]

I can relate to the experience of walking around Kyoto and having my eyes perk up every time I saw someone in a kimono. 99% of the time it was a tourist renting it. Of course, along with other tourists, we went walking around Gion looking to catch a glimpse of the local celebrities, geisha and maiko. In the few instances I took a picture, there was a maiko walking determinedly with at least a few onlookers or someone turning their head in the background.

 The kimono as an object of national identity is probably a symbol most of our students would recognize. However, the article was very insightful and provided a much needed background in the use of kimonos in modern Japan. This would be great to share with students, comparing and contrasting their various experiences or ideas about kimonos with some of the realities and current uses of them. The same could probably be done for other symbolic pieces of garb around various cultures.

[Lou Kindschi]

I found the discussion about kimonos to be rich with opportunities to teach about sexual objectification and stereotyping of women in Japan and in Asia in general.  In my class we study this issue and ask ourselves why this issue still remains so problematic and whether students agree with the commercialization of buying and/or dressing up in kimonos.  I was surprised how often I saw women dressed in kimonos at shrines and gardens in Japan.  The women I spoke with were Japanese, not Chinese tourists, and they said they loved representing their heritage and history.  I collect fabric and pieces of clothing when traveling to other countries and bring it back to the U.S. to display in my classroom.  These artifacts have provided inspiration and insights for students.  We are fortunate to have administration that encourages art in the halls of our school and an outstanding art student painted detailed examples of pieces of fabrics from cultures of the world around my doorway.  Students who have gone on to work internationally have shared that sitting in my class and dreaming about the cultures represented there inspired them to continue in global studies.  I share this story because we, as educators, have the unique opportunity to inspire students with examples of cultural art and dress and to provide context to the setting.  But, I have struggled and I remain cognizant of the risk of perpetuating cultural generalizations.  When teaching about the mystique of the Geisha in Japan I like to provide portrayals of women in Japan today.  I ask students to read passages from the book, "Kickboxing Geishas: How Modern Japanese Women are Changing Their Nation", by Veronica Chambers.  I am curious about ways other educators in this group teach for appreciation rather than appropriation and how they combat perpetuating objectification of Japanese women.

[Thomas Pineda]

I agree as well! It is such a fascinating concept to preserve certain skills and rituals, labeling them as intangible cultural heritage. When comparing other cultures and societies to America, it seems that they sometimes have many more centuries of history and rituals compared to our country and more opportunities for these skills to be lost or forgotten. It does become a somewhat difficult procedure to decide which things should be designated national treasures when politics gets involved. However, I agree that it would be a fun exercise for students to have that discussion about what parts of American culture should be chosen as part of the intangible cultural heritage or national living treasures.

[Thomas Pineda]

I am glad you do that in your classroom and it’s one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed this lecture series so much. The commodification of outside cultures is always a touchy subject and one that can cause people to get defensive. In our classes, it’s always nice to bring back souvenirs from travels and have them as regalia or as things to pique interest in our students about the wide world we live in. It also presents the challenge to find time to properly share about the history of these things and how rich the cultural meaning of them can be. I definitely take these opportunities to learn about my students and their understanding of these outside or home cultures, and try to find ways make these discussions approachable for all my students. I think when educators like you all in this forum take the time to learn about new things that interest them outside of their classroom/content area, it usually shows up in ways inside their classes and helps encourage their students to do the same- to find out more about the origin and meanings of things that interest them and not rely solely on generalizations or commercialization.

[clay dube]

Those interested in how the imperial family's handlers sought to use interest in them to convey ideas about Japan as a modern nation may find Sally Hastings's short 1993 article on The Empress' New Clothes of use (attached). Perhaps your students might create presentations to discuss how and why clothing might have changed. Which colors are favored? Why might some styles dominate certain moments, including highly ritualized moments in a person's life.

Kimonos are the frequent subjects of museum exhibitions and you can find some great resources there. LACMA had one on kimonos for a modern age. The press kit and a few images can be found at: https://www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/Kimono-for-a-Modern-Age-advisory_0.pdf  Kimono Refashioned (Asia Art Museum): https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/kimono-refashioned/  Victoria and Albert Museum in Britain: Kimono: From Kyoto to Catwalk https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/kimono-kyoto-to-catwalk 

Please share any you find interesting.
 

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[Deirdre Harris]

Thank you professor Dube for sharing these amazing and fun press kit images, on some modern takes on the Traditional Kimonos from Japan.  How very fun and whimsical many of these new creations are.  My favorite items were the boots with the cranes, pine, plum flowers, and spikes!  I think that many modern Japanese people would be very proud to be a part of these creations, as I get the feeling from Professor Pitelka's lectures that the people want to be seen as both being traditional, and keeping this part of their lives for historical and other reasons, and also being seen as on the cutting edge, or at least keeping up with modern ideas, and not being afraid of taking fashion chances.  I think they would be proud to be seen as being able to stretch their creativity and techniques, and cross-over into more hip and cool textiles that will keep Japan in the mix as creators and artists.  Especially having their crafts being shown around the world in the West, and in Britain, etc...  Very fun.  Thanks for that.  Students will love looking at these, and I feel will be more open to seeing that Japan is not just about old-fashioned themes.  

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