Shinobi

The image that comes to mind when ninja is mentioned is a figure clad in black quickly running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop stealthily killing their target. Though this may be a more movie-esque ninja, they were present in historic Japan. The proper name for ninja is Shinobi. (Szczepanski)

The Japanese folklore associated with ninja’s claim they were “descended from a demon that was half man and half crow”. (Szczepanski) They truly evolved as an opposing force of the samurai in feudal Japan. The skills ninja’s learn are called ninjutsu, or the ninja’s art of stealth. This art began to develop in between 600-900 A.D. (Szczepanski)

The main reason ninjutsu developed was to oppose the samurai and their code of bushido, or their code of honor and loyalty. So since honor was held in such high regard, samurai would select only a single opponent upon going into battle, announcing the challenge along with his family credentials and then attack. They wore their clan identification colors and armor, leading to a highly stylized but inefficient type of battling. Ninjutsu was developed to get the job done, very different from the samurai’s code of bushido. Things that would be shameful to a samurai, such as sneak attacks, poison, seduction, and spying, were all “fair play” for ninjas. “The ninja code values accomplishing a mission by whatever means necessary” (Szczepanski).        

Ninja leaders were referred to as jonin. Some of the jonin were disgraced samurai that had lost in battle, but refused to commit the ritual suicide. Contrary to much of Japan at the time, women could also become quite successful ninjas. Female ninjas were called kunoichi, and would usually infiltrate through disguises to get to the enemy (Szczepanski). It’s very interesting how female can have a role within the ninja ranks since they can’t seem to have a similar role in Japan where they would have responsibilities on their shoulder. I believe it reflects the idea of the shinobi in a way, getting the job done no matter how taboo or honorable. It’s similarly reflects how it is different from the samurai, who are much more similar to what seems to be ‘proper’ Japan culture, or that which is shown in Japanese culture. Everything is done with great tradition and honor, every little thing being something very important. This is reflected in how the samurai act, following a strict code and upholding it against all costs.

What’s interesting is although samurai had to strictly follow the bushido themselves, it did not restrict them from hiring ninjas themselves to carry out any of their dirty work. Since the samurai wouldn’t technically be committing the crimes against the code themselves, their honor would remain intact. Luckily with samurai hiring and paying ninjas quite well transferred wealth to the lower classes within Japan. The issue with this though was, of course, the opposing samurai could also hire ninjas to go for their opponent. “As a result, the samurai needed, despised, and feared the ninja, in equal measure” (Szczepanski).

The whole idea of shinobi and samurai are all very interesting. In a way, reflecting Japan’s own culture. I believe they in a way reflect the ideas of inside and outside, or one’s true feelings and ones outside face. The samurai represent one’s outside face, one of honor and following the strict cultural code. While on the other hand, shinobi represent ones true feelings, they remain hidden and don’t follow strict code but aren’t shown in public in a way. It’s an interesting balance between what is seen and what is honorable.

Do you believe samurai’s use of shinobi was honorable? Or necessary in a way to get things done?

Szczepanski, Kallie. "History of The Ninja." About.com Asian History. About.com, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://asianhistory.about.com/od/warsinasia/p/NinjaProfile.htm>.

Becoming a Geisha Reaction

The movie “Becoming a Geisha” was a very interesting and brought up many things that I wasn’t expecting and surprised me. I think it’s a hard concept to grasp since there really isn’t such an equivalent within the United States, and would most likely be misinterpreted similarly to how her mother misinterpreted the idea of a geisha.

                One of the first things I wanted to bring up is how Yukina received a new name for when she was to become a Maiko. Not only did this surprise and interest me, but how much went into the choosing of the name surprised me as well. They took into account how many strokes it took to write the name, along with the meaning of the name, plus what fortune she would have with the name. So much went into one name. This baffles me because here there isn’t much emphasis on names. Children are named because the parents simply like the name, or naming after someone else. Though sometimes parents look into the meaning of a name, the amount of letters or strokes don’t have significance. It shows how deeply rooted tradition and rituals are within Japanese culture. But it was also interesting that she got a new name for becoming a Maiko. It does make sense though, showing her transition from her normal modern life to the traditional elegant lifestyle of a Maiko. Or it could show that her new name is her tatemae while her honne is her true name.

                Also what was surprising to me was that Yukina was drinking while attending to a customer. I wonder if there is an exception the drinking age for Maiko or if she wasn’t actually drinking alcohol. It just shows there devotion to their customers, similar to how her older sister had to drink wine even though she didn’t like it at the request of her customer. The Maiko’s dedication to their customers is surprising and something you don’t see in America. Not being able to eat or drink while with the customers seems difficult and must take extreme dedication.

                After watching this movie I was surprised how Maiko and becoming a Geisha all worked. It’s a system very foreign to the United States and was very interesting to learn about. Their dedication and ties to tradition are very evident, and hopefully a practice so rich in culture will survive in Japan as it modernizes.

How do you think geisha or maiko would be seen in America?

Would such a business work well or be frowned upon?

Departure Movie Reaction

Departures was a movie showed the struggles of a young man who was unable to uphold his family on what he had believed to be his dream, playing the cello. He finds a new job dealing with the departed, and shows his various struggles. Throughout this movie, you could clearly see Japanese culture and ideas. A lot of the ideas that were shown revolve around Japanese ideas of death, understandable due to the story of the movie.

                One thing that I noticed was very prevalent was a general dislike and shame associated with the job of cleaning the bodies of those who passed away. This seemed to be related to the Japanese belief of Shinto, where death is seen as very impure and isn’t something that humans are able to get rid of. This was shown through his old family friend ignoring him and even his wife leaving him for a short time. This greatly surprised me, especially with how grateful people were afterwards. I believe that is when their emotions for the departed override their traditional beliefs. This is also shown from his original reaction to the job. The idea of dealing with the dead was scary to him, but he truly needed the money.

                Another thing I saw in the film was the idea of uchi and soto in a way, along with tatemae and honne. A good example I can think of was how his wife originally reacted to him giving up his dream and having to move back to his mother’s house. She seemed so cheerful and for it. But later she reveals that she was really upset that he was giving up his dream and had to move home. She was using tatemae, not her true feelings but putting on a face, so that he wouldn't be upset that she didn't want to move or for him to give up his dream. This also surprised me, because how she acted when he said they would have to move back, I was completely convinced that she truly wanted to move back to his mother’s house.

Departure was a good movie that I enjoyed watching. It was interesting to see how everyone reacted to his job of washing the dead so strongly, because it would have a much different reaction here. Seeing the different culture through the movie allowed to see the ideas we learn in class in action, and I enjoyed seeing it.