The Chrysanthemum and the Sword : Patterns of Japanese Cultu

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bloodymary
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Joined: May 31, 2004
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Posted: Apr 26, 2005 - 02:10 PM
Post subject: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword : Patterns of Japanese Cultu

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Ruth Benedict's "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword "is an anthropological study of Japanese culture during World War II. It was her job to "spell out what the Japanese were like." (3) One of the great aspects of this book is that Benedict's main arguments hold true even to this day. Although many of her examples may be a bit outdated from our modern perspective, her conclusions drawn from those examples are still valid.
However, due to the time that it was written, 1944-6, Benedict was unable to study in Japan. Instead, she had to rely on articles already written about Japan and interviews with Japanese immigrants. In doing so, Benedict is able to draw three major conclusions about the Japanese: Japanese society is hierarchically structured, but in such a way that allows class mobility; that everyone has a debt, or (on), they must repay to the world; their particularistic society allows them to easily adapt to almost any situation. For example, Benedict tells us that hierarchy is one of the key aspects of Japanese society, so much so that they have "what is called a `respect language.'" (47) This means that forms of speech are altered to reflect the status of the speaker compared to the listener. Before the Meiji Restoration, the Emperor was at the top of the hierarchy, followed by the Shogun, daimyo, samurai, farmers, artisans, merchants and finally the outcasts. Japan operated in this hierarchical order for hundreds of years and it worked very well. As a result of this, the Japanese people learned that as long as they did not do anything outside this order "they could trust their world." (70) It was a system which "guaranteed security so long as one followed the rules." (73) Although the Meiji Reform attempted, in part, to do away with these class distinctions, it was not terribly successful: Samurai became powerful bureaucrats, merchants still became more and more wealthy, farmers were farmers, and the outcasts were still looked down upon - despite their emancipation. The same can be said even of today's Japan. The elite families such as Mitsubishi and Mitsui are still very powerful. Due to their integral role in Japan's economy, they are able to sway Diet members' opinions their way.
Another unique aspect of Japanese hierarchy, Benedict tells us, is that it allows for class mobility. Just because one is born a merchant's son does not mean one has to always be a commoner. As merchants during the pre-Meiji era became wealthier, they were able to marry into samurai families. In this way, the "merchant's descendants become samurai" and the samurai family marries into more money. (72) Although this still occurs today between wealthy and prestigious families, there is also another way to move up and gain social prestige. By studying hard and getting into the best schools, one can be sure of a secure future. If one graduates from Tokyo University, it would be very difficult to not find a good job. In this manner, even a lowly farmer's second son can be an important man.
One point that should be made clear about the Japanese hierarchy is that the American view of hierarchy is not quite correct. Americans views it as a very rigid and controlling way of life - indeed it is. However, the authority that a father exerts on his family or a Shogun over the nation is not dictatorial. The opinions and well-being of the entire group are taken into consideration before any decisions are made. "The master of the house saddles himself with great difficulty" if he acts purely according to his own will. (55)
Benedict's second main observance of the Japanese is their sense of , or indebtedness, and the need to repay it. The Japanese believe, she tells us, that when a child is born, he is immediately indebted to the Emperor and will never be able to repay even a one-ten-thousandth of it back. The child is also indebted to his parents. Only after becoming one "does he know how indebted he is to his own parents." (102) Tied directly to this idea is virtue. In Japan, repaying ones debts is a very important part of life. One must always be careful to remember to the Emperor and the parents. Therefore, it is considered a virtue when one works toward repaying any debts and as a burden to acquire more. This sense of repaying someone continues even now. It is evident in gift giving practices in which an employee gives a boss a New Year's present as a way of paying him back for employment. Also, when a guest visits a family he will often bring お酒 (sake) or some other small present as repayment for burdening the family. A peculiar side-effect of 恩 is that people do not often help strangers in need. To do so would be to give that person 恩 they would likely not be able to repay.
Benedict's final insight into the Japanese culture is their ability to adapt to almost any situation. The most obvious example of this is their attitude toward the Occupation. When the Emperor announced the unconditional surrender of Japan, the Japanese considered it a natural course of events and "accepted all that such a fact implied." (305) There are numerous stories of the politeness showed to American troops upon arrival in Japan. Even the fact that there were no resistance forces or sabotage attempts during the Occupation is a strong testament to this ability. "Japan's real strength," Benedict says, "lies in her ability to say..., `That failed,'" and take a completely different path. (304) Benedict then says Japan "could make herself indispensable in the commerce of the East," which could not be closer to the truth. (314) Japan's economy boomed after the Reconstruction and made it the technological center of the world. Of course, anyone could make such a prediction given the fact that Japan was no longer allowed to have an army. All the money that had been poured into the military could now be directed elsewhere.
Overall, I believe The Chrysanthemum and the Sword accomplishes Benedict's goal of describing the fundamentals of Japanese culture and is a great addition to the existing literature on Japan. As I have previously stated, some of her examples are indeed old-fashioned (i.e. the stern mother-in-law and the tale of Hachiko) and may appear irrelevant to the study of modern Japan; however, what she is able to draw from these examples is still applicable. We should consider that even though America today is much different than the America of the `40's, the same sorts of principles are held today - this can also be said of modern Japan.

--------Maybe you would like to read the book by Ruth Benedict first before you analyse the japanese..