Having fallen under the spell of Japan - the country, its people and its traditions - I have started
Shogun by James Clavell. At over 1,000 pages, this is no small undertaking and a commitment that will last throughout the summer.
The
book is filled with details on the history and culture of Japan and
tells of the tale of the rise of the real-life Shogun Tokugawa, who
unified Japan.
The novel delves into the political,
religious and cultural landscape of 16th Century Japan when instability
was on the rise with war imminent amongst the daimyo factions.
Adding
to the instability was the influence of the Portuguese priests
who were not only spreading Catholicism, but also enabling the
lucrative trading routes between Japan and China.
Having
visited Macao in 2011, I wish I had known about the history surrounding the
Portuguese influence on Asia (particularly Macao, the Portuguese trading
port) during my visit.
Despite how compelling
Shogun is, I decided to take a respite after 300 pages, so this will be continued...
Shogun, Part (and Attempt) #2 a few weeks later in July
Like The Odyssey,
Shogun
is an enthralling epic adventure with battles, intricate plots and
deception based on Japan's conflict-ridden history of feudalism, which
was eventually stamped out by the peaceful rule of an all-empowering
Emperor under the real-life Tokugawa.
In
Shogun,
the central character Toranga is based on Tokugawa, who claims and
befriends the shipwrecked British pilot Blackthorne, whose point of view
the story is told from. Toranga is an impressive character who
patiently orchestrates and implements the many plots that leads to his
eventual success over the other daimyos.
The adventures
and political maneuverings are too vast to summarize, but the web of
complexity in defeating the daimyos who have rallied together to declare
war on Toranga are much more impressive than the complex plots of
modern day spy novels made easier with the advent of technological
gadgets.
Japan 500 Years Ago and Today
Blackthorne's
observations of 16th Century Japan hold true five centuries later and
parallel my observations during my trip to Japan in May of this year.
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| Traditional outfits in modern day Kyoto, 2012. |
Even today, patrons are expected to remove their shoes when entering a
restaurant, and there are socks for flip flops or wooden shoes sold at
dollar stores.
Streets are amazingly clean and litter-free, even the
streets of Tokyo, which millions of people traverse daily.
Blackthorne,
also known as Anjin-san ("anjin" meaning pilot and "san" being a sign
of respect), did not take baths since the western world thought water
carried diseases and illnesses.
Sticklers for cleanliness, Blackthorne's Japanese captors force him to take baths and it ends up being the one component of
Japanese culture that he quickly adjusts to.
Public mineral baths are still common place, offered at many resorts
and despite being required to go in completely naked, incredibly
relaxing. According to Blackthorne, "A bath is truly the gift of God."
Another differing aspect of western and eastern culture is diet. The Japanese
are appalled that Anjin-san eats peasant.
His
response: "Your food's
just as strange...the raw squid - white slimy, almost tasteless chewy
meat with nothing but soya [sic] sauce to wash it down? Or the chopped
octopus tentacles, again raw, with cold rice and seaweed?" Even today,
such a simple dish can be found all over the place in Japan.
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| From a local restaurant in Matsumoto of the Japan Alps. |
An aspect of Japanese tradition that
Shogun
highlighted is the role of the samurai in Japan's caste system.
Samurais were not just warriors, but also the ruling class with many
privileges.
Only samurais were allowed to have names while non-samurais
were known and called by what they did. Also, only the children of
samurais were allowed to go to school.
Japanese Mentality and Zen-ness
As
Blackthorne becomes immersed in Japanese culture, he begins to
understand Japan and its people at a deeper level. Their actions and
formalities, even nonsensical ones, are to save face and not offend
anyone, even one's enemies.
Consideration for others
over oneself is tantamount even in a depraved environment like prison.
Blackthorne notes the consideration that others have for those who are
sharing a common space. Even today in Tokyo's packed metro, people are
incredibly considerate and refrain from talking, and if they happen to
be talking, they speak in hush voices.
Having such
quietness turns out to be incredibly soothing and something I miss upon
returning to the States, where everyone is so loud and it's difficult to
be able to think once you leave your house.
Mariko, a
female samurai who becomes Blackthorne's translator and eventual love
interest, explains this to some extent when talking to Blackthorne, or
Anjin-san:
"You see, Anjin-san," she tells him when
he started joking about the lack of privacy everywhere considering that
people are always around and walls are made from paper, "here you have
to learn to create your own privacy. We're taught from childhood to
disappear within ourselves, to grow impenetrable walls behind which we
live. If we couldn't, we'd all certainly go mad and kill each other
ourselves."
"What walls?"
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| Paper walls? How about windows. From my ryokin in Takayama. |
"Oh,
we've a limitless maze to hide in, Anjin-san. Rituals and customs,
taboos of all kinds, oh yes.
Even our language has nuances you don't
have which allow us to avoid, politely, any questions if we don't want
to answer it."
"But how do you close your ears, Mariko-san? That's impossible."
"Oh, very easy, with training. Of course, training begins as soon as a
child can talk, so very soon it's second nature to us - how else would
we survive? First you begin by cleansing your mind of
people, to
put yourself on a different plan. Sunset watching is a great help or
listening to the rain - Anjin-san, have you noticed the different sounds
of rain?
If you really
listen, then then the present vanishes, neh?
Listening to blossoms falling and to rocks growing are exceptionally good exercises. Of course, you're not suppose to
see the things, they're only signs, messages to your hara, your center, to remind you of the transcience of life, to help you gain
wa, harmony, Anjin-san, perfect harmony, which is the most sought-after quality in all Japanese life, all art, all...
 |
| Rock garden at RyoanjiTemple in Kyoto.... So zen. |
"I will whisper a secret to you: Don't be fooled by our smiles and
gentleness, our ceremonial and our bowing and sweetnesses and
attentions. Beneath them all we can be a million
ri away, safe and alone. For that's what we seek - oblivion..."
A quote from Mariko provides another view into the mentality of the Japanese people:
"Love is a Christian word, Anjin-san. Love
is a Christian thought, a Christian ideal. We have no word for 'love'
as I understand you to mean it. Duty, loyalty, honor, respect, desire,
those words and thoughts are what we have have, all that we need."
Karma
As
an island nation, Japan has suffered and continues to suffer through
many natural disasters from earthquakes to tidal waves to tsunamis.
These non-preventable, unpredictable and catastrophic events also factor
into the mentality of the island nation.
"...I seem to understand now what you mean nand Lord Toranga meant about
karma and the stupidity of worrying about what
is.
A lot seems clearer. I don't know why - perhaps it's because I've never
been so terrified, maybe that's cleaned my head, but I seem to think
clearer.
It's - well, like Old Gardener['s death]. Yes, that was all
my fault and I'm truly sorry, but that was a mistake, not a deliberate
choice on my part. It
is. So nothing can be done about it. A
moment ago we were all almost dead. So all that worry and heartache was
a waste, wasn't it?
Karma. Yes, I know
karma now. Do you understand?"
"Yes." She translated to Toranga.
"He says, 'Good, Anjin-san.
Karma
is the beginning of knowledge. Next is patience. Patience is very
important. The strong are the patient ones, Anjin-san. Patience means
holding back your inclination to the seven emotions: hate, adoration,
joy, anxiety, anger, grief, fear. If you don't give way to the seven,
you're
patient, then you'll soon understand all manner of things and be in harmony with Eternity."
With her career stalled, Dratch decides to focus on dating and provides humorous tales of the men she meets and dates, and the men she meets and thinks she's going to date before she walks into a bar and meets the man who would become her baby daddy.
