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Japanese Culture and How It Has Changed With the Passage of Time by Brendan Mulvihill THE VALUE OF HONOURHonour is one of the best-known values in Japanese history to those in the West. Centuries after it became a central theme in Japanese culture, it is still considered to encompass honesty, courage, and respect. A person who behaved dishonourably was thought to have committed a very serious offence, one that could be punishable by death. The Samurai were judged the very essence of honour. Their way of life was a model for everyone else to follow. They were very loyal and well trained agents for various lords, Shoguns, and the Emperor. Their duties involved keeping peasants in line as well as fighting wars. In battle, they were among the most dangerous soldiers who have ever lived. Their discipline was without equal and could be relied upon in the gravest of situations. The Samurai tradition is one of the most common themes in Japanese art and literature. It is part of the very fabric of Japanese culture. It's ironic that a tool of oppression like the Samurai could become a beloved symbol to the descendants of the people they oppressed. Just the same, the moral code they represent is revered even to this day. Part of its appeal lies in its idealism. After all, who could help but admire such a universally agreeable concept ?
THE SOCIAL STRUCTUREWhile Japan is one of the leading democracies of the world today, its political system for hundreds of years was quite different. Japan's economic system was for a long time based on the feudal model. Landowners held near absolute power over peasant workers condemned to lifelong poverty. There was no realistic expectation among these peasants that they might move up the social ladder. Landowners kept control of the population with their Samurai, feared and respected by everyone within their reach. Even the Samurai were an elite group, destined to take their place in society from birth. Many Western countries went through such periods themselves and regard them as cruel and unfair. To the Japanese, it is not so simple. They seem to believe that their ancestors, most of whom were peasants, weren't exactly being repressed, but acknowledged and accepted their fates. The Japanese take pride in institutions such as the Samurai and the Emperor, who still has a place in Japan today.1 These institutions were integral parts of the feudal system. To the Japanese, it is more important to remember and be proud of these positive things than regret past injustices that cannot be changed. Today, there is still a sense among the Japanese that every individual has his or her position to fill. Some examples are the tendency for Japanese family members to refer to each other by their positions within the family. A brother might call his older sister just that rather than use her name. Then there is the conduct of many corporate executives during the recent economic downturn in Japan. They would very often prefer to resign in disgrace rather than make excuses to save their jobs and reputations so that someone might take their place and get on with matters. Such acceptance of responsibility is not so easy to find among Westerners.
THE STATUS OF WOMENOne of the more unpleasant remnants of Japan's past still in existence is its unequal treatment of women. Women have been held in lower regard than men in nearly every civilization at some point in time. Gradually, as importance is placed on human rights, conditions tend to improve. This has happened in Japan but to a lesser extent than it has elsewhere. Part of the reason is that it is still very much a patriarchal society. Men are dominant, doing most of the work in running everything from corporations to the government. There are many women in the workforce but they rarely occupy very high positions. There isn't necessarily a specific tradition that spawned this inequity, but a long history of conservatism among the dominant men. Women were once regarded as little more than cheap labour and a source of comfort for men. There were even what the Japanese called "comfort women" kidnapped from conquered territories during World War II to service the fighting men. 2 They were not often Japanese women but this type of act demonstrates the disregard for women's rights as recently as just two generations ago. There were acts of brutality against women committed by various other countries during the war, but none as carefully planned by authorities.
FOOTNOTES
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