CHA-DO: It's Not Just For Ladies Anymore!

Even during the Meiji Era, the Era of Enlightened Rule, it was required, pre-marriage training for women. In the preceding Tokugawa Period, its study was encouraged among samurai and its practice the mark of a cultured gentleman. In the current Heisei Era, the time of Emperor Akihito it is becoming a much-sought out weapon in Japan’s war on stress. It is Cha-no-yu, Cha-Dō: the tea ceremony.

Throughout Japan, on any evening, and particularly on weekends, you may find Japanese men, business men, merchants, engineers, academics, gathered together in suburban tea houses, wearing kimono, hakama, and haori, to immerse themselves in traditional Japanese culture and in particular, this traditional Japanese art, as a means of shedding off the stress and strain of modern life. How? With what would be termed in the West as a “tea party.”

On any evening at the Urasenke School of Tea, one can find an ever increasing number of Japanese men studying the traditions and art of tea; indeed, on some evenings the number of male pupils (largely men over 40) outnumbers women. Japanese people, regardless of age or gender, are rediscovering the beauty and emotional calming effects of Cha-Dō, as a transcendental interlude, a time of peace and re-focusing one’s life. Numerous magazines have recently produced articles, even special “tea” editions, which were quickly sold out as Japan discovers that “new” is not always better and the old ways, tradition, can have a place of significance in the life of the modern Japanese man.

“Cha…it’s not just for ladies anymore!”

ON SIMPLICITY

I believe in simplicity; yet, it is surprising as well as distressing, how many inconsequential concerns even the wisest man thinks that he must focus on in a single day – how rare the matter that he thinks that he must pass over. When a man of science or mathematics wishes to solve a difficult problem, the first step would be to clear the equation of all impediments and distractions, all unnecessary data; thus reducing it to its most simple terms. We should do the same: simply the problems of life and distinguish what is actually necessary and real.

One should search within himself to see where ones actual roots lie.

THOUGHTS FROM A TAKAYAMA ROOFTOP: Musings on a View of History

Musings on a View of History

kishamichi ni
hikuku kari tobu
tsukiyo kana

low over the railroad
wild geese flying –
a moonlight night

-Shiki

The warm days of summer are now gone and the soft, gentle breeze that drifted through the open doors of my study and rustled the papers on my desk has grown teeth. In summer, it would make its way through this old “samurai house,” blending indoors with out, lending a certain tenderness and ease to life. Today, sweater replaces yukata, iced tea is now traded for steaming coffee. Last night the wind shook the closed shutters over our doors and windows, as though demanding entry: equal time with the zephyrs of mid-year. Now our warmth comes from the electric heater and the fire which crackles and snaps from the pit in the main tatami room, on which rides the smoky incense of oak rather than the perfume of flowers and fresh grass.

As I look through the sliding glass door of my refuge, filled with the volumes of Japan past which stir my imagination and answer my questions, only then give birth to new queries, I can see the cats at play in the garden; enjoying the day in their newly fluffed coats. The old puss perches high up on the gate, surveying her domain, as though she is some ancient daimyō watching over her han (domain). The two young ones dart here and there; games of hide-and-seek or perhaps imagining themselves as tigers in the wild; hiding in the now brown grass; waiting for some elusive prey to venture too close to their place of cover. Occasionally one cat ventures out to the edge of the pond and looks in. Yes, the koi are all still there in their places. Then he’s off again to pounce on his preoccupied sibling who just found a mouse. All too soon, the pond will be covered with ice, the ground will be blanketed in snow, and the garden mice will be safe in their nests below the porch.

One cannot help but to smile a bit at the moment, and then I look at the volumes of history that line the walls of my room and think about autumns long ago. Did Tokugawa Ieyasu look out his window at Edo Castle, or later at Sanpu in Suruga, and see similar scenes? Some might say no, he was without doubt too busy plotting and scheming. I think he did see such things and probably thought deeply upon them in his later years. Nevertheless, that is a difference in the viewing of history.



History is merely an attempt to write about events that belong to the past. What is written depends on documents: manuscripts, essays, and articles from the period being written about. Modern-day topics and events are often regarded as being too ordinary and thus, unworthy of documentation except as television newsbytes or a few short columns in a newspaper.
I often find myself wondering how historians, perhaps two or three centuries from now, will regard the last few years, and especially this year of 2009, in viewing Japan or the United States. Will they describe 2009 as a year when America began to once again find direction and to re-assume a position of world leadership, this time for the betterment of the world in general and in particular for its own citizens; or, will they perhaps hold 2009 up as enduring evidence that a once great notion grew too big to sustain itself and its ideals, and in the end failed?

Will they say that Japan continued its socio-political decline, and that its culture continued to erode, giving way to the forces of globalization, just as a beach is consumed by the waves of an approaching typhoon, or will they perhaps say that 2009 was a year when Japan, at last, broke free from the miasma from which it suffered, beginning at the end of World War II? Did Japan at last find its feet and stand up to demand equity with the United States among the nations of the world and cast off its acquiescence to Western domination?

Recently I wrote a short essay on the topic of Bushidō and its core. The article, much to my delight, stirred more than a little controversy and debate, which in itself, was a very good thing; for in my mind, such writing has little point unless it stirs thought and stimulates discussion. The essay and resulting commentary became the subject of conversations among myself and other Japanese with a more than passing interest in Japanese culture and history. Some were outraged by the views expressed by a group from the San Francisco Bay Area: others were simply dismayed. More than one comment was made that they should “admit their shame and end their life.” The comment was also made that some, whose samurai heritage had been insulted, would be more than willing to assist the group in the called for acts of seppuku. Some may indeed by surprised that one’s samurai heritage can be insulted, more than one hundred and forty years after the conclusion (note I did not say fall) of the Tokugawa Era. Most Japanese, even those who we might term as “liberals” are far more conservative than their American liberal cousins are. Most Japanese still attach great significance to their family histories: their clans and their samurai heritage. That is being Japanese.

Certainly, the group, Asians Art Museum, which parodies the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, has every right to express their views and opinions; indeed, I encourage it. Yet, the Japanese who read it and expressed their opinions to me, felt that the group’s views were tainted, that there was a certain “agenda” not too well hidden beneath their words: expressions marked with an irony that does not translate to Japanese thought. Among the Japanese students of Japanese history, none of my associates regard themselves as scholars but simply as students, sincehistory is an unending process of study and analysis– a process we often engage in over coffee, tea, sake and snacks (we try to do things with a bit of flair), the view was frequently expressed that aspiring or pseudo-historians tend to notice or to select records which match their own pre-conceptions of the past and support (or can be bent to support) their own personal, revisionist agendas; that is, they have an ax to grind.






Certainly there exits confusion about the complexities of Japanese history, even among Japanese. In this particular case, however, we have Western historians giving interpretation to Japanese history. In the West, modern historians still are greatly influenced by 18th century theories of history and long-past Age of Enlightenment in Europe. They still regard the European medieval age as the “dark ages” and as a corollary, the age of Japanese feudalism: cruel, dark, dismal. Certainly some Japanese historians and intellectuals (such as Nitobé Inazo) are equally as guilty of this view, having themselves imported ideals of Western feudalism and overlaying them on unique, Japanese concepts. Add to that a certain taint of Marxism interlaced with the American penchant for political correctness, and the overall result becomes skewed. A result is the compartmentalization of Japanese history into Japan’s “Classical Era,” Japan’s “Feudal Era” or Dark Ages, and the Modern or “Post-Tokugawa Era”, when it is far more complex than that. This tends to perpetuate the selective (and often simplistic) reporting of history: ignoring the complexities of Japanese history, which can be likened to the weaving of some fine tapestry.

Nevertheless, the overall result of the discussions was twofold. First, that certainly, everyone should be free to express their thoughts and opinions, even though it may lack wisdom or good manners – expression is essential. The second conclusion was that Japanese history and its interpretation should be left to Japanese, since the West is not equipped to understand and appreciate Japanese thought and the depth of Japanese culture and the intricacies of its history.

(To be continued)

-Tokugawa H.

Copyright 2009 by H. Tokugawa and Shisei-Do Publications. All rights reserved.

Sakura and Samurai

THOUGHTS FROM A TAKAYAMA ROOFTOP:

Some thoughts by Aoi Tokugawa-sensei on

Japanese Thought, Samurai, and Bushido.

I think of history as a series of lines, not dots. Many of the small things, the small day-to-day things that occurred maybe be regarded as dots, for example a fire, a storm, a flood; but not the major events (a war, a coup, a regime change, etc.). These things are connected to other events of the past with a straight line. The same can be said of the history of thought.

The evolution of thought definitely occurs at the various turning points in the history.
It does not pop into the mind as if God’s own voice. In order for thought to spread through society, it requires a background that people can accept. For example:

Why didn’t European Chivalry take root in Japan?
Why didn’t Islam religion take root in Japan?

I have never seen a Japanese who perform prayers five times in a day and abstain from food, nor do we accept Muslim dogma. Why? Because we Japanese have no background, no history which would permit us to accept it.

The “background” I mention could be anything from a shared history (and shared experiences) to a shared culture (shared thought, aesthetics, character). It could possibly extend to a shared DNA: Japanese DNA inherited from our ancestors – the ancient Japanese. Much of what we are is carried in our DNA; however, this is not something unique to Japanese but common to all the people in the world. No one completely understands the evolution of DNA or how national and social characteristics are passed along, but it would seem that they are. It is part of what makes a Japanese, Japanese, and all Japanese thinking, our viewpoint of the world and ourselves come, in part, from it.

Why do Japanese love Sakura? Because we are Japanese. That is all that needs to be said.

Samurai and Kamikaze pilots must have seen their life in Sakura. Yet, there are people who think that the Sakura is an icon of militarism. Certainly there is a relationship between Sakura and militarism: it is true so I won’t try to deny it. However, for the majority, when we see Sakura, everyone senses its beauty. No one thinks, “Oh! Militarism has blossomed. Oh! Sakura is terrible!”

What I want to discuss in this blog, in the future, is Japanese thought. But do not be too concerned, as I will not harp on the matter of DNA as I mentioned briefly above – it is too difficult a topic for most people, including myself.

The thought has form but no form; we cannot touch it or hold it, but the form reveals itself in human’s behavior.

When it comes to the Japanese thought, the first thing that comes to mind is Bushido.

“Loyality” exists in Bushido thinking as a major principle. Did every samurai obey it? The answer is no. The actual, historical samurai is different from the popular image of samurai (cool and gentlemanly); an image we receive from movies and literature. Because the historical samurai is different from the “pop” samurai, some are inclined to say that Loyalty was a quality that didn’t exist in samurai.

They felt hunger, they felt pain when a sword cut them; and to die, was terrible. Some of them hated even the thought of hari-kiri: “No, no, I don’t want to die that way!”
The existence of such samurai is to be expected, because they were human beings: not supermen. A few were even brats; yet aside from them, we can see the form of Loyalty in the good, ethical behavior of the samurai.

Thanks to Nitobe Inazo and his book on Bushido and the film The Last Samurai, I think everyone has a bit of knowledge now about Bushido and the Hagakure. However, few seem to know about Shido, which is vastly different from Bushido as described by Nitobe or in the Hagakure.

Shido was born as Japan became peaceful society during the Edo Period, parented by such men as Soko Yamaga, Sorai Ogyu who were Confucians. How is Shido different from Bushido? Let me show you a bit of the difference through example.

In the film The Last Samurai, there are lines of dialog that clearly illustrate Shido. In one of the last scenes of the film, after the death of Katsumoto (Ken Wtanabe) in battle against the government forces lead by the Meiji Era oligarch, Omura; the central character Algren (Tom Cruise) has an audience with Emperor Meiji and presents him with Katsumoto’s sword.

“Tell me how he (Katsumoto) died,” said the Emperor.

“I will tell you how he lived,” answered Algren.

Here then, in these two lines,is the difference between Bushido and Shido, layed out for us. How to die is Bushido. How to live is Shido. It is said that Bushido is the philosophy of death; Shido is the philosophy of life.

There are those who regard Shido (those who even know of it) as the opposite extreme of Bushido; yet, I disagree. Bushido and Shido are bound together by the same core of thought: To die with honor, one must live with honor. As one lives honorably, one may then die honorably, just as the cherry blossom (Sakura).

There were many samurai who based their lives on the principles of Shido; such as Byako-tai, the men of the Shinsengumi, the 47 Ronin. In simple terms, they were the personification of loyalty and products of loyalty.

Later, I will tell you of the 47-Ronin and through their thoughts and behavior, I believe we will be able to see and better understand Japanese thought and Shido. We might even talk more about Japanese DNA!

*There are many terms in the Japanese language and thus in Japanese history which are difficult to translate into English. I will use the Japanese words and then attempt to explain their meanings and concepts to the reader. Also, please bear in mind that this is not an academic paper, but simply my thoughts, my blog, so I will write it in my own, humble style.

THE FIRST SIGNS OF AUTUMN

The First Signs of Autumn

Aki tatsu ya

Nani ni odoroku

Onmyōji

the beginning of autumn:

what is the fortune teller

looking so surprised at?

-Buson

Perhaps he is surprised because autumn is so early in its arrival: at least four to six weeks early by the calendar. Autumn colors such as these are far earlier in their display this year than in previous times. What that means for winter one can only guess, but for now, it is an early chance to walk about and enjoy the splendors of nature.

JAPANESE AESTHETICS (Bigaku)

JAPANESE AESTHETICS (Bigaku)

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of traditional Japanese aesthetic thought is the tendency to attach far greater value to symbolic depiction than realistic portrayals. Another attribute to be considered is the supposition that in order to be true art, a work has to involve a discerning representation of what is beautiful and an aversion from the crude and profane. As a result, artists have traditionally tended to select nature as their subject matter, steering clear of depictions of everyday, common life.
It was the Heian court, often described as having an exaggerated taste for grace and refinement, which exerted an enduring impact on subsequent cultural traditions, designating elegance as a key measure of beauty. Numerous cultural and artistic concepts, such as okashi, fūryū, yūgen, and iki carry with them a nuance of elegance.[1]
Another quality, one to which great value is attached, is impermanence or transience, itself a variation of elegance; exquisite beauty being regarded as both fragile and transitory. Metaphysical profoundness was provided through a merging of Buddhism, with its emphasis on the inconsistency and uncertainty of life, with this ideal. Numerous aesthetic conventions, such as wabi, sabi, yūgen and aware (with its subsequent amplification of mono no aware) all imply transience.
Over time, the presence of an artistically created void, in either time or space, became an important concept in aesthetic theory. The concept of simplicity became a culmination of the concepts of simulation and substitution, which stressed symbolic representation. Aesthetic concepts such as wabi, sabi, ma, shibui and yojō[2] are all inclined toward simplicity in terms of their basic inferences, consistently demonstrating distaste for elaborate beauty.
Simplicity denotes a certain naturalness or lack of pretense. In traditional Japanese aesthetics then, the separation between art and nature is considerably smaller than in Western art, stemming from the belief that the mysteries of nature cannot be presented through portrayal, but only suggested and the more succinct the suggestion, the more effective it becomes.


[1] The aesthetic concepts of wabi, sabi, yūgen, aware and mono no aware will be discussed in subsequent articles.
[2] The aesthetic concepts of ma, shibui, and yojō will be discussed in subsequent articles.

Copyright 2009 by Hayato Tokugawa. All Rights Reserved.

Zen and the Art of De-cluttering

Zen and the Art of De-cluttering

The Wa-Dō Mind: Moving Toward Simplicity

How to De-clutter

One of the major foundations of Wa-Dō, The Way of Wa (Peace and Harmony) is Zen and its tenet of simplicity in life and aesthetics. Zen suggests that one should take care of themselves and those around us, just as Wa-Dō suggests the encouragement of harmony and peace within ourselves and our communities.

For most people, however, taking care of ourselves tends to be somewhere near the bottom of our “grocery list of life.” We have become used to chronically mistreating ourselves and we assume that stress is just part of what we are dealt in life. Nevertheless, we can control our lives and we certainly can control our levels of stress and distraction. To accomplish this, one has but to simplify their lives in whatever ways they feel are most needed. For myself, a major cause of stress and distraction was, and remains, clutter.

For decades, I had been a packrat. My house was cluttered, my office even more so. As I grew older (and hopefully wiser), I found that it was becoming increasingly difficult to live and especially to work in a cluttered environment. I could not find things, and that caused me stress. Visually things were disorderly and confused, often making it difficult for me to work well. Yet, I have found that one of the things that gives me the most peace, tranquility and clarity of thought is having a clean, simple home. I found that waking up in the morning and walking out into a living room that had been de-cluttered, that had a minimalist look and was not full of “stuff” laying round, was a calming experience that helped set the mood for the day. Before de-cluttering, when I walked into a room littered with toys, mine and the cats, books, papers, and plenty of extra “stuff”, the feeling was one of chaos: again setting the mood of the day.

I have also found that one must revisit their clutter from time to time, because, no matter what, it will creep up on them again.

Here are some de-cluttering tips:

n De-clutter in small portions. Set aside just 15 minutes a day to de-clutter just one shelf, one corner, one spot and when that place is cleaned up, celebrate a victory. Then tackle another place or spot for 15 minutes the next day. In addition, celebrate that victory. To conquer an entire room can be overwhelming, and certainly one does not want to “attack” an entire house in one day. First, it is impossible, secondly, it is too overwhelming, frustrating and discouraging. The end result would be that one would be inclined to put de-cluttering off forever. It is far better to approach the task of de-cluttering in “baby steps.”

n Set aside a couple of hours to do it. Yes, this is a contradiction of sorts of the idea of doing things in small steps; however, this suggestion is made as an alternative. One should do what works best for them. For many people, it is good to set aside part of a morning or afternoon to de-clutter a room or closet, but certainly not more than that. The feeling of accomplishment when the job is complete is quite gratifying.

n Take everything out of a shelf or drawer at once. Whatever approach one chooses, a “baby step” approach or to set aside one part of a day, one should focus on one drawer or one shelf or one spot and empty it completely. Then clean that shelf, drawer, or spot. Then, one should take the pile of “stuff” and put back just what they want to keep. After that, tackle the next shelf , drawer, or spot.

n Sort through your pile of stuff, one item at a time. Make quick decisions. One should bring with them to the task, a trash bag – at least one. Part of Wa-Do is to take care of the needs of friends, family, and the community. One should also consider bringing to the job at hand, a give-away box; a box for things which one feels they no longer need or want, but which may be of some benefit to others – especially the poor in your community. We should always consider our good fortune and our neighbors in deed. When one pulls everything out of a drawer or shelf, for example, sort through the pile one item at a time. Pick up an item and make a decision: trash, give-away, or keep. Do not put it back in the pile; this is simply putting off a necessary decision. Be decisive. Do this with the entire pile and soon, you ewill be done. If you keep sorting thorugh the pile and resorting, it will take forever. Put back only what you really want to keep and arrange things nicely.

n Be merceiless. One may be a pack rat, just as I am, but truth be known, one will never use most of the stuff they have accumulated. If something has not been used in the last year, consider getting rid of it. It is as simple as that. If one has only used something once or twice in the last year, but they know that they will not use it in the next year, it should be gotten rid of. Toss it if it is unsalvageable. Give it away if someone might be able to use it.

n Papers: Show no mercy, unless it is important. Magazines, catalogues, junk mail, bills more than a year old, notes to one’s self, notes from others, old work papers: toss them! The only exception is with tax-related stuff, which should be kept for at least seven years and other important documents like warranties, birth, death, and marriage certificates, insurance papers, wills and other important documents like that. Such documents are easily recognizable, otherwise, get rid of them.

n The “maybe” box. If one cannot bear to toss something because they truly think that they might need it later, then they should create a box labeled “Maybe,” put those things that one cannot immediately decide on into the box, close the box, and put it in storage out of sight. Chances are that one will never open the box again. If that is the case, take the box out after six months and throw or give away the contents.

n Create a system to stop clutter from accumulating. There is usually a reason one has stacks of papers all over the place and big piles of toys, books and clothes. It is because one does not have a regular system to keep things in their place and to get rid of things they do not need. This is topic in and of itself and will be approached again. For now, it is something to consider as one goes about the process of de-cluttering. There is no perfect system, but if one will think more intelligently about how their house (or office) became cluttered in the first place, perhaps they can find ways to stop it from happening again.

n Celebrate when done. This should be a generally rule of life: always celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how small. Even if one de-cluttered only one drawer, that is an accomplishment. One should treat themselves to something nice: maybe something delicious. Open the drawer, closet, or look at the place just de-cluttered. Admire it and its new simplicity. Breathe deeply and know that one has done a good thing. Enjoy the peaceful feeling.