The ancestral culture impregnated in the soul of the Japanese people has formed a distinctive ethos , in which virtues and defects have been carefully separated by categories perhaps difficult to understand in the Western world. This can be observed, for example, in the tea ceremony or chanoyu , created in the 16th century by the monk Sen no Rikyu of the Zen Buddhism sect.
He gave form and philosophical meaning to the act of drinking tea as a ritual ceremony; The objective we want to achieve with this practice is to feel refined poverty in the depths of our being.
For most Westerners the concept of “Refined poverty” is something that escapes logic in the normal development of a life. How can refinement be applied to poverty so that it is appreciated as a virtue of human behavior? It is important to analyze this following phrase that carries a thousand connotations: “aestheticism of austere simplicity.”
In a previous chanoyu ceremony, humility must be appreciated as the necessary foundation for ritual initiation. For this purpose, a series of steps are carried out, such as purifying the hands with clean water, bowing the head and bowing to enter the ceremony area through a small and narrow entrance. All this as a sign of humility and poverty.
Austerity, simplicity, naturalness are terms that are applied daily and in the entire sphere of Japanese culture, from ancient times to recent times. This is especially observed among Japanese immigrants who came to America before World War II and even among those who arrived after, and they transmitted this characteristic manner of the Japanese to their descendants. From there come sobriety, discretion or enthusiasm that are expressed in life as signs of modesty. This discretion, which is the foundation of life and characteristic of the Japanese people, has been practiced for millennia. As a cultural heritage it has become firmly rooted in the soul of the Japanese, even among the descendants of the Japanese who are the Nikkei . This form of behavior has contributed to avoiding friction in human relationships, difficult or not, to maintain the harmony of the whole.
For many Westerners, this way of conducting themselves in life would be an expression of a certain shyness or fear of competing with other nationalities, especially when it comes to holding positions of importance. The boldness, imposition and skillful maneuver with which one usually acts in these positions are not observed among the Nikkei . However, it is also observed among them that once they assume a position of such category they begin to show attitudes such as industriousness, discipline and precision that are highly valued.
The enryo or discretion that prevails among the Japanese and Nikkei as a distinctive sign, is considered a virtue by the Japanese. Furthermore, that attitude that is not understood or appreciated among Westerners continues to reside in the souls of the descendants; What for Japanese culture is correct behavior, for others seems to be a sign of weakness.
For an ordinary Japanese it is not easy to make their way in Western cities and especially on the American continent, where there is a hybridization of cultures and a predominance of European culture. Such difficulty is essentially due to the fact that the Japanese's discreet attitude and interest in not causing inconvenience to others does not fit in a world where individualism is strongly rooted from its roots, since the European conquest and the beginning of its domination over others. .
To alleviate this situation of cultural incomprehension, it would be important for a Nikkei that hybridization occurs with 50% of each culture (Western and Eastern), carefully analyzing and selecting the virtues and thoroughly studying human weaknesses, precisely to overcome the obstacles and look for the correct path to follow within that world.
© 2009 Emi Kasamatsu
