Japanese Spirituality and Music Practice: Art as Self-cultivation

Abstract

This chapter illustrates a Japanese view of spirituality and its prevailing influences on Japanese musical practices. Studies on Japanese spirituality and aesthetics are scant, due in part to the fact that the concept of spirituality has not provided an accessible way for Japanese people to explain their spiritual experiences (Nishiwaki, 2004). Japanese scholars find it difficult to translate the term “spirituality” into Japanese, acknowledging that the word needs many explanations for most people to understand what spirituality means on their own terms (Nishihira, 2003). However, this should not lead to the conclusion that there is no aesthetic philosophy or spiritual frame of reference in Japan. Arts already exist, as they do throughout the world; the practice of art reflects people’s aesthetic sensitivities and captures their spiritual experiences. It may thus be helpful here to have a contextual understanding of what spirituality means to Japanese ways of being. One notable feature of Japanese spirituality is that it is assumed to bear little religious meaning without the absolute existence of a transcendental god. Tazaki, Matsuda, and Nakane (2001) investigate Japanese notions of spirituality from an international perspective using the WHO’s proposal of health and spirituality. The results of their focus group interviews indicate that, while individual variations are reported, key characteristics of Japanese spirituality include: (a) an insignificance of human existence in contrast with the natural environment; (b) a feeling of awe toward nature; (c) a connectedness with ancestors; (d) a reference to individuals’ inner strength; and (e) a sense of absolute power without reference to a particular religion. Similarly, Nishiwaki (2004) reports that while precollege students show a strong aversion to religion, they tend to refer to “animals and plants striving for life” when it comes to their spiritual worldviews. These studies suggest that Japanese spiritual experience often derives from one’s interactions with nature, even though it is impossible to reduce these experiences to such simple terms.