Japanese Mythology Research Articles

Representasi Hero’s Journey Pada Tokoh Chihiro Dalam Anime Spirited Away Karya Miyazaki Hayao

(Title: Representation of Hero’s Journey on Main Character Chihiro in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away Anime) This paper is the result of a qualitative descriptive type of literature study. The purpose of this study was to reveal the heroic journey process of main character of Spirited Away anime named Chihiro, based on the Hero’s Journey theory proposed by Vogler. Data about Chihiro's heroic journey are obtained from anime with note taking techniques. The method used in the analysis is the method of content analysis based on the theory of Hero's Journey. From the results of the analysis, it can be seen that the main character Chihiro has undergone a total of the twelve stages of the hero’s journey. Chihiro's adventure has succeeded in changing her personality which was initially timid, spoiled, and whiny to be brave, independent, calm and confident, and full of compassion. Chihiro's heroic journey proves the true definition of a hero according to Vogler, while also proving that to win a fight does not always use physical strength. There are times when thinking intelligence and emotional intelligence are much more needed. In addition, this anime also features a lot of kamisama which was once believed by the Japanese. Miyazaki might want to remind again about the existence of Japanese gods by displaying them in this anime, either those actually found in Japanese mythology or Miyazaki's own creations. Thus, the story of Spirited Away which has a mythical structure as stated by Vogler becomes much more alive and interesting.

CONCEPT OF KOKUTAI AS NATIONAL ESSENCE IN THE FOUNDATION OF JAPAN'S IMPERIAL SUBJECTNESS IN LATE XIX — FIRST HALF OF XX CENTURY

In this research, I examine the concept of kokutai as a mode of state mythology that functions as an ideological basis of imperial subjectness of modernization period Japan. To aid the research, I analyze two of the most important sources of kokutai: Imperial Rescript on Education (1890) and Kokutai no Hongi (Cardinal Principles of the National Essence of Japan) Ministry of Education pamphlet (1937); beginnings of its creation in the works of School of National Disciplines and the Mito School are also studied. The research shows that the concept of kokutai provides an argument for Japanese nation's exceptional and supreme status, as well as Japanese emperor, divine heritage as a father of the nation, through ancient Japanese mythology.

일본신화에 나타난 선과 악의 양상 고찰-『일본서기』의 용례를 중심으로

일본신화에 나타난 선과 악의 양상 고찰-『일본서기』의 용례를 중심으로

Things Are Easy When You're Big in Pajan

Things Are Easy When You're Big in Pajan Shawn Edrei (bio) The Complete Okko Humbert Chabuel Edward Gauvin, trans. Archaia www.archaia.com 560 Pages; Print, $39.99 "It's like Samurai Jack," my friendly local retailer said as he slid the massive volume into my hands. As comparisons go, that was a surefire way to get my attention, but it turned out to be somewhat inaccurate. Glancing at the cover, one might indeed assume certain similarities to the Cartoon Network series: the protagonist's square jaw, persistently-stern expression and laconic personality evoke the iconic animated hero, and Humbert Chabuel's elaborate artwork reveals as striking and magical a landscape as any you'd find in Genndy Tartakovsky's designs. But The Complete Okko is not a story about a solitary character trapped in an unchanging status quo, fighting a single figurehead of evil; its depiction of bushido and the culture that created samurai and ronin is not nearly as sanitized or simplified; and Okko himself is shrouded in ambiguity as to his intentions and moral compass. It is a time of crisis for the Empire of Pajan (an anagram that will fool no one), as constant warfare between four great houses threatens to tear the land apart. All manner of demons from Japanese mythology, from oni to tengu to yurei, are running amok. In the midst of this chaos, the wandering ronin Okko and his companions—masked giant Noburo, sake-swilling monk Noshin, and young page Tikku—find themselves traveling across Pajan, hunting supernatural creatures and aiding noble houses suffering from mystical afflictions… provided they have the coin to pay for said services, of course. The narrative of Okko is structured as a set of five cycles patterned after the Buddhist philosophy of godai: Water, Earth, Air, Fire and Void, the latter referred to here as Emptiness. Hub's meticulous use of these themes is truly impressive, as each element is woven into the plot, the setting, and the introduction of new characters. Water finds our heroes visiting a city floating over the ocean, while Earth sees Noshin and Tikku climbing up and down mountains visiting a set of religious orders, each more stubborn and impenetrable than the last. Air brings the threat of violent hurricanes just as Okko's mysterious past catches up with him, and Fire goes all out with political intrigue set at the foot of a volcano, on a night lit up by fireworks. The Cycle of Emptiness, which concludes the saga, appears here in English for the first time, and—somewhat fittingly—eschews the elemental parallels for a chain of nested flashbacks. Here, Hub's penchant for detail is on full display as we trace our protagonists' lives from their earliest days and discover a few surprising truths and unexpected encounters along the way. These are all framed in the context of a final journey for Okko, whose injuries (accumulated throughout the previous four stories) have finally overwhelmed his combat prowess. While all the cycles are, at their core, personal stories rather than grand adventures, Emptiness is perhaps the most intimate of Chabuel's tales: Our heroes are deeply flawed, the villains—if Okko can indeed be said to have any at all—are doomed in their petty pursuit of empty revenge, and the answers to long-running mysteries satisfy our curiosity in the most melancholic of ways. If Okko is like Samurai Jack in any way that matters, it's that they both create vibrant, magical worlds that almost effortlessly draw their respective audiences in—but Pajan is a darker place than Aku's future dominion, more densely populated by imperfect men and women whose stories touch Okko's for only a brief moment in time. Some emerge unscathed from the encounter; others are dragged down by the sorrow that seems to shadow our anti-hero's every step. [End Page 5] Shawn Edrei Shawn Edrei recently completed his PhD and teaches at Tel-Aviv University. He continues to explore digital narratology and the ways new technologies change how we think of storytelling and authorship. An avid gamer and observer of online fandom dynamics, Shawn recently co-edited...

神野志隆光氏のご批判に応える : 拙著『記紀神話と王権の祭り』書評に対する反論

神野志隆光氏のご批判に応える : 拙著『記紀神話と王権の祭り』書評に対する反論

Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and Anime. By YoshikoOkuyama. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015. Pp. xvii + 243. Hardback, $100.00; paper, $46.99.

Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and Anime. By YoshikoOkuyama. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015. Pp. xvii + 243. Hardback, $100.00; paper, $46.99.

モンゴル神話と日本神話との類縁性について(モンゴル宗教と日本宗教-神観の比較考察-,パネル, 第六十五回学術大会紀要)

モンゴル神話と日本神話との類縁性について(モンゴル宗教と日本宗教-神観の比較考察-,パネル, 第六十五回学術大会紀要)

日本神話学再考 : ファシズム期を手がかりに(ファシズム期の宗教と宗教研究,パネル, 第六十九回学術大会紀要)

日本神話学再考 : ファシズム期を手がかりに(ファシズム期の宗教と宗教研究,パネル, 第六十九回学術大会紀要)

外国人による日本神話研究(日本神話研究-回顧と展望-,パネル, 第六十九回学術大会紀要)

外国人による日本神話研究(日本神話研究-回顧と展望-,パネル, 第六十九回学術大会紀要)

日本神話の中世における展開 : いわゆる「中世神話」をめぐって(宗教学と神話研究-方法論的な多様性をめぐって-,パネル, 第六十五回学術大会紀要)

日本神話の中世における展開 : いわゆる「中世神話」をめぐって(宗教学と神話研究-方法論的な多様性をめぐって-,パネル, 第六十五回学術大会紀要)

「雑霊(ぞうりょう)」論

「雑霊(ぞうりょう)」論

Ancient Korean Japan Exchanges Depicted in Japanese Mythology - Focusing on Sharks -

Ancient Korean Japan Exchanges Depicted in Japanese Mythology - Focusing on Sharks -

Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and AnimeFrom Dog Bridegroom to Wolf Girl: Contemporary Japanese Fairy-Tale Adaptations in Conversation with the West.

Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and AnimeFrom Dog Bridegroom to Wolf Girl: Contemporary Japanese Fairy-Tale Adaptations in Conversation with the West.

Semiotics of Otherness in Japanese Mythology

This article examines the tropes of "otherness" embedded in Japanese myths and legends in which the protagonist has a physical or intellectual disability to uncover the sociohistorical attitudes toward such people in Japan. Using the theory of semiotics, I will explicate the narrative signifiers of "the Other" represented in Japanese mythology; examine the binary perceptions of disability in ancient myths, medieval literature, and latter-day folklore in Japan; and demonstrate how perceptions have changed historically. I argue that some of these antique perceptions of the Other that have survived in contemporary Japanese consciousness may be hampering our effort to understand human variation.

Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and Anime by Yoshiko Okuyama

Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and Anime by Yoshiko Okuyama

Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and Anime, written by Yoshiko Okuyama

Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and Anime, written by Yoshiko Okuyama

日本神話のルーツ：ホツマツタヱ（その3）天照神と天岩戸物語

日本神話のルーツ：ホツマツタヱ（その3）天照神と天岩戸物語

Rice, Agriculture, and the Food Supply in Premodern Japan by Charlotte von Verschuer

Reviewed by: Rice, Agriculture, and the Food Supply in Premodern Japan by Charlotte von Verschuer W. Wayne Farris (bio) Rice, Agriculture, and the Food Supply in Premodern Japan. By Charlotte von Verschuer; translated by Wendy Cobcroft Routledge, London, 2016. xiv, 356 pages. $145.00. The place of rice in Japanese agriculture and civilization has been a contentious issue among scholars of all disciplines for 50 years or more. Sahara Makoto, the leading archaeologist of the Yayoi period (defined by Sahara as 300 BCE–300 CE), argued in his heyday (the 1980s) that rice was introduced to Japan during that period and overtook the islands almost overnight. According to Sahara, the chief characteristic of the Yayoi people was that they ate rice. On the other hand, Amino Yoshihiko, a historian of medieval Japan (roughly 1100–1600), told me once in a scholarly conversation that rice farmers comprised no more than 25 per cent of the population of Japan in the medieval period. Later, while I was doing research for Japan’s Medieval Population,1 I relayed Amino’s words to Hayami Akira, the dean of Japanese demographers specializing in the Edo period, who stated angrily [End Page 136] that Amino was a “fool” (baka). Such is the capacity of this issue to generate more heat than light. Charlotte von Verschuer therefore deserves great credit for walking into this minefield. Moreover, she cites a basketful of primary sources and secondary interpretations in a scholarly narrative that generates more light than heat. That is not to say that her book is without flaws. The argument repeats much information already available in English while neglecting other points, presents a dubious chronology of agricultural development in Japan, and forces the reader through pages of undigested primary sources. Reading this book was a chore akin to boring through solid rock. The contents may be summarized as follows. Rather than setting up the larger issue in the introduction, the author describes her conclusions and shows the differing routes by which Oryza sativa japonica and dry grains were introduced into Japan—rice from the south and unirrigated crops mainly from the north. I found the idea of dry crops being introduced from the north interesting and requiring more explanation while the discussion of wet rice merely repeated what is already known. Chapter 1, with its detailed account of the agricultural process and agricultural development from the Yayoi period through Edo times (1600–1868), is overlong. The side issues examined seem like digressions and do not receive the attention they deserve. Insufficient thought has been given to the presentation of primary sources. Chapter 2 offers a straightforward narrative of swidden or slash-and-burn agriculture, though one swamped with data (especially pp. 154–74). The conclusion (“swidden farming was a widespread reality in everyday life” [p. 185]) seems unremarkable. Chapter 3 is an interesting excursion into the world of wild plants harvested for food by Japanese farmers, with much information new to the English-language corpus. In chapter 4, the author seeks to calculate the average amount of rice consumed by the Japanese of the “early medieval era” (by Verschuer’s reckoning, 700–1200). There are many pitfalls to this type of calculation, but the unsurprising conclusion here is that wet rice supplied only 25 per cent of the caloric intake of the average resident of the archipelago. Chapter 5 deals with the place of rice in Japanese culture, proposing several new and tenuous readings of Japanese mythology. In place of the purported old view that all Japanese ate rice all the time, Verschuer argues that there was a “five grain” (gokoku) ideology and that Japanese commoners relied upon permanent crops, swidden grains, and foraging. I concur with this general conclusion and amidst the author’s tortuous presentation found several additional valuable insights. For example, I was heartened by Verschuer’s discussion of the direct sowing of rice grains onto soggy lands (p. 32) because so many descriptions of rice agriculture merely assume that transplanting was the rule from the Yayoi period. The section on harvesting is intelligent and nuanced, as she considers whether the rice plant [End Page 137] was removed near the root with an iron sickle...

Hikikomori: Cultural idiom or present-day expression of the distress engendered by the transition from adolescence to adulthood

AimHikikomori is a syndrome involving withdrawal into the home for a duration of more than 6months, identified among Japanese teenagers and young adults. The cultural and sociological approach is central in Japan, where a psychiatric understanding has long been denied. We set out to demonstrate how a psychopathological approach is coherent with the categorization found in the DSM 5, where Hikikomori is described as a cultural idiom, that is to say a present-day expression of distress in the transition to adulthood for certain adolescents, notably in France. MethodologyFrom the very first descriptions of the Hikikomori found in the Japanese scientific literature of the 1980s, we will see how this voluntary confinement syndrome has grown in magnitude and has received special attention from the authorities, which have stressed its cultural aspect. We will discuss how this syndrome is rooted in the Japanese mythology and how it is expressed and described in other cultural contexts, as well as in the French and English-language psychiatric literature. We will finally adopt a psychopathological approach in order to complete our understanding of this behavior among boys at entry into adulthood. ResultsHikikomori existed in other forms in Japan prior to the 1980s, and in France from the mid-1950s, in the so-called “claustration” or confinement syndrome, most often associated with psychotic disturbances. In English-speaking countries, it appears under the name of housebound syndrome, a particular form of agoraphobia for women. It also corresponds to the DSM 5 category “cultural idiom”. This describes an expression of suffering during the transition to adulthood concerning certain teenagers who are confronted to strong social and family demands, leading them to develop massive inhibitions and to suspend the ideals of their Ego so that they are finally driven to seek refuge in passivity. DiscussionWhile the cultural approach is central in the Japanese literature, questions about the existence of comorbidities or about ‘primary’ or ‘secondary’ Hikikomori, point to the value of a psychopathological approach. Despite the refusal to consider Hikikomori as a culture-bound syndrome on account of the presence of similar cases in many other countries, its classification as a cultural idiom can integrate its dual cultural and psychopathological particularities. The role of inhibition, and the confrontation with a demanding and distressing ideal, shape a form of masculinity lapsing into passivity. Subjects seem to actively choose passivity in a kind of a masochistic logic so as to suffer less than if they were actually subjected to it. Thus social withdrawal and confinement in the home could serve as message to those around them, albeit addressed in negative form, an expression of distress linked to the difficulties of the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Review of Eriko Ogihara-Schuck, "Miyazaki's Animism Abroad: The Reception of Japanese Religious Themes by American and German Audiences

Eriko Ogihara-Schuck, Miyazaki's Animism Abroad: The Reception of Japanese Religious Themes by American and German Audiences Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2014. 240 pages. Paperback $29.95, Kindle $17.99. isbn 978-0-7864-7262-8 (paperback); e-book 978-1-4766-1395-6.In last few decades, Japanese animation (anime) has become an established research topic in fields such as Media Studies, Cultural Studies, and Japanese Studies. Thanks to critical and commercial success of animated works like Akira (Otomo 1988), Ghost in Shell (Oshii 1995), or films by Studio Ghibli, as well as digital distribution of fan-subbed anime TV series, international audiences have become familiar with aesthetics, narratives, and themes of Japanese animation. In response to this increasing global expansion of anime, scholars from different countries and disciplines have started to reflect on Japanese animation. Interestingly, connections and influences between religion, Japanese culture, and anime have become productive area of research. Jolyon Thomas has argued that aspects of manga and anime culture are visible in ways in which visualize religious worlds, entertain religious ideas, and appropriate religious sites and concepts for novel purposes (2012, 155). According to Buljan and Cusack, the mosaic of anime world is built up largely from elements of specifically Japanese spiritual and religious traditions (2015, 209) in such way that viewing anime be an educational experience for Western audiences who are unfamiliar with Japanese religiosity. Okuyama's work is also relevant in this area, although her scope is wider as she discusses presence of Japanese mythology, understood as a collection of sacred texts with spiritual (or religious) significance to Japanese people (2015, 211), in popular films and anime. These works offer historical and cultural approaches to audiovisual products with religious themes, drawing examples from different media and analyzing creations by variety of authors. They provide concepts and explanations for Western audiences to interpret and better understand Japanese religiosity, but academic studies on specific reception processes of Japanese works with religious motifs are still scarce.1Miyazaki's Animism Abroad, by Eriko Ogihara-Schuck, also deals with representation of Japanese religion in anime and its possibilities to convey autochthonous Japanese beliefs such as animism to foreign audiences. Unlike previously mentioned works, it focuses on films by one single creator, Hayao Miyazaki, and it attempts to establish in which ways animist motifs present in Miyazaki's films have been translated and interpreted in countries such as U. S. and Germany. Essentially, Ogihara-Schuck argues that anime can generate international dialogue in arena of religion. And, significantly, religion that promotes such dialogue is not just present in films' content, but manifests itself within form (10). In order to demonstrate this, she uses two strategies: on one hand, American and German textual translations of Miyazaki's films as well as certain paratextual elements (trailers, posters, and credit songs) are analyzed with purpose of detecting modifications from Japanese original version; on other, author discusses film reviews from both countries as an attempt to establish if reviewers' cinematic experiences depend on different adaptation strategies (domestication or foreignization) employed by distributors of Miyazaki's works. Thus, Ogihara-Schuck addresses transnational reception of Japanese animation through methodology that combines discourse and translation analyses with basic visual analyses of certain elements such as posters or film sequences.This book emerged out of Ogihara-Schuck's PhD dissertation, and some parts previously appeared as chapters in two books (Hoff Kraemer and Lewis eds. …