Understanding Japaneseness
A Fresh Look at Nipponjinron through Maternal-filial Affection
By (author) Kosuke Nishitani Edited by Mike Sherrill
Not available to order
Publication date:
26 September 2016Length of book:
268 pagesPublisher
Hamilton BooksISBN-13: 9780761868224
Japan, although a small country, is identified as perhaps the only civilization composed of just one nation. In spite of its many encounters with axial civilizations Japan has somehow preserved a unique sense of self. This enduring quality lends an air of mystery to Japanese culture that continues to draw the fascination of many. Such curiosity about the nature of Japan and its people has prompted the publication of many books that contribute to the academic genre known as “Nipponjinron.”
This book makes a distinctly new contribution as a theological anthropology of Japaneseness by paying careful attention to the religious sensibilities that undergird Japanese behavior. The author draws on numerous seminal works of Nipponjinron to build a sturdy philosophical and historical platform. Through concrete examples, classic literature, historical analysis, and religious reflection, the author carefully and skillfully illuminates a new path to understanding Japaneseness by drawing the reader’s attention to the lifeblood of Japanese behavior, “maternal-filial affection.”
This book makes a distinctly new contribution as a theological anthropology of Japaneseness by paying careful attention to the religious sensibilities that undergird Japanese behavior. The author draws on numerous seminal works of Nipponjinron to build a sturdy philosophical and historical platform. Through concrete examples, classic literature, historical analysis, and religious reflection, the author carefully and skillfully illuminates a new path to understanding Japaneseness by drawing the reader’s attention to the lifeblood of Japanese behavior, “maternal-filial affection.”
I have long awaited a book that at last makes clear the connection between ancient Japanese spirituality and contemporary Japanese social behavior. Nishitani takes Nipponjinron into new territory in pursuit of discovering what truly lies at the heart of Japanese culture. Through his analysis of the Japanese reticence to organ transplantation he first draws our attention to the profound importance placed on blood-relationships in Japan and gradually thrusts forward to unpack the concept of “maternal-filial affection” as a cultural-religious key to understanding Japaneseness. While grappling with numerous sociological and anthropological factors, Nishitani’s work carefully builds a theology of contemporary Japanese behavior. Such an insight is urgently needed in this era of globalization.