Japanese
traditions and customs have been evolving over a period
of thousands of years and involve every aspect of Japanese
life. The kimono
or traditional Japanese dress was the basic form of dress
for all Japanese until recent times however, even today
it is customary to wear kimono for special
celebrations and cultural events. The refined arts of tea
ceremony (shadoh), flower
arrangement (ikebana) and Bonsai
(the cultivation of miniature trees) are still enjoyed and
practiced by Japanese young and old alike and have quite
a following worldwide. Even Origami
(the art of paper-folding) is so popular that children in
the United States have come to enjoy this traditional pastime
just like children in Japan.
To learn about other customs and traditions, click on the
following links:
Bonenkai
/ year-end parties
Bonsai
Cormorant Fishing / ukai
Family Register / koseki
Fireworks / hanabi
Flower Arrangement / Ikebana
Gift Giving / omiage
Kagamiwari
/ cask breaking ceremony
Marriage
Moon Viewing
Mon / family
crest
Omiai /
arranged marriages
Omikuji
/ fortune telling
Tea ceremony
Yuka / open-air
dining
Bonenkai
/ forget-the-year parties
Bonenkai
(forget the year parties) are held by companies throughout
Japan about mid-December. At year end, most companies also
give generous bonuses to their employees sometimes amounting
to 1/12 of their annual salary. Continue
Bonsai
/ the art of cultivating miniature trees
Bonsai is the art of cultivating miniature trees
which was introduced to Japan from China around the thirteenth
century. In China, Bonsai is believed to have
originated over a thousand years ago as the potting of
tree specimens. Later, these trees became prized for their
gnarled roots which resembled animals, dragons and birds
and became associated with myth and legend. Over the years,
Japanese Bonsai evolved into an expression of
personal aesthetic consistent with the teachings of Zen
Buddhism and the interrelationship of man, nature and
the elements. It is said that the three basic tenets of
Bonsai are shin-zen-bi which means,
truth, goodness and beauty.
Bonsai trees are grown in small ceramic pots
and through careful and systematic pruning, root trimming,
transplanting, watering and fertilization are cultivated
to become works of art in their own right. Like their
counterparts in the wild, Bonsai trees can live
to be hundreds of years old and it is not uncommon for
a family to pass on a Bonsai tree from generation
to generation. Although an ever widening variety of trees
are used in Bonsai, traditionally, pines, azaleas
and maples are the most popular. Bonsai trees
are usually cultivated in their pots outdoors but sometimes
they are brought into the Japanese home on special occasions
and displayed. Those cultivated outdoors experience the
usual seasonal changes including the changing of leaf
color in autumn, the dropping of leaves in winter and
the new growth of spring.
Cormorant
Fishing / ukai
This
1,300-year-old tradition (ukai) involves fishermen
who use trained cormorants – aquatic birds that swim
and hunt fish under water -- to catch the ayu, or sweetfish.
ukai has been designated an ‘Intangible Culture
Asset’ by the Ministry of Culture and is protected
under the Imperial Household Agency. While it was once a
popular way to fish, today a limited number of fishermen
are licensed to practice the art which is usually passed
down within families.
Family Register / koseki
As
early as the 7th century, the Japanese began a system
of registering its citizens. In 1870, this system became
law and today it is considered the most official form
of identification. koseki includes such information
as birth, marriage, divorce and death records.
Fireworks
/ hanabi
In
Japanese, fireworks are called hanabi which literally
means "flower-fire." Fireworks were first introduced
to Japan in the late sixteenth century and at the time were
enjoyed almost exclusively by the ruling class. Gradually,
firework displays were held for the amusement of the common
people and by the 18th century, they had become popular
throughout Japan. In Tokyo, an annual summer fireworks display
along the Sumida River begun some 300 years ago, attracts
over a million spectators today. There are over 7,000 fireworks
festivals held throughout Japan each year. Many of today’s
fireworks are being manufactured by the same families who
began making them generations ago. Continue…
Flower
Arrangement / ikebana
ikebana or the art of flower arrangement, is the
traditional Japanese way of arranging flowers to represent
the earth, the sky and man based on strict aesthetic ideals
and the ultimate harmony of all nature. Beginning more than
six hundred years ago, ikebana was first practiced
in Buddhist ritual. Like the
Indian custom of honoring Buddha by strewing flowers all
about the alter, the Japanese adopted this custom introduced
directly from China and began making more formal arrangements
which were placed on Buddhist alters. Eventually this practice
evolved to include the making of flower arrangements to
honor the dead and they were done in adherence to Buddhist
beliefs and almost exclusively by priests. A strict style
emerged in which a tall upright central stem was accompanied
by two progressively shorter stems representing heaven,
earth and man, accordingly. By the fifteenth century, ikebana
was elevated to an art form which also became a popular
pastime among the nobility and eventually the middle-class.
Continue
Gift
Giving / omiage
The
system of gift giving in Japan is perhaps one of the most
intricate and demanding in the world. There is an entire
etiquette surrounding gift giving which specifies, when,
to whom, under what circumstances a gift should be given
as well as what type of gift is appropriate given the occasion,
how much it should cost and even how the gift should be
wrapped.
Kagamiwari
/ cask breaking ceremony
Kagamiwari
(cask breaking ceremony) is a Japanese tradition in which
the circular lid of a sake cask is broken with a wooden
mallet to celebrate an important event such as the New Year,
weddings, anniversaries or the opening of a new business.
kimono
In the early 7th century, a kimono-like woven cotton
undergarment was introduced to Japan from China and is considered
to be the immediate predecessor of the kimono as
we know it today. During the Heian period (794-897), the
kimono evolved into an elaborate outer garment,
however it was not until Japan severed ties with China in
894 when a distinctly Japanese style of dress emerged. Court
nobles wore long trailing robes tied with a simple sash
and open-ended elongated sleeves which reached the floor.
On ceremonial occasions, it became popular for ladies of
the court to wear multiple layers sometimes as many as 20
kimono at a time. These were carefully selected
based on their design and color and each layer was meticulously
revealed at the collar, sleeve end and lower skirt. Men
too wore elaborate kimono, however, loose fitting
trousers continued to be worn underneath. Continue...
Marriage
/ kekkon
Marriage is a very important part of Japanese society.
It represents not only the joining of two individuals,
but the joining of families, as well. Upon marriage, the
bride takes not only the family name of the groom, but
officially becomes a part of his family. A marriage is
not official until the name of the bride is entered into
the Family Register of the
groom.
The
average age for getting married in Japan is 28. It is
not considered appropriate to marry until the bride and
groom have graduated from college and the groom is employed.
Employment for most young men is within Japan’s
major corporations where he is likely to work his entire
life. The divorce rate is one of the smallest in the world
and is less than half that of the United States.
In
contemporary Japan, most marriages are between young people
who have met in college or through friends and have fallen
in love with each other and decided to marry. However,
the tradition of ‘omiai’ in which an official
matchmaker arranges meetings between prospective brides
and grooms is still in practice today. Continue…
Mon
/ family crest
The Japanese family crest or mon is a graphic symbol representing
a family which is handed down from generation to generation.
Mon originate in the 11th century when armies would affix
a symbol to the banners they carried into battle. Today,
there are over 200 basic crests with about 4,000 individual
variations and they are almost all based on elements in
nature such as flowers, birds and animals. The most famous
crest is the 16-petalled chrysanthemum which is the exclusive
crest of the Imperial Family. Family crests are commonly
worn on formal kimonos by both men an women.
To learn more, visit JapanCorners’ kimono
page.
Moon
Viewing / tsuki-mi
Moon
viewing (tsuki-mi) is an autumnal tradition dating
back to the ancient times when Japan was primarily an agrarian
society. It has long been the custom to view the harvest
moon from verandas and hillsides while eating seasonal and
specially prepared foods, drinking sake and writing verse.
Continue…
Omiai
/ arranged marriages
Omiai are arranged marriages – the custom
of which dates back hundreds of years. Omiai
today are typically the result of an introduction made
between a young man and woman by either a friend, family
associate or a professional matchmaker (nakodo-san).
Once the introduction is made, couples date for some time
then decide between themselves whether or not to marry.
Omikuji
/ fortune telling
Omikuji is a traditional form of Japanese fortune
telling in which a person's fortune is written on piece
of folded paper and is typically sold at Shinto Shrines
and Buddhist Temples for about 100 yen. These fortunes
are either drawn at random from a box or purchased from
a vending machine. Omikuji can range from excellent
to poor and tell about various aspects of life including
love, business, academics, special wishes, travel etc.
Many Japanese visit shrines and temples at the New Year
and enjoy learning their fortune in this manner. Omikuji
are usually not taken seriously and are read with a sense
of fun. Once the Omikuji is read, many people
tie them on trees and pillars at temples and shrines for
good luck.
Origami
/ the art of folding paper
How
to make an origami crane.
Origami is the Japanese
art of paper-folding. Ori
comes from the verb oru
which means "to fold"
and gami comes from the
word kami which means
paper. Since the Chinese invented
paper sometime during the first
century A.D., they also began
folding paper to create a variety
of useful and decorative objects.
Buddhist priests studying in China
first brought paper to Japan during
the sixth century and paper-folding
was soon adopted in religious
rituals and daily customs. Paper-folding
was primarily used as a way to
wrap special objects and gifts
and this tradition continues to
this day. Over the years, paper-folding
developed into a popular pastime
for children who learned how to
fold a variety of Origami
"toys" including, birds,
boxes, animals and fish. The first
book written about Origami
was, "Senbazuro Orikata"
(The Way to Fold a Thousand Cranes)
which was published in 1797.
Continue…
Tea Ceremony / cha-no-yu or
sadoh
The Japanese tea ceremony is a ritualized way of preparing
and drinking tea which was perfected in the latter half
of the 18th century by Sen-no-Rikyu. It was inspired
by Zen and continues to reflect the Zen ideals of aestheticism,
peace, harmony and discipline. Today it is still a popular
pastime, and for many it is a welcome respite from the hustle
and bustle of busy modern-day life. Continue...
Yuka
/ open-air dining
Yuka,
is open-air dining on raised platforms built along river
banks. It is featured during the summer months as a way
to dine while enjoying a cool summer’s breeze. Yuka
is particularly popular pastime in Kyoto.
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