How much do you know about the characteristics of Japanese culture?

The Japanese nation is brave and good at absorbing foreign cultures, and Japanese culture is a mixed culture formed by absorbing, selecting and integrating foreign cultures. The following are the characteristics of Japanese culture that I have compiled. Welcome to reading.

First, the subjectivity and openness of Japanese "miscellaneous culture"

Subjectivity of Japanese culture.

As we all know, from a historical perspective, Japan is surrounded by an ancient civilization. In the long historical development, Japan, as an island country far from the mainland, has developed its own culture. Compared with ancient India and China, the civilization centers in Asia, ancient Japanese culture is at a low level. Ancient Japanese culture meets China culture, just like water flowing downwards. At that time, the advanced China culture was absorbed by the Japanese. Since modern times, Japan's social and cultural development has been quite rapid. It is precisely because of the backwardness of capitalist culture in western Europe that Japan began to absorb western culture on a large scale after modern times.

Japan is an island country, facing China, the center of civilization, and Korea, China's neighbor, across the sea. In Japan before modern times, this distance, in a sense, gave the initiative to communicate with the outside world. In other words, in line with the times or when necessary, Japan introduced the required culture from the mainland through the ocean, and when unlucky or unnecessary, it used the ocean to close the door to communication for a period of time. Because Japan has established a unified country by using its powerful geographical environment, 1000 has not been invaded and conquered by foreign countries for more than 2000 years, nor has there been a large-scale immigration of foreign nationalities like that in the Yayoi period. Before the American occupation in World War II, there were never foreigners in Japan. This was different from the frequent wars and ethnic conflicts in the Asian continent and Europe at that time, and Japanese culture was able to take its own unique development path. When Japan absorbs foreign cultures, it often accepts them selectively according to its own needs. This open and closed geographical environment also brings two sides of Japanese culture. Opening and closing are carried out at the same time, and the absorption of foreign culture, which is both open and closed, has two sides.

The Japanese have believed in polytheism since ancient times, believing that everything in the world has gods, and gods dominate people's happiness and misfortune. Buddhism spread to Japan in the sixth century. Nowadays, in Japanese living habits, it is generally said that festivals are celebrated with Shinto ceremonies, and unfortunate events are celebrated with Buddhist ceremonies. This diversified way of thinking has brought great integration to Japanese culture, enabling foreign culture and local culture to coexist while maintaining differences.

2. Dominance, selectivity, integration and conservatism.

Japan's subjectivity can be divided into the following four aspects:

(1) Dominance: absorbing the most advanced culture in the world at that time.

From the 5th century to the 6th century, China was the center of world civilization. Japan transplanted China's advanced mode of production and political system in Sui and Tang Dynasties.

From18th century to19th century, Europe was the place where modern capitalism took place and the center of modern civilization, so Japan transplanted modern European academic thoughts after World War II, imported modern industrial economic system and imitated American civilization.

(2) selectivity:

What you think is good for you and can adapt to your own culture will be absorbed.

(3) integration:

Instead of absorbing foreign culture directly and mechanically, we should transform our own inherent things and organically integrate foreign culture into Japan.

(4) Conservatism:

Inherent excellent traditional culture has been passed down intact, such as tea ceremony and sumo wrestling.

3. Look at subjectivity from the causes of its formation

As mentioned above, the periphery is one of the reasons for the formation of Japanese culture. Being close to ancient India and China, the center of Asian civilization, Japan has its own leading role in absorbing foreign cultures. This is a manifestation of the subjectivity of Japanese culture, which has fully played a leading role in absorbing foreign advanced culture. The second manifestation of Japanese cultural subjectivity is the conservatism of inherent traditional culture. This is due to the geographical environment of the island country. In war-torn China, the renewal of the new dynasty is often accompanied by the destruction and denial of the past culture. However, Japan without war has preserved and developed a large number of splendid traditional oriental cultures, such as court music and dance, which originated in China but were abandoned by the war. The third manifestation of Japanese cultural subjectivity is integration.

In the process of absorbing foreign cultures, Japan did not copy them mechanically, but showed strong integration. The reason can be attributed to the diversified thinking mode of the Japanese nation. The Japanese created their own characters by transforming China's Chinese characters, which is an excellent example. They created hiragana based on cursive script of Chinese characters and katakana based on regular script. In addition, Buddhism from India was changed and integrated into Shinto thought in Japan, and the theory of the unity of God and Buddhism was founded, which developed into secular Buddhism.

Second, the openness of absorbing foreign cultures.

1, Dahua Innovation and the Absorption of Sui and Tang Cultures

Following China's example, Japan changed its year number to Dahua in 645. Through the reform of Dahua in the first year of Dahua, China's system and culture were introduced into Japan more actively. The goal of Dahua reform is to establish a centralized bureaucratic country, mainly introducing advanced production methods and political systems from the mainland.

In terms of land system, the government changed the land ownership and ministerial ownership of the clan society before the reform into the public land system, implemented rent, tax and concession tax laws by collecting agricultural land, registered household registration, and gradually established a statutory society. Imitating the laws of the Tang dynasty, the law of approaching the river, the law of flying birds in the net and the law of providing for the aged have been promulgated successively.

In education, we should learn the educational system and contents of the Tang Dynasty, and at the same time, we should use Confucian classics "The Book of Filial Piety", "The Analects of Confucius" and China's "The Book of Rites" as teaching materials. However, China's imperial examination system was not adopted. Japan selects and appoints officials on the basis of heredity.

In terms of food and clothing customs, it has also absorbed many cultures. The nobles envied the lifestyle of the Tang Dynasty and imitated their life. Tang suit was popular at that time, and the emperor's dress and crown were modeled after Emperor China. The costumes of ministers and women are also based on Tang costumes. The food culture, food and cooking methods of the Tang Dynasty also spread to Japan, enriching Japanese life. Many traditional Japanese activities are the traditions and habits of China. For example, New Year's Mensong, Tu Su wine, Qixi, bonsai, Double Ninth Festival and so on.

2. Meiji Restoration and the absorption of western culture

1868 Meiji Restoration was actually a transition from feudal system to modern capital system, which laid the foundation of modern Japanese state. The Japanese government absorbed western civilization and carried out various reforms. Japan is a country that attaches importance to education. Meiji government pays attention to education. 187 1 year promulgated the academic system, advocated educational egalitarianism, and rectified and improved the academic system from university to primary school. The educational decree of 1890, on the one hand, absorbed the academic system and scientific content of modern western education and perfected the form of modern education. On the other hand, it advocates the non-modern educational concept of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, and emphasizes the spiritual constraint of feudal education.

Japan began to absorb modern western science from the Tokugawa era, and introduced western science and technology on a large scale in Meiji era by hiring foreign experts, setting up schools and sending overseas students. The natural science research in Meiji era made great achievements in mathematics, physics, geology, medicine and other fields only by relying on the direct guidance of foreign experts.

The civilized lifestyle has brought great changes to the Japanese. From clothes, hairstyles to diet, we are all in line with westerners. Under the influence of Buddhism, the Japanese seldom eat meat, but in order to strengthen their national physique, they actively changed their original lifestyle, drinking milk, eating beef hotpot, allowing monks to eat meat, marrying and so on.

3. Failure and the absorption of American culture

The most fundamental measure to change Japan is to formulate a democratic constitution. 1946 drafted a new constitution under the guidance of American experts. According to the Constitution, sovereignty belongs to the people and all citizens are equal. With the comprehensive revision of the constitution, the family system that only the eldest son can inherit family property was abolished, and the civil law was revised based on the principle of equality between men and women, and a large-scale reform was carried out.

In terms of political reform, the first step is to arrest and sentence government and military leaders during the war as war criminals and eliminate militaristic forces. During the war years, the laws that bound civil liberties were declared invalid, and various political parties were established, especially the Japanese * * * Production Party, as a legitimate political party, entered the political arena. The election law for members of the House of Representatives was revised, giving 20-year-old male and female citizens the right to vote, thus ushering in the era of women's participation in politics.