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National Imagination |
Excerpts from "The Japanese Experience" Visual Culture Project
Jared Swerzenski '05
| WAY OF THE SAMURAI: "Out of legend and the mists of time come the art and artifacts of the new exhibition at the Worcester Art Museum in Worcester, Mass. Colorful woodblock prints, Zen paintings, screens, helmets, armor and arms and tea ware are among the 131 objects spanning five centuries that tell the story of the values and culture of the samurai warriors. Abiding by a strict military code; trained in martial arts; emphasizing loyalty to the shogun, warlords and family; practitioners of Zen meditation; worshipers of Shinto and Buddhist deities; and in more halcyon hours, devotees of poetry, calligraphy and painting; the samurai also participated in tea ceremonies.” (Out of the New York Times April 7th article)
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| Tradition is a very important element in Japanese culture. The Japanese do not like to forget their past. Even though the Samurai class is not present in today’s society, the Japanese turn to their Samurai past for national identity. Originally, samurai were a class of bushi (warriors) responsible for protecting their lords.The Japanese, in crisis, look back to earlier times and hijack the past.They have often looked back to identify themselves with the samurai.
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| After this war Japan was forced, like other subjugated Asian nations, to sign unequal treaties with Western powers. These treaties granted the Westerners one-sided economical and legal advantages in Japan.This was a dark period in Japan, and they needed to look to the samurai to reinforce their identities of power, strength, and honor.
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| The samurai do not only represent power and strength but elegance as well. As you can see in this picture, the many samurai are enjoying the shade under the vibrantly blossoming trees. This picture depicts a softer side of the samurai: one of slower and more peaceful times. Japan, as a nation state, also wants to be seen as a country with elegance and peaceful times.
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| Perhaps as a result of the rocky economic prospects of the nation, the samurai has been re-ressurected as an important icon of strength and hope. These images from anime and manga (Japanese comic books) show the Japanese tendency to return again to a nostalgic, imagined past of glory to find reassurance in the meaning of Japanese-ness.
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