Japanese culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Japanese culture - Essay Example They seek the support of supernatural powers for their rescue as well as for the solution of their difficulties. Thus, religion provides spiritual guidance and emotional relief to the humans. Being one of the most developed and cultivated countries of the contemporary world, the examining and exploration of ancient Japanese cultural traits and spiritual thought has always been a subject of great interest for the archaeologists, historians and anthropologists. However, researches find no solid records of the Japanese cult and culture in Paleolithic era; thus, either the indigenous Japanese of the Old Stone Age had perished away, or they had been invaded and killed by the outsiders during early Neolithic era. â€Å"Because no full skeletons have yet been found, it has been difficult for the archaeologists to make judgment about the racial character of the Old Stone Age Japanese.† (Varley 2000, 1) Since the Japanese maintained strong faith in Shinto belief during the first six ce nturies A.D., they used to seek spiritual inspiration from Kami, the main objects of worship according to the Shinto faith. Kami worship had been in vogue among the Japanese even under the Jomon and Yayoi dynasties, few centuries before the advent of both Christianity and Buddhism. Kami was not confined to one single object only; rather, it contained several natural phenomena including the Sun, which had always been a source of great inspiration and motivation for them. Thus, the earlier Japanese built shrines and temples of the Sun Goddess and used to seek her support for their worldly matters on the one hand, and for their spiritual uplift on the other. â€Å"The principal monument to the Sun Goddess is the Ise Shrine, which houses her image in the form of mirror the most precious object of the imperial regalia.† (Varley 2000, 17) The political establishment of the Japanese culture had also been laid on the foundation of their religious belief. Consequently, they considered their emperor as Deity, and there were no two opinions on this sensitive-most issue. Thus, the Japanese emperor was also one of the Kami objects according to Shinto belief. It is therefore the imperial Uji clan of Japan enjoyed the divine respect and status among the rest of Uji tribes. Consequently, the imperial Uji could select non-imperial Ujis as ministers even during sixth century A.D, and these appointed ministers were looked at with reverence provided they had been selected by the Kami. The ancient Japanese led very simple and barbarous life and maintained least familiarity with the tools; as a result, the invaders from the neighboring Asian regions overcame them and left indelible impact of their cult and culture on the Japanese. Hence, the Japanese had sought religious inspiration from the neighboring far eastern and south East Asian cultures. The Chinese civilization had been the most dominating one in this regards, and captured the spiritual structure of ancient Japan. T he findings reveal that the ancient Japanese were the followers of Shinto faith, which still prevails in the country. During pre-history to the first quarter of sixth century A.D., Shinto had been the central belief followed by Japanese, though basic customs and conventions of this period are unknown. The Shinto religion is now divided into different sects. â€Å"Shrine Shinto (Jinja Shinto) is the principle form, in existence from the beginning of Japanese history, through which others act. Folk Shinto (Minzoku Shinto) is a sub-string of this, centered on the veneration