Digging A Word

In 1968, the Japanese Novelist Kawabata Yasunari川端康成received the first Nobel Prize in literature as a Japanese. At the prize-giving ceremony Kawabata delivered a lecture "Japan, the Beautiful, and Myself." In it a Japanese word --'Aimai曖昧', which translated into 'vague' symbolized "Beautiful Japan". 26 years later another Japanese writer Oe Kenzaburo大江健三郎standing on the same stage, entitled his speech "Japan, the Ambiguous, and Myself". To distinguish from Kawabata's 'vague', Oe chose 'ambiguous' for his 'Aimai'. These two Nobel Prize writers standing on the same place apart over 26 years used the same Japanese word--'Aimai' to send the massage to the world. No matter 'ambiguous' for Oe or 'vague' for Kawabata, 'Aimai' is truly deep-rooted in Japanese culture. In Japan, skillful usage of vagueness is a technique not only to avoid the direct collision between people but also to reserve the possibility of various meanings by its unclear indication. Japanese are trained to master this skill from their childhood till their adult age, to such a degree that they can operate it unconsciously and incomparably. For this reason, Japanese language is famous for its elusive character. But on the other hand, this ambiguous language has a clear and divisible portion in which there is no space for manifold interpretation. Oe said in that speech, (although what he highlighted is another aspect): "...Japan is split between two opposite poles of ambiguity. This ambiguity which is so powerful and penetrating that it divides both the state and its people...is evident in various ways…." So, brought up in a geographically isolated region, the Japanese are extremely ambiguous but extremely explicit. In a unique way, a Japanese word can indicate one's standpoint, especially super-inferior relationship. To make this relationship clear, Japanese has an intricate grammatical system and many pronouns. For example, one must add special respectful auxiliary verbs like '-rareru-られる' or '-nasaru-なさる' when referring their upper-ranker's act; and symmetrically use special modest verbs like 'Mairuまいる' for 'go' or 'Itadakuいただく' for 'eat' when referring oneself. To appropriately adjust the verbal effect, pronouns work. Concerning 'You' in English,‘你’ in Chinese, here are many words in Japanese. 'Anataあなた', 'Kimi君', Sochira-samaそちら様', 'Omaeおまえ', 'Kisama貴様…, all varying according to the relationship between the speaker and the hearer. Complicated systems like this for distinguishing the upper-lower relationship are available not just to grammar and vocabulary, but to tone and register as well. 　 And what is more, in Japanese this tendency of showing super-inferior is likely to extend to man and woman relationship, though they must be equal in any meanings. Women can not use '-shiro-しろ', this kind of Meireikei命令形---demanding form is the man's privilege. Language reflects the society. Japanese anthropologist Nakane Chie argued in her 1967 best-selling book 'Tateshakai No Ningen Kankeiタテ社会の人間関係' (English version: Japanese Society, 1970): "Japanese social and interpersonal relations are based on a principle by which the constituent members are tied vertically. Even the relation between men and wife, often becomes vertical rather than horizontal". In reverse, society encodes its figure in language. 'Danson-Johi男尊女卑'-Predominance of men over women, the word died with The Equal Opportunity Employment Law finally coming into force in 1985. But it is still resting in every nook and corner, alive in Japanese traditional thought. Natsume Soseki夏目漱石, one of Japan's greatest modern novelists wrote to his fiancée: "I am an intelligent man, so I have no time to trouble myself with you. Please understand that..." Between the lines, revealed an attitude of entirely lack of female respecting. Trace back to ancient anthology 'Manyou-Shu万葉集'-the earliest extant collection of Japanese poetry in Nara Era. In it, many of excellent 'Tanka短歌'-Japanese poems were written by women, but most of these woman writer's names can not be identified, they were just noted with whose wife they are. At present, its appearing more or less puzzling for many foreigners because usually this thought is supposed to have already been extinct in a well developed country. Chinese writer Zhou Xin Chi wrote his impression when he first came to Japan: "…the calling of 'Shujin主人'-master/owner/host/proprietor/lord to her husband startled me, when I met my Japanese friend at the airport and was introduced to her husband. I could not help hitting my question to her after we left alone, because in Chinese the word was used when a servant called his master and was prohibited 50 years ago…" His friend explained that it is common sense to address husband 'Shujing' in Japan today because it is a part of modest form of calling. But what do husband call his wife in their modest way? The corresponding word is 'Kanai家内' literally means 'house wife'. Even we know they are not unpleasant or discriminate meaning in modern Japanese now and the people who daily use these words might become insensible to the original meaning of the words. However by using one word instead of another, the people or things must be put in the mold of the word, unconsciously obey the built-in relation intended by the words. Rethinking 'Shujin' and 'Kanai', we have to be aware of the 'gravity' of these two words. Because the words of 'Shujin' and 'Kanai' do not only remain at the daily using level, they deliver the message to us about the gender role differentiation; suggest a direction to people concerned. "On the ground of naturalism, biological functionalism and nationalism which asserted men were born to be productive outside the family with a warrior's sense of competition, dedication, and loyalty for the state and industry, and women were made to be reproductive as a tender wife to make men feel rested at home, and as a wise mother to help the next generation of the 'emperor's children' multiply and grow healthy and studious" argued Japanese anthropologist Chizuko.
The ideal female's image in Japan is quiet, patient and never puts herself forward. From childhood, Japanese girls were cultivated for 'Onnarashisa女らしさ'-behave like a women, were told to cover their mouth when they laugh or eat, do not sit cross-legged, do not assert herself… cutely satisfy the men's self-respect through their talking or behavior. The orthodox Japanese woman's objective is 'Ryou-sai, Ken-bo良妻賢母' -to be a good house wife, to be a wise mother. Most of Japanese women resign their works because of their marriage, that is called 'Enman-taisya円満退社' standing for leaving the company with everyone happy. In Japanese Speech Contest of 1992 in Tokyo, an international bride related the experience of her 'Enman-taisha', and thus a collision occurred in her heart between the culture in which she grew up and the one where she lives. After her marriage ceremony with a Japanese 'Kaishayin会社員'-a salary man, she was also asked to quit her work and enter their home to be a house wife. But after a while, she began to feel bored and started to prepare for returning to her work. When she told a Japanese friend of her plan, the friend looked at her curiously and said: "Are you not free to spend your husband's money?" But it is not the problem of money for her: "I want to be more than just a house wife." She asserted. Then her friend advised: "you can do this without finding a job… try 'Ikebana生け花'-flower arrangement, visit museum, practice 'ShoDou書道' –Calligraphy… there are many things that you can do to improve yourself without working." But when the new bride answered that she wanted to use her college degree in something which is respected by around or the job market will pay for. That friend got indignant: "You have your job in your home! Half of your husband's wage comes to you as support for his work. Pour yourself in cleaning your house and considering recipes! Being a house wife also is a great job!" Nevertheless she consulted with her former superior for returning. The man shook his head: "Does your husband agree with you?" "Why" she thought: "It is my problem, I’m an adult, I can decide how to use my free time." When she told her desire to her husband directly, her husband answered: "I have the ability to raise this family. When in Japan, we will do as the Japanese do". People growing in different social circumstance shape different philosophy of living. In a circumstance that encourage women to achieve themselves then they would be able to get equal opportunities, or surrounded by an atmosphere which idealizes and respects women who work professionally, she will prefer acting on a more stimulating stage rather than bound by a fence. While most of Asian women have realized economic independence, and then extricated themselves from sexual discrimination, the gender segregation is still need to be improved in Japan. What created this segregation in Japan? Japanese economic power is one reason. Generally a husband's salary is enough to cover the wife's income, as a matter of fact; the wife's living relies on her husband's salary. At the same time, the problem of over production rather than scarcity has become serious. Thus, the ideal homemaker is viewed as a consumer rather than a producer.
Another resistance standing in the way is a traditional ideology-Confucianism. Confucianism transmitted from Chinese Sui dynasty, completed by the Tokugawa government in Edo era to be an ideological basis for maintaining public order. By the tenet of Confucianism, the ethical concept called 'Chu忠' -loyalty and 'Kou孝'-filial piety, successively joint the relation from women to men, lower to upper, men to superiors or organization, ultimately connected with the loyalty to State. One expression of their loyalty spirit is the so-called 'Zan Gyou残業' ---they can voluntarily work overtime until their work achieves a goal. By this faith, Japanese society is constructed from family---the smallest unit in society---to the nation itself like a pyramid; people are tied together through an ascending series of vertical loyalty relationship. In addition to 'Chu忠'-loyalty and 'Kou孝'-filial piety, Confucius also taught that men should cultivate themselves to become 'Junzi君子'-a true men, he taught further: "唯女子与小人難養也、近之則不遜遠之則怨ーOnly woman as well as a base person is difficult to raise. Too close to them, they will be insolent to you; apart from them, they will complain of you.", regarding women inferior to men. This tendency grew intensively, during the Han dynasty, a detail cosmology was developed dividing the universe into two forces of 'Ying陰' -negative and 'Yong陽'-positive. 'YingYongDao陰陽道' destined Man is 'out', woman must be 'in' as a complementary role to man. Women were wound their feet respectively from their childhood so as to block their feet's growing up and limit their movable range. Classical songs, ritual and literary works were produced to spread this tenet. Similarly to China, since the Heian era Japanese aesthetics, which tended to emphasize the virtue of woman's self-devotion, has created a lot of heroines in Japanese novels. They were full of self-sacrifices, elegant beauty and enduring pain and deprivation with patience, therefore usually colored by a hint of sadness, at last become ideal by her death. Kawabata Yasunari's work, a representative of this Japanese aesthetic sensibility, elevates woman's pity to the sublime and leads the reader to a deep penetration into the Japanese inner world. In the Yukiguni雪国the hero---'Shimamura', although genuinely attracted to the passionate 'Geisha芸者---Komako'(heroine), but he never prepared marrying her; although devoting the whole love of herself, Komako never extravagantly hoped to be treated above a bought 'Geisha'. Here was a monologue of Shimamura: "...thinking she is pity and naturally I feel I am pity too, but her pity makes her more beautiful and sexual, so I enjoy her pity too...". Therefore Shimamura neither did anything to make her happy, nor prepared to take responsibility by divorcing his wife. Just only appreciated this "flower of nothingness". In the same novel another heroine-'Youko', loved a youth, looked after him when he was ill and even took care his grave after his death. Contrary to these selfless women, in 'Genji Monogatari源氏物語', 'Hikarugenji光源氏's various love affairs, typically advocated the men's pursue of pure essence---Wealth and Sex. Whereas accompanying the opening of Japan in the middle of nineteenth century, Western influence gradually permeated into the Japanese thought. Japanese woman no longer walks three steps behind her man, but also cannot walk in front of him. This thinking habit had by now so deeply entrenched that even disappeared from proscenium of the history; it is active in visible and invisible places. In Japan, a 'Ie家'-family is constituted by patriarchy. The ideograph for patriarch-men is 'Daikokubashira大黒柱', that means the prop of a family, because they earn money home. The Japanese woman still has to be subordinate to men not only in this traditional thought, but also in the economic reality. Women are bothered by discrimination in hiring, positions, and promotion opportunities although it is equal before the law. Majority of the working position is occupied by men, the remained is part-time jobs or assistant jobs which income is too inadequate to make them independent from their 'salary husband', and can not excise the address of house wife. This man-made feudalistic setting, carving up spheres of men and women, confining the gender-role, obviously ignores the natural instinct of human being. Even under this atmosphere, educational level of Japanese women has continued improving since the Meiji era, by now college-graduated women's percentage is equal to men's percentage and high-ranked in the world. History retained their contributions. Looking back to Heian era. 'Genji monogatari源氏物語-Tale of Genji', considered the pride of Japanese culture, and 'Makura No Soushi枕草子-The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon' the first example of 'Zuihitsu随筆-random jotting' genre, both of which were written by authoresses. Hiragana, the basic Japanese script, it is women developed it for private correspondence. Hitherto consigning them to lives of trivial, routine work means an immense waste of human resources. Culture is changing with its social change only at a slower pace. Japan has succeeded in developing modern science and technology without losing her own identity and cultural heritages. Japanese traditional culture including vagueness and proper use, is really beautiful and necessary. We are succumb to a fascination of the 'Haiku-俳句's realm pervading the Oriental beauty--- 'Furuikeya Kawazu Tobikomu Mizunooto　古池や　蛙飛び込む水の音'- Old-pond Jumping-frog the sound of water. Yet, proper use of words belongs to a part of Japanese culture and is necessary for a good communication. An honorific, for example, is function to show respect to the other party and effective in promoting mutual respect. But language has a fearful power, it is not only used for conversation, but also functions to lay down the stipulation for the manner how people should be. As Structuralism suggests, language restricts our thinking way, determines the world. Ferdinand de Saussure shows that language operates as a linear sequence, and that all the elements of a particular sequence form a chain. Relationships between the people also are linear sequence; all the people must be connected in a horizontal chain instead of a vertical one. Without adjusting these distinctions of expressions between men and women, a truly equal society is difficult to achieve. 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