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Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations
By Roger J. Davies
4/5 (6 ratings)
173 pages
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Description
Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations
takes readers on a thoroughly researched and extremely readable journey through Japan's cultural history.
This much-anticipated sequel to Roger Davies's best-selling The Japanese Mind provides a comprehensive overview of the religion and philosophy of Japan. This cultural history of Japan explains the diverse cultural traditions that underlie modern Japan and offers readers deep insights into Japanese manners and etiquette.
Davies begins with an investigation of the origins of the Japanese, followed by an analysis of the most important approaches used by scholars to describe the essential elements of Japanese culture. From there, each chapter focuses on one of the formative elements: Shintoism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, Confucianism, and Western influences in the modern era.
Each chapter is concluded with extensive endnotes along with thought-provoking discussion activities, making this volume ideal for individual readers and for classroom instruction. Anyone interested in pursuing a deeper understanding of this complex and fascinating nation will find Davies's work an invaluable resource.
Philosophy
Shintoism
Social Science
Buddhism
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"In this clear and concise guide, Davies explains the key religious traditions that influence life in modern Japan." --Publishers Weekly
"With his balanced air and refusal to indulge in glib theories, Roger Davies has produced a book that helps enormously in the demystifying of Japan." --Green Shinto blog
"This is definitely a book you need to pick up if you want to learn more about Japanese culture and would like more of an understanding of what influenced it." --JLPT Boot Camp blog
"Roger J. Davies has written a well-needed summing up of the philosophical underpinnings of Japanese culture. A well-rounded, succinct, and thought-provoking analysis that everyone in the Japan field can benefit from." --Alex Kerr, author of Lost Japan and Dogs and Demons; Winner of Japan's prestigious Shincho Gakugei Literature Prize
"Japanese Culture is an in-depth introduction to different aspects and influences that make Japan the unique world it is. From its history, its isolation, and its aesthetics to the influence of the Chinese, the West, and beyond, this book won't make you an expert, but it will give you a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon…With numerous thought-provoking questions to discuss and appendices loaded with additional information, Japanese Culture is both an accessible, erudite guidebook and a launching pad to greater, more enriching studying to come." --Manhattan Book Review
About the Author
Roger J. Davies is a committed advocate of lifelong learning with degrees in Linguistics (M.A. Ph.D.) and Business Administration (MBA) from universities in Canada, Great Britain, and the United States. He has taught courses in business management, intercultural communication, and Japanese culture at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels at some of Japan's leading schools, including Hitotsubashi University, The University of Tokyo, and Waseda University. He is also the lead editor of bestselling, The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture.
Product details
Publisher : Tuttle Publishing; Anniversary ed. edition (August 9, 2016)
Language : English
Paperback : 160 pages
===
Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations
by Roger J. Davies
3.66 · Rating details · 124 ratings · 24 reviews
Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations takes readers on a thoroughly researched and remarkably readable journey through Japan's cultural history.
This much-anticipated sequel to Roger Davies's best-selling The Japanese Mind provides a comprehensive overview of the religion and philosophy of Japan. This cultural history of Japan explains the diverse cultural traditions that underlie modern Japan and offers readers real insights into Japanese manners and etiquette.
Davies begins with an investigation of the origins of the Japanese, followed by an analysis of the most relevant approaches used by scholars to describe the essential elements of Japanese culture. From there, each chapter focuses on one of the formative aspects: Shintoism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, Confucianism, and Western influences in the modern era.
Each chapter is concluded with extensive endnotes along with thought-provoking discussion activities, making this volume ideal for individual readers and classroom instruction. Anyone interested in pursuing a deeper understanding of this complex and fascinating nation will find Davies's work an invaluable resource. (less)
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Paperback, 160 pages
Published August 9th 2016 by Tuttle Publishing
ISBN4805311630 (ISBN13: 9784805311639)
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Lyn Elliott
Dec 03, 2017Lyn Elliott rated it liked it
Shelves: japan
This book evolved out of classes that Davies taught at a number of Japanese universities and that were designed to guide international MBA students to an understanding of ‘the multiple layers of religious and philosophical belief that underlie life in modern-day Japan’.
The first two chapters deal with the origins of the Japanese people, and a brief survey of approaches to Japanese cultural history. It’s not easy to pick the time at which Davies actually wrote it, because although the book was published as recently as 2016, the main sources cited throughout are Sansom Japan a Short Cultural History and ReischauerThe Japanese Today: Change and Continuity, Enlarged Edition , the most recent of whose major works date from the 1970s and the 1990s respectively.
Then follow six chapters, one on each of Japan’s five main religions: Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, and Confucianism, with the final chapter briefly touching on western influences in the Modern Era.
The material in each chapter is very interesting, but also very slightly presented. I would have welcomed a deeper level of discussion and more engagement with the questions (perhaps designed as tutorial discussion questions) at the end of each short chapter, and a directed reading guide to address them.
The cultures is complex because it has grown out of interactions between the indigenous animist Shinto and the more philosophical Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, all of which found their way to Japan via China, but have evolved into distinctly Japanese forms, and all of these belief systems have been profoundly affected by modern Western influences. Newer traditions are superimposed on older ones, says Davies, and ‘the whole blended and modified to fit native Japanese tastes, preferences, and attitudes’ (p35).
We spent three weeks in Japan in September, and of all the cultures with which I have come in contact, the Japanese is the most difficult for me to comprehend, even more than Indigenous Australian cultures which are vastly different from ours, but more familiar to me.
I will need to read more to understand more the connections between these religious and philosophical beliefs and modern Japanese society. (less)
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Joe Mcmanis
Nov 23, 2017Joe Mcmanis rated it liked it
This was a good intro to the religious undercurrents of Japanese culture. Overall, very helpful to my curious mind. This did lose a star, though, for editing reasons. This is an intro book to a general topic. I don't understand why the publisher included in-line citations. These are only useful in monographs, MAYBE. The so-called notes at the end of each chapter would have served the reader much better at the bottom of each page that they referenced. Whatever decisions the publisher made about this were shitty. In fact, it bothered me so much that I ranted to my wife about these silly citation conventions while she was trying to sleep one night. The point of academic writing is to teach the reader about a topic. All those citations just get in the way of the learning process. Unless you are releasing a text to an academic only community, YOU DON'T NEED THAT SHIT. (less)
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Raquel
Jan 04, 2020Raquel rated it liked it
Shelves: japan
Una breve introducción a los cimientos religiosos de Japón. Interesante, pero demasiado breve y demasiado escueto en algunas partes.
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Djordje
Jan 26, 2019Djordje rated it really liked it
Very useful for novices. However, it could've been more thorough in some aspects. (less)
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Fitra Rahmamuliani
Nov 25, 2020Fitra Rahmamuliani rated it liked it
Fondasi filosofi orang Jepang sudah terpatri sejak masuknya agama di negara ini. Mulai dari Shinto hingga Confusianism. Karena nenek moyang yang mempelajari agama Shinto dengan dalam, orang Jepang secara tidak sadar percaya bahwa mereka tidak menyukai hal yang kotor (Yogore dan Kegare). Namun, pada jaman modern ini, mereka hanya berdoa ketika mereka kesulitan (kurushii toki no kamidanomi). Melalui agama Tao atau Zen, orang Jepang mementingkan hal yang simple, natural, harmoni, dan presisi. Hingga Confusianism yang menjadi budaya orang Jepang saat ini, seperti kepercayaan pada dasar moral pemerintahan, penekanan pada hubungan dan kesetiaan interpersonal, dan keyakinan pada pendidikan dan kerja keras. Namun, orang Jepang jaman sekarang banyak yang tidak mengakui bahwa mereka memegang suatu kepercayaan atau agama walau tetap mencampurkan unsur agama dalam kehidupan mereka.
Melalui buku ini, saya baru belajar bahwa Indonesia juga memberikan pengaruh terhadap ras yang terdapat di Jepang.
"There are even proto-Malay traces in the Japanese racial make-up probably due to migrations along the Kuroshio (the Black Current) from Indonesia, Malaysia, and even Polynesia (Sansom, 1976, p. 6; Reishauer, 1988, p. 34)."
Mungkin buku ini lebih cocok untuk mahasiswa yang ingin secara lebih dalam mempelajari tentang agama dan budaya Jepang dibandingkan pembaca umum seperti saya. Ketika membacanya, sama seperti merasa di awang-awang. Walaupun penulis mengatakan bahwa agama dan filosofi merupakan sesuatu yang abstrak, tetap saja melalui buku ini saya tidak dapat mengerti secara dalam mengenai agama maupun filosofinya. Penulis seperti menyatakan di dalam buku ini, tapi tidak menjelaskan secara dalam. Saya tidak merekomendasikan buku ini kepada yang baru mempelajari tentang Jepang. Lebih baik kepada orang yang sudah punya gambaran jelas tentang agama dan filosofi Jepang itu sendiri. (less)
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Furio
Oct 23, 2021Furio rated it really liked it
Shelves: japan, japanese-culture
This is the same author of "The Japanese Mind" The Japanese Mind Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture by Roger J. Davies .
He has taught at Japanese universities and has lived in the country.
Pro
- it's a very compact work, a little over 100 pages.
- the book stems from the university classes the author taught. It is simple, clear and to the point.
- notes and discussion tips are not dry as it is often the case. On the contrary, they are interesting.
- the author has not contracted that particularly nasty virus called ethnocentricity. His judgements appear unbiased.
- the book is clear and well organised.
- printing quality is good, making the read a nice experience.
Contra
- the book is compact... that is short. Topics of interest will need further research and other essays.
- like all compact books, there is little to help memorisation. To retain the concepts you will need to study the book because reading it will not be enough.
- the author is a supporter of the "Axial Age" by philopher Karl Jaspers. The thing itself is not pervasive and it does not spoil the exposition, but it feels unnecessary.
Conclusion
Is it worth buying?
- if you are just looking for a summary, definitely.
- if you want to dive deeper into the topics, no. Unless you just use this as an introduction and you are ready to do some further reading. (less)
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Mat Davies
Aug 10, 2020Mat Davies rated it really liked it
This book by no means constitutes an in-depth study into Japanese culture. The title should would also benefit from being The Religious and Philosophical Foundations of Japanese Culture. However, what this book does have is a clear framework, an engaging series of chapters about Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, modern influences and a wealth of extra material.
It also has a fine selection of pictures that relate clearly to the content at the right points. Where this book really shines, however, is at the end of the meat of the chapters. There are notes that help to summarize or add value to what was earlier discussed. Furthermore, there are discussion questions that build on the content of the chapter.
Although these discussion questions are intended to be had in a classroom setting, their very existence to a lay-reader is actually very welcomed. It shows a level of maturity that the author has towards the very complex subject of Japanese culture. Overall, like its predecessor (the Japanese Mind) I highly recommend this book. (less)
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Coicoy
Oct 22, 2020Coicoy rated it liked it
Shelves: cross-cultural, reference-archives
I enjoyed this book and it helped me assimilate some of what I've learned intuitively and indirectly about Japanese culture in my own learning and interaction. I'd say the most I learned about it was the transitional times during the Edo era and the Meiji era, which appeared in small sections throughout the book. The multi-layered model presented in the book also gave me a way to latch on and comprehend the culture more clearly. But, as others have written, by the author's own admission this is only an introductory overview and it might best be served as a 'weekly reading' supplemental/overview book used to teach an academic course. Indeed, after reading this book, I now wish to enroll in some sort of intercultural Japanese history course or continue in my own independent study. A reference from the Bibliography might be a good place to take the next step. (less)
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Michael K
Sep 29, 2020Michael K rated it it was ok
Not great. For reasons previously extrapolated on by other reviewers: gross citations, strangely old references, and weirdly introductory.
It's especially not great when you get to the 'to modern day' comparisons. As a person who has now lived in Japan a year, I can tell you a lot of this is conjecture. Even if it is applicable to Tokyo specifically, it's not necessarily for other prefectures (states).
I will say that the drivel at the end about the food has really stuck with me. Don't believe it, they use a lot of garlic and sauces are a huge component (offered as condiments) at every restaurant--they're huge about food power of choice. So no, I don't think this text is particularly solid in application. (less)
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JLS10
Oct 26, 2021JLS10 rated it liked it
I'm interested in learning more about Japanese Culture so I fave this one a try. It's definitely focused on the religious history of Japan. It contains some really good information if the religious part of the history is what you are looking for. I was looking for something more in area that dealt outside of religion as well. I'm glad I read it, but plan to keep reading others for an expanded view of the culture. (less)
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Saya
Feb 14, 2022Saya rated it really liked it
Shelves: japanese, nonfiction
Perfecto libro de acercamiento a las religiones, pensamientos filosóficos y éticos japoneses. Ofrece pinceladas sobre la historia de Japón para contextualizar el tema tratado en cada momento, sin separarlo de otras épocas o corrientes. Es capaz de hablar de confucianismo, budismo, taoísmo, cristianismo, shintoismo e influencias occidentales como un todo cohesionado que ayuda a empezar a entender mejor Japón. Buen punto de partida para quien quiera empezar a estudiar este tema.
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Gregski
Jan 31, 2021Gregski rated it liked it
This book was short and to the point. A great examination of major cultural, religious, and philosophical undercurrents of contemporary Japan. It was interesting to consider the effects of geography, language, trade, and cultural adoption/re-imagination that have occurred in the course of this nation. I like the author’s “layer” approach and his treatment of the different influences. The questions for discussion at the end of chapters are also helpful and enjoyable.
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Owen Knight
Nov 14, 2018Owen Knight rated it liked it
A useful introduction to Japanese culture, in particular beliefs. It did not give as much detailed information as I would have liked with only seventy-four pages covering outlines of Shinto, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen and Confucianism, and these include notes and 'discussion topics.
It is however a good basis for further investigation. (less)
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