JAPANESE TRAITS
OUTLINE OF TOPICS: First impressions: minuteness; politeness
and courtesy; etiquette; simplicity; vivacity; equanimity;
union of Stoicism and Epicureanism; generosity; unpracticality;
procrastination; humility and conceit; lack of originality;
fickleness; æstheticism; loyalty; filial piety; sentimental
temperament; susceptibility to impulse; land and people.—Bibliography.
First impressions are, of course, often deceitful, as they are likely
to be formed from merely superficial views; but they are quite certain
to emphasize the peculiar characteristics of a person or a people. The
points of difference are very evident at first, but gradually become
less observable or prominent, and in time may scarcely be noticed. It
is, of course, undeniable that first impressions must be more or less
modified, but it is also true that some remain practically unchanged,
or are verified and strengthened by long experience.
In the case of the Japanese, for instance, a first and lasting
impression is that of minuteness. This characteristic of “things
Japanese” pertains less to quality than to quantity, is not a mental
or a moral, so much as a physical or dimensional, feature. The empire,
though called _Dai Nippon_ (Great Japan) is small; the people are
short; the lanes are narrow; the houses are low and small; farms are
insignificant;[67] teacups, other dishes, pipes, etc., are like our
toys; and innumerable other objects are Lilliputian. Pierre Loti, the
French writer, in his description of Japanese life, draws extensively
on the diminutives of his native tongue. In business matters, moreover,
the Japanese seem incapable of managing big enterprises, and do
everything on a small scale with a small capital. The saying that they
are “great in little things and little in great things” contains some
truth. But it must, in fairness, be acknowledged that, of recent years,
the Japanese have begun to display a remarkable facility and success
in the management of great enterprises. They are outgrowing this
characteristic of smallness, and are even now reckoned among the “great
world-powers.”
The Japanese are famous the world over for their politeness and
courtesy; they are a nation of good manners, and, for this and other
qualities, have been styled “the French of the Orient.” From morning to
night, from the cradle to the grave, the entire life is characterized
by unvarying gentleness and politeness in word and act. Many of the
expressions and actions are mere formalities, it is true; but they
have, by centuries of hereditary influence, been so far incorporated
into the individual and national life as to be a second nature. This
trait is one which most deeply impresses all visitors and residents,
and concerning which Sir Edwin Arnold has written the following:—
“Where else in the world does there exist such a conspiracy to
be agreeable; such a widespread compact to render the difficult
affairs of life as smooth and graceful as circumstances admit; such
fair decrees of fine behavior fixed and accomplished for all; such
universal restraint of the coarser impulses of speech and act; such
pretty picturesqueness of daily existence; such lovely love of
nature as the embellisher of that existence; such sincere delight in
beautiful, artistic things; such frank enjoyment of the enjoyable;
such tenderness to little children; such reverence for parents and old
persons; such widespread refinement of taste and habits; such courtesy
to strangers; and such willingness to please and to be pleased?”
As stated above, the innate courtesy of the Japanese manifests itself
in every possible way in word and deed. Thus has been developed an
almost perfect code of etiquette, of polite speech and conduct for
every possible occasion; and while these formalities are sometimes
apparently unnecessary, often even a cloak for insincerity, and also a
waste of time in this practical age, we cannot but lament the decadence
of Japanese manners.
[Illustration: GARDEN AT ŌJI]
Another prominent and prevailing element of Japanese civilization
is simplicity. The people have the simplicity of nature to such an
extent that the garb of nature is not considered immodest. They find
delight in the simplest forms of natural beauties, and they plant
their standard of beauty on a simple base. A rough and gnarled tree,
or even a mere trunk or stump; a bare twig or branch without leaves
or blossoms; an old stone; all kinds of flowers and grasses have in
themselves a real natural beauty. A Japanese admires the beauties of
nature just as they are; he loves a flower _as a flower_. The Japanese
truly worship Nature in all her varied forms and hold communion with
all her aspects. They enjoy the simplest amusements with the simplest
toys which, cheap and frail, may last only an hour, but easily yield
their money’s worth and more of real pleasure. They find the greatest
happiness in such simple recreations as going to see the plum blossoms
or cherry flowers, and gazing at the full moon. They are, in comparison
with Americans, childish in their simplicity; but they succeed in
extracting more solid enjoyment out of life than any other people on
the globe. Americans sacrifice life to get a living: Japanese, by
simply living, enjoy life.
And this leads to another impression and characterization of the
Japanese people as merry, lighthearted, and vivacious. Careless, even
to an extreme; free from worry and anxiety, because easily satisfied
with little, and because inclined to be excessively fatalistic,—they
not only are faithful disciples of the Epicurean philosophy, that
happiness or pleasure is the _summum bonum_ of life, but they succeed
in being happy without much exertion. They believe that men “by
perpetual toil, bustle, and worry render themselves unfit to enjoy
the pleasures which nature places within their reach”; and that the
Occidental, and especially the American, life of high pressure, with
too much work and too little play, is actually making Jack a dull boy.
It is certainly to be hoped, but perhaps in vain, that the increasing
complexity of modern life in Japan will not entirely obliterate the
simplicity and vivacity of the Japanese; for they seem to “have verily
solved the great problem—how to be happy though poor.”
The Japanese are, however, extremely stoical in belief and behavior,
and can refrain as rigidly from manifestations of joy or sorrow as
could a Spartan or a Roman.[68] Many a Japanese Leonidas, Brutus, or
Cato stands forth as a typical hero in their annals. Without the least
sign of suffering they can experience the severest torture, such as
disembowelling themselves; and without a word of complaint they receive
adversity or affliction. _Shikata ga nai_ (“There is no help”) is the
stereotyped phrase of consolation from the least to the greatest loss,
injury, or affliction. For a broken dish, a bruise, a broken limb, a
business failure, a death, weeping is silly, sympathy is useless; alike
for all, _shikata ga nai_.
It is possibly this combination or union of Stoicism and Epicureanism
that makes the real and complete enjoyment of life. The following
paragraph pictures graphically the contrasting characteristics of
Japanese and American women: “It is said that the habitual serenity
of Japanese women is due to their freedom from small worries. The
fashion of their dress never varies, so they are saved much anxiety
of mind on that subject. Housekeeping is simplified by the absence of
draperies and a crowd of ornaments to gather dust, and the custom of
leaving footwear at the entrance keeps out much mud and dirt. With all
our boasted civilization, we may well learn from the Orientals how to
prevent the little foxes of petty anxieties from spoiling the vines of
our domestic comfort. If American housekeepers could eliminate from
their lives some of the unnecessary care of things, it would probably
smooth their brows and tone down the sharpened expression of their
features.”
The Japanese are, by instinct, a very unselfish and generous people.
These two seemingly synonymous adjectives are purposely used; for
the Japanese possess, not only the negative and passive virtue
of unselfishness, but also its positive and active expression in
generosity; they are not merely careless and thoughtless of self, but
they are careful and thoughtful of others. In fact, their philanthropic
instincts are so strong that neither excessive wealth nor extreme
pauperism is prevalent. These two traits had their origin, probably,
in a contempt for mere money-making and the lack of a strong desire
for wealth. The merchant, engaged in trade,—that is, in money-making
pursuits,—was ranked below the soldier, the farmer, and the artisan.
The typical Japanese believed that “the love of money is the root of
all evil,” and was not actuated by “the accursed greed for gold” (_auri
sacra fames_). No sordid views of life on a cash basis were held by
the Japanese, and not even the materialism of modern life has yet
destroyed their generous and philanthropic instincts. They are as truly
altruistic as Occidentals are egoistic.
The modern characteristic expressed by the term “practical” does not
belong to the Japanese, who are rather visionary in disposition. This
trait is undoubtedly an effect of the old distaste for money-making
pursuits, and renders the Japanese people, on the whole, incapable of
attending strictly and carefully to the minutiæ of business. They do
not, indeed, appear to possess the mental and moral qualities which
go to make a successful merchant or business man.[69] This is the
testimony both of those who have studied their psychological natures
and of those who have had actual business experience with them. The
former say that unpracticality and a distaste for money-making are
natural elements of the Japanese character, as is evidenced by the
fact that, in ancient society, the merchant was assigned to the fourth
class—below the soldier, the farmer, the artisan. “The temperament, the
training, and the necessary materials are, for the most part, lacking”;
and these cannot, in spite of the impressionableness of the Japanese
nature, be readily acquired and developed. Business men, moreover, who
have had actual dealings with the Japanese, complain of dishonesty,[70]
“pettiness, constant shilly-shallying,” and unbusiness-like habits; and
call them “good-natured, artistic, and all that, but muddle-pated folks
when it comes to matters of business.”
One illustration of their natural incapacity for business life
is found in the fact that they had no idea of time. They did not
understand the value, according to our standards, of the minutes,
and were much given to what we call a “waste of time.” They were not
accustomed to reckon time minute-ly, or to take into notice any period
less than an hour, and considered it nine o’clock until it was ten
o’clock. Moreover, the hour of the old “time-table” was 120 minutes
long.[71] Besides, the Japanese are too dignified to be in a hurry; so
that, if they miss one train, they do not fume and fret because they
have to wait even several hours for the next train, but take it all
calmly and patiently. And as clocks and watches are still somewhat
of a luxury to the common people, we must not expect them to come up
at once to our ideas of strict punctuality. But in school and office
and business they are learning habits of promptness and coming to
realize that “time is money”; so that recent years have shown a marked
improvement.
In the character of the Japanese are blended the two inharmonious
elements of humility and conceit. Their language, customs, and manners
are permeated with the idea of self-abasement, “in honor preferring
one another”; but their minds are filled with excessive vanity,
individual and national. They call their own country “Great Japan,”
and have always had a strong faith in the reality of its greatness.
The precocity and conceit of Japanese youth are very noticeable. A
schoolboy of fourteen is always ready to express with confidence and
positiveness his criticisms on Occidental and Oriental politics,
philosophy, and religion. Young Japan, whether individually or
collectively, is now in the Sophomore class of the World’s University.
Japan is self-assertive, self-confident, and independent. But the
marvellous achievements in the transformation of Japan during the
past half-century are some excuse for the development of vanity; and
the future, with its responsibilities, surely demands a measure of
self-confidence.
The Japanese are commonly criticised as being imitative rather than
initiative or inventive; and it must be acknowledged that a study of
their history bears out this criticism. The old civilization was very
largely borrowed from the Chinese, perhaps through the Koreans; and
in modern times we have witnessed a similar adoption and imitation of
Occidental civilization. But it must also be borne in mind that in
few cases was there servile imitation; for, in almost every instance,
there was an adaptation to the peculiar needs of Japan. And yet even
this assimilation might show that the Japanese have “great talent, but
little genius” (Munzinger), or “little creative power” (Rein). However,
there have been indications of late years that the Japanese mind is
developing inventive power. Originality is making itself known in
many really remarkable inventions, especially along mechanical lines.
Rifles, repeating pistols, smokeless gunpowder, guncotton, and bicycle
boats are a few illustrations of Japanese inventions. Moreover, many of
the Japanese inventors have secured letters patent in England, Germany,
France, Austria, and the United States. In scientific discoveries, too,
the Japanese are coming forward.
The Japanese have also been frequently accused of fickleness, and
during the past fifty years have certainly furnished numerous reasons
for such a charge. They have seemed to shift about with “every wind
of doctrine,” and, like the Athenians in Paul’s day, have been often
attracted by new things. But Dening’s defence against this accusation
is worthy of notice, and seems quite reasonable. He claims that “this
peculiarity is accidental, not inherent”; that there was “no lack
of permanence in their laws, institutions, and pursuits in the days
of their isolation”; that in recent times “their attention has been
attracted by such a multitude of [new] things ... that they have found
great difficulty in making a judicious selection”; and the rapid
changes “have not been usually dictated by mere fickleness, but have
resulted from the wish to _prove all things_.” Chamberlain, likewise,
refers to so-called “characteristic traits” that are “characteristic
merely of the stage through which the nation is now passing.” And
certainly a growing steadfastness of purpose and action is perceptible
in many phases of Japanese life.
The Japanese are pre-eminently an æsthetic people. In all sections,
among all classes, art reigns supreme. It permeates everything, great
or small. “Whatever these people fashion, from the toy of an hour to
the triumphs of all time, is touched by a taste unknown elsewhere.”[72]
The national spirit is excessively strong in Japan, and has been
made powerful by centuries of development. Every Japanese is born,
lives, and dies for his country. Loyalty is the highest virtue; and
_Yamato-damashii_ (Japan spirit) is a synonym too often of narrow and
inordinate patriotism. But the vision of the Japanese is broadening,
and they are learning that cosmopolitanism is not necessarily
antagonistic to patriotism. They used to harp on “The Japan of the
Japanese”; later they began to talk about “The Japan of Asia”; but now
they wax eloquent over “The Japan of the World.”
Filial piety is the second virtue in the Japanese ethics, and is often
carried to a silly extreme. The old custom of _inkyō_ made it possible
for parents, even while they were still able-bodied, to retire from
active work and become an incubus on the eldest son, perhaps just
starting out in his life career. But now there is a law that no one can
become inkyō before he is sixty years of age. And yet filial piety can
easily nullify the law!
Professor George T. Ladd, who has made a special study of the Japanese
from the psychological point of view, sums up their “character” as
of the “sentimental temperament.”[73] The following are suggestive
passages:—
“This distinctive Japanese temperament is that which Lotze has so
happily called the ‘sentimental temperament.’ It is the temperament
characteristic of youth, predominatingly, in all races. It is, as a
temperament, characteristic of all ages, of both sexes, and of all
classes of population, among the Japanese. But, of course, in Japan as
everywhere, the different ages, sexes, and classes of society, differ
in respect to the purity of this temperamental distinction. Many
important individual exceptions, or examples of other temperaments,
also occur.
“The distinguishing mark of the sentimental temperament is great
susceptibility to variety of influences—especially on the side of
feeling, and independent of clear logical analysis or fixed and
well-comprehended principles—with a tendency to a will that is
impulsive and liable to collapse. Such susceptibility is likely to
be accompanied by unusual difficulty in giving due weight to those
practical considerations, which lead to compromises in politics,
to steadiness in labor, to patience in developing the details of
science and philosophy, and to the establishment of a firm connection
between the higher life of thought and feeling and the details of
daily conduct. On the other hand, it is the artistic temperament, the
temperament which makes one ‘interesting,’ the ‘clever’ mind, the
temperament which has a suggestion of genius at its command....
“Japan is the land of much natural scenery that is pre-eminently
interesting and picturesque. It is the land of beautiful green
mountains and of luxurious and highly variegated flora. It is the
land that lends itself to art, to sentiment, to reverie and brooding
over the mysteries of nature and of life. But it is also the land of
volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, and typhoons; the land under whose
thin fair crust, or weird and grotesque superficial beauty, and in
whose air and surrounding waters, the mightiest destructive forces
of nature slumber and mutter, and betimes break forth with amazing
destructive effect. As is the land, so—in many striking respects—are
the people that dwell in it. The superficial observer, especially
if he himself be a victim of the unmixed sentimental temperament,
may find everything interesting, æsthetically pleasing, promising
continued kindness of feeling, and unwearied delightful politeness of
address. But the more profound student will take note of the clear
indications, that beneath this thin, fair crust, there are smouldering
fires of national sentiment, uncontrolled by solid moral principle,
and unguided by sound, practical judgment. As yet, however, we are
confident in the larger hope for the future of this most ‘interesting’
of Oriental races.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Rein’s “Japan,” “The Gist of Japan” (Peery), “Japan and its
Regeneration” (Cary), “The Soul of the Far East” (Lowell), “Feudal
and Modern Japan” (Knapp), “Lotos-Time in Japan” (Finck), and
Hearn’s works discuss the subject of Japanese characteristics with
intelligence from various points of view. The most interesting and
instructive Japanese writer on the subject is Nitobe in his “Bushidō,
the Soul of Japan.” Dening’s paper in vol. xix. Transactions Asiatic
Society of Japan is very valuable. “The Evolution of the Japanese”
(Gulick) should also be carefully studied, especially as he differs
from Lowell and others, who contend that Orientals in general, and
Japanese in particular, have no “soul,” or distinct personality.
Hearn’s best work, entitled “Japan, An Interpretation,” is
interesting and instructive in this connection. “Japanese Life in
Town and Country” (Knox), “Dai Nippon” (Dyer), chap. iii., and “Every
Day Japan” (Lloyd) also throw light on this topic.