Transcript Japanese People and their Religion

Poornika Kumari Seelagama
No: 05951015
Introduction
What is religion?
According to Will Helberg, religion is “an emphasis on the
supernatural, a deep inner conviction of the reality of supernatural
power, a serious commitment to religious teaching, a stray element of
theological doctrine and refusal to compromise religious beliefs and
values with the those of the wider society”
Ancient Japanese life was guided by
the teachings of Buddhism, Shintoism,
Confucious’s philosophy and Mencius’s
teachings. According to Inazo Nitobe
The Bushido, the precepts of
knighthood or the ways which fighting
nobles should observe their daily life
as well as their vocation was molded
by these religions.
Statistics indicate that by the end of
2005, 84% of the Japanese population
observed Buddhism and Shintoism, and
that remaining 16% observed other
religions including 0.7% Christian
devotees.
Hypothesis and Objectives
I hypothesized according to the popular belief in Sri Lanka that
religion pervades every sphere of Japanese life. I also presumed that
religion is the guiding light of the Japanese people who’s hospitality,
sincerity and also their efficiency is motivated by religion; especially
Buddhism. The history of Japan is a from rags to riches story and
there are many theories attributing their perseverance to religion.
One of my objective in conducting this study was to test validity of
the theories on the piety of Japanese as applied to modern Japan.
Another objective is to compare and contrast the devoutness of the
younger generation that represents the modern (rather westernized)
world, with the older citizens who represent the generation that
started from the scraps and labored after the II World War to
elevate Japan to this ultra developed state.
In the process, I will be concentrating on;
What people expect from religion
How dependant they are on religion
And their attachment to religion etc: with references to my
literature survey.
My sample consisted of;
Under 30 years of age: 08 Females + 08 Males = 16
Over 50 years of age: 05 Females + 05 Males = 10
Total
: 13
13
= 26
Process of my study;
Building a hypothesis
Collecting data
Analyzing the data
Literature survey
Preparing a research design
Methods used to collect data;
Observation
Casual interviews
hypothesis
Interpretation of data using existing
theories
Conclusion
Questionnaire
Building a
Analysis and interpretation of data.
1. What is your religion?
12
Number
10
8
6
4
2
0
Buddhi Shintoi Christia Confuci
Other
sm
sm
nity
anism
atheist
Below 30
5
0
1
0
0
10
Above 50
8
0
2
0
0
0
Religous identity
It is important to notice that the older generation displayed a firm
belief in religion and they had no misgivings about their religious
identity. A majority of 8 respondents were Buddhists while two
were Christians.
A majority of 10 respondents out of 16 young respondents on the
other hand said they were atheists or did not have a religion.
Observing the five young respondents who claimed to be Buddhists,
I noticed they had trouble deciding what to say. Some of them
voiced their trouble and said they are very “superficially”
Buddhists.
The following dialogue will demonstrate the ambiguity of the
religious identity of the young;
Q: What is your religion?
A: Well….er…to tell the truth, this year I found out that I am
Buddhist.
Q: That is interesting. How did you find out you are Buddhist?
A: My grandmother said so when I visited her for Oshogatsu.
Shintoism was not viewed as a distinct religion though as the
following charts may show, the number of people who visit jinjya’s
are very high. There were no devotees of other religions in my
sample.
2. Do you visit holy places for religious purposes?
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Othera
Jinjya
Below 30
Church
I do not visit
religious places
Above 50
Among the older generation, attendance to some form of religious
place is 100% while it drops to 99% among the younger generation.
However it is also interesting that such an attendance is quite
high for youngsters who claim to be mostly atheists. 9 out of the
10 atheists claimed they visit some form of holy place for
religious purposes.
It was also observed that both young and old alike, visited both
jinjya and othera at the same time despite their religious beliefs.
As the chart shows, 11
out of 14 below
30respondants and 7 out
of 8 above 50
respondents visited both
jinjya and othera.
16
Number of people
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Below 30
Above 50
The total number that visits jinjya and/or othera
Visited both jinjya and othera
This phenomenon not
only indicates an
intimacy between the
two religions but also
implies that Japanese
people see little
difference between the
‘gods’ of the respective
religions, as will be
discussed later.
However it is important
that the 3 Christians in
my sample young and old
visited only their church.
3. What do you do at the holy place?
Othera
10
8
6
4
2
0
Offer flowers
and perform
Meditate
Pray for a wish
to come true
Below 30 (out of 12)
10
0
8
Above 50 (out of 10)
10
0
3
100% of the older generation place importance to performing rituals
where as only 83.33% of the younger generation think performing
rituals is important. Furthermore, neither the younger nor the elder
people said they meditate- which is an important feature in
Japanese Buddhism. It is also striking that 66.66% of the young
crowd attending religious places pray for a wish to come true. On
the other hand, only 30% of the elder respondents admitted praying
for wishes.
Jinjya
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Offer flow ers
Pray that a
and perfom
w ish come true
Below 30 (out of 13)
6
11
11
Above 50 (out of 10)
5
7
2
Tie omikuji
It is reiterated that youngsters place less importance in performing
rituals. It is evident that despite the difference in praying for a
favor from god, there is an increased tendency in both categories to
pray for happiness and success at the jinjya than in the othera.
84.61% of the young people and 53.84% of the older people have
faith in Kami sama to grant their wishes. The most interesting
discovery is that 84% young people tie omikuji against only 20% of the
elder population at the jinjya. I observed the contempt in the elders’
tone when I refrred to omikuji, and the enthusiasm of the young.
3. How often do you visit religious places?
Above 50
Below 30
6%
6%
0%
Only on special
days (New
year/obon)
19%
0%
69%
Every w eek/month
Only on special days (New year/obon)
When in the need of spiritual help
Never visit shrines for religious purposes
50%
Every
w eek/month
50%
When in the need
of spiritual help
Never visit
shrines for
religious
purposes
There is an amazing percentage of (69%) young people visiting shrines only on
special days like New year, or obon and 6% of those who never visit shrines for
religious purposes. In contrast there is a large percentage (50%) of elders visiting
religious places every week or month as compared to 6% of the young (only one
Christian girl). Even though there are elders visiting religious places only on special
days, it is still 20% less than that recorded by the younger sample.
It is important to note that the single young Christian and the two older Christians
visit church every week accounting for a 100% attendance from the Christians.
Statistics also show that a large percentage of young people are in the need of
spiritual consolation and some of them seek the assistance of religion (19% as in the
study).
Number of respondents
4. What do you think the role of religion is?
Other
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Nothing
Help people in
times of need
(perform miracles)
Spiritual
enhancement
Promoting peace
in the society
Below 30
Above 50
Age
Socialization of
children
This question was administered to inquire what the Japanese expect from religion. It
is significant that the highest percentage of 60% is voted by the older generation for
“promoting peace in the society”. The younger respondents on the other hand bore
quite mixed feelings about their expectation from religion which is justified by their
religious apathy displayed in the preceding questions. Some of them looked as if they
had never given this a thought before I asked it. 6.25% answered that they expect
nothing from religion. However it is noteworthy that 25% of young people expect
religion to be a salvation by opting that they expect religion to help people in times of
need which includes even performing miracles.
5. If you are in the need of divine assistance to get over a worldly
problem, whom would you go to?
7
7
7 7
6
5
4
3
2
2
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
Kami sama Hotoke Jesus Christ
AncestorsSpeak to a
sama
trustw orthy
Below 30 (out of
person
16)
Above 50 (out of
10)
Whom w ould you go to
It is significant that very few Japanese people young and old alike rely
on divine forces in times of trouble. Yet, there is a tendency for the
younger generation to seek more supernatural help than the older,
which denotes a disintegration of the social network – a loss of social
capital. They (43.75%) seem to find solace in appealing to their
ancestors as compared to only a 20% of elders.
Interpretation of data
There is an increased tendency for the Japanese younger generation to be
detached from religion. They were born into an already developed and ultra
industrialized country and find no good reason to work harder then they should,
whereas the older generation had to start from the scraps just after the second
world war to raise Japan from the ashes. Their mentalities were already shaped
by the principles of religion which formed the bushido of their ancestors. In the
olden days, there was also risk and danger implicated with all day to day lives
which motivated the people to be closer to religion; or expect from the divine,
what is not guaranteed by mere human intellect or skill. Thus Anthropologist
Bronislow Malinowski’s research verifies that wherever there is risk associated,
people look up to the gods to help them in their ventures.
It was observed from the analysis, that Japanese people find little difference
between Kami sama and Hotoke sama even though they belong to two distinct
religions. Buddhists visiting the Shinto shrine is another example for this
intimacy. Also, no one in particular admitted oneself to be Shinto. Thus it could
be interpreted that Kami sama – or gods representing nature are expected to help
people, grant their wishes and sometimes even perform miracles. However these
nature gods belong more to history when there was more risk and danger than the
present, even though some of the customs and traditions are still practices in
vulnerable cases eg: Shichi-go-san and the omiamairi concerned with children.
The intimacy between Shintoism and Buddhism could be traced back to history
where Buddha was seen as a foreign Kami, when Buddhism was brought from
Korea. Furthermore there even existed Shrine-temples or jinguji in ancient
Japan. Even though the Meiji government (1776-1843) separated the two
religions, it seems that something as delicate as belief cannot be controlled by
regulation, and to this day, Japanese draw an intimacy between Buddhism and
Shintoism.
It was also observed that quite a larger rate of young people seek salvation in
religion despite their religious apathy. High percentages of young respondents
admitted that they expect their ancestor’s assistance during times of grief, and high
rates of young people said they expect religion to perform miracles. A considerable
percentage also visit shrines when they are in need of spiritual consolation and a
larger percentage than elders claimed they thought religion is important in socializing
children. It could be interpreted that even though young people are getting more
and more distant from religion, they are badly in the need of religious salvation
unconsciously. Under industrialization, urbanization and development, there is a risk
that Japan could be disintegrated in their social network. This in well evidenced in
the rising suicide rates in Japan:
2002 - 982,379 suicide incidents
2004 – 1,028,602 suicide incidents were reported. Most of these
suicides are reported from the younger generation.
Elder citizens on the other hand rely more on each other to help them during times
of need because they are still blessed with the age old friendships formed in the past
and they can still be trusted to help you.
The high percentage of elders expecting religion to promote peace in the society
could also be explained referring to the hiking crime rates in Japan, which marks a
difference from the Japan they were familiar with.
1994 – 36,515 violence cases
2004 – 76, 616 crime incidents were reported.
Most of the elders refused to respond to the questionnaire because, as I was told,
there was a danger in talking to strangers.
Young people are also getting farther from traditions and rituals as well. For
example fewer youngsters than elders offer flowers, burn incense and recite
prayers at the shrine before they ask for a favor from the gods. Further, I
noticed that most houses where elderly people live keep an alcove for Hotoke
sama and sevｅｒａｌ ａｌｔｅｒｓ ｆｏｒ ｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｔ Ｋａｍｉ sama’s. They also offer alms for
the gods. The young people I interviewed never thought of keeping objects of
religious value to pay homage to them daily.
 Japan being a majority Buddhist country (according to statistics) I was also
surprised to see the array of Christmas decorations and the festive mood in the
air during December. My interviews proved that most modern parents
(regardless of their religion) buy their children Christmas trees and gifts, and
the children actually believe in Santa Clause. Interviewing teenagers, I realized
that they celebrate Christmas more with the enthusiasm for a party than with
religious meaning.
Japanese people in my sample, young and old alike do not place importance in
meditation, thus indicating that spiritual enhancement or enlightenment is not
expected from religion very much. This is surprising because Japan is famous in
countries abroad for Zen Buddhism and methods of Meditation.
Conclusions
The Japanese younger generation is significantly aloof from religion. This could be
due to the fact that the existing religions fail to meet with the spiritual demands of
the people, and Japanese schools; a primary socializing institute does not teach
religion as a habit. There are no Sunday schools in Japan to compliment this
situation.
Japan is facing a complicated situation in which their social capital has begun to
give-away under development and industrialization. People expect more peace, more
moral and spiritual solace in their fast moving lives, and they wish it is bestowed on
them by their religion. They, especially the older generation has realized that
religion has a ‘social control’ effect and that the grip of the religion in the society is
loosening dangerously. For example, new religions are germinating in Japan such as
Reiyukai, Rissho Koseikai, Koyodan etc because the existing religions fail to give what
people what they want. Even the doomsday cult that killed many passengers in a
subway was a religious group.
It is possible that Japan shall see increased crime rates and suicide rates if
apathy gets the better of religion.
Limitations in the study
The sample consisted of a limited number of respondents and therefore cannot
stand to represent the whole Japanese population.
The language barrier was an obstacle to express a lot of ideas.
For security reasons, most of the elder citizens were reluctant to respond.
Japanese People and their Religion
Age:Sex:1. What is your religion?
a. Buddhism
b. Shinto
c. Christianity
d. Confucianism
e. Other (please specify)………………….
f. I do not have a religion
2. Do you visit the following holy places? What do you do there?
i. Buddhist Othera
a. Offer flowers/burn incense/light candles, and/or recite prayers
b. I meditate
c. I pray that I pass my exam/for a happy family life/success in career/find a boy friend
etc
ii. Shinto Jinjya
a. Offer flowers/burn incense/light candles, and/or recite prayers
b. I meditate
c. I pray that I pass my exam/for a happy family life/success in career/find a boy friend
etc
d. Other Eg:- Tie Omikuji,
iii. Christian/Catholic Church
a. Offer flowers/burn incense/light candles, and/or recite prayers
b. I meditate
c. I pray that I pass my exam/for a happy family life/success in
career/find a boy friend etc
d. I would like to have/ I had my wedding in the shrine
iv. Other (please specify)……………….
v. I do not visit shrines for religious purposes
3. How often do you visit holy places for religious purposes?
i. I visit the shrine every week/ month
ii. I visit the shrine only on special days/ holy days/new year/obon/or to attend weddings or
funerals
iii. I visit shrines only when I need spiritual consolation or help
iv. I rarely visit shrines for religious purposes
v. I never visit shrines
4. What do you think the role of a religion is?
i. Teach children/younger generation how they should live in the society. Eg:- be a good
person
ii. Promote peace in the society
iii. Spiritual enhancement and ultimate enlightenment
iv. Help people in times of need by granting their wishes/ doing miracles etc)
v. I do not expect anything from religion
vi. Other (please specify)……………………
5. If you are in the need of divine assistance to get over a worldly problem, whom would you turn to?
i. Kami Sama
ii. Hotoke Sama
iii. Jesus Christ
iv. Your ancestors
v. I would not go for divine assistance. I would talk to a friend, elder etc