Anime and Mythology?

Introduction

Like anyone who has ever sat through an anime, people think, how do the Japanese come up with such strange ideas? Well...the culture itself has an amazing collection of history and mythology that has linked itself in such a strange manner.

Anime is no exception to the rule about the use of the stories, if people will see anime like Sailor Moon, xxxHolic, Tokyo Babylon, X/1999, Lament of the Lamb, Higurashi and so on you will hear the stories. They are told in different manners and some of the greatest series will show you the stories that have ever existed.

When I read about it now, I thought about how silly I was and that Japanese culture was something that I had no interest in until I started to read more into it. Stories like xxxholic and Higurashi took me into a dark side of anime and story telling. I became more interested in trying to make a sort of contribution to the Western World by going to Japan someday to collect the stories of the East and give the stories new life. No to mention try and consider what is going on in the world in a manner that is way beyond the Western thought.

The Anime and Stories

Anime is of course my favorite topic, but that is far from what I am researching, the dark side of mythology is the ghost stories. In Japan, Ghost stories are sort of warnings about what might happen if certain things are ignored and people tread in a manner that could cause lack of balance.

When it comes to seeing Japanese mythology in action, Inuyasha is one of the largest contributions. The story about a hanyu, Inuyasha and his friends who try to find shards of a crystal and meet demons of all sorts. You have the Thunder Brothers, the Tengu (Birds of Paradise), Saiyuki (not the anime) characters like the pig coming out, and even the festivals are covered. I would not say it is the greatest storywise, but its contributions are that people are now aware of the stories tied.

One story that comes up is the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, where an old man finds a little baby in the bamboo and because of his kindness is rewarded. He raises this child as if she was his own and then becomes a rich owner of land. He even starts to be asked if he wants to marry his daughter off, which she gives men various tasks, those that even cause some to die or disappear. Then the Emperor hears of her beauty and pursues her, she tells him as much as she would like to come and live in his palace, she cannot. She has to return to the land of the Moon, and one night she disappears with the people of the sky and never seen again.(Rendering from Japanese Tales please see books in use)

This is a famous story, in fact many animes have different renderings of the story. Sailor Moon S movie has her as a villain who comes to Earth to turn it to ice, while in Inuyasha, she is trapped inside a mirror. There are many other anime that has this story in it, so don't think that these are the only two. D.N.Angel has the same rendering in some sense, so you have a whole list still to use.

Mushi-shi is a new addition to this paper and a piece of art. The Mushi are spirits, things that are just as they appear at times, but also they are things that you can't see with the naked-eye. These things are still respected in same cases where they are the creatures that exist, but yet don't exist at the same time. These are spirits who walk the world and don't do much harm. Though if someone is not wise, they can easily anger a Mushi and then in turn cause harm to themselves and others.

These are just a few of the myths that follow Japan and also there are influences that are outside the country that do show up. Creatures that are seen even in anime like Rurouni Kenshin, the anime, a woman whose neck grows long and is used to spy on her neighbors is a theme seen in Chinese stories and less in Japanese.

The word oni was brought over by Buddhist monks who were coming to Japan not to convert, but to bring over the ideas of the Buddha. This was later adopted into the culture as part of the traditions and also used in the practices of Kaidan, or Ghost Story telling.

Chinese Influenced

There are stories that were later brought into the culture and passed on for centuries, one being Journey to the West, it was entitled Saiyuki. Unlike many of the other stories, this was a treasure of China, and Japan built off it in many different animes, two of the most famous are: Dragon Ball and Saiyuki. These are considered some of the most popular, even though in some cases, people who sit through Dragon Ball don't know that it is the story of Son Goku, the monkey and the priest going to the west to bring the Buddhist teachings to the East.

The audiences in the United States think it is just an action movie, but in some cases it is the story of how China learned about Buddhism from travelling missionaries who came into the area. Japan had gotten the story as missionaries who practiced Chan, translated to Zen Buddhism who were able to influence a whole group. This is seen on the introduction of Chinese and Easter Philosophy as part of the cultural influences of mythology.

Religious Notes

Japan is known for a couple of religions, one being brought into the country by Chinese missionaries, and the other embraced by the locals of the time. The first is Shinto, one that has been around the longest in some sense in the culture. Though embraced in many ways that has been the state religion up from 1860s during the Bakumatsu reformation period.

Buddhism came to Japan through trade and missionaries from China, the sect of Chan also known as Zen became much more popular as many religous practices were embraced. The culture accepted and some of the practices including some Taoism was adopted into the Samurai culture. This was a philosophical following much more than a religious one.

Definitions

Tengu: Flying mountain demons, sometimes though they are also on the ground, this is a Shinto term

Kami: Gods and Goddesses of Japan, these are sometimes very powerful, sometimes angering them is not recommended and some people want even foriegners to respect the wishes of the Kami.

Oni: This term did not appear in the Japanese wording until the Buddhists came to Japan, this actually is for the Hungry Ghosts of China or even Buddhists from India. These are ghosts who have unfinished business or could not pass through to the after life well. (Sometimes even mentioned in Taoism)

Book Sources

Japanese Tales Edited and Translated by Royall Tyler Pantheon Books, New York, 1987 ISBN: 0-375-71451-0

Handbook of Japanese Mythology by Michael Ashkenazi Oxford University Press, Oxford New York, 2003. ISBN: 978-0-19-533262-9

Religions of Japan in Practice Edited by George J. Tanabe Jr. Princeton University Press, New Jersey. ISBN: 0-691-05789-3

A Reader's Guide to Japanese Literature Edited by J. Thomas Rimer Kodansha International, Tokyo. 1999 ISBN:4-7700-2359-6

Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en Translated by W.J.F. Jenner Foreign Language Press. Beijing China. 1993. ISBN: 7-119-01663-6

Manga Sources

Tokyo Babylon. CLAMP. Volume 1. Tokyo Pop. 1991. ISBN: 1591828716

Saiyuki. Kazuya Minekura. Volume 1. Tokyo Pop. 2004. ISBN: 978-1-59182-651-4

xxxHolic. CLAMP. Volume 1. DelRey. New York. 2004. ISBN: 0-345-47058-3

Lament of the Lamb. Kei Toume. Volume 1. Tokyo Pop. 2004. ISBN: 1591828149

More of an Introduction to Asian Philosophies Part 2

Let's continue with the rest of the philosophical interests of these areas. Mostly because they do affect Japan indirectly and directly. There is the topics of Taoism and also Shinto!

Taoism

What is it? Well, let's start with some tracts, since my room was mean and ate my books on it, I will just have to go through a website to get the information. There are at least 81 sets of poems and also gives a bit of a naturalistic view of the world.

1
The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.

The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.

Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.

Yet mystery and manifestations
arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding.
(http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html)

This is the first time you see this set of poetry, there are almost an amazing set of research that is done about it. Japan doesn't use this entirely, but it is seriously important considering that it later influences some of the Shinto beliefs too about nature.

Nature is considered one of the most important parts of the study of Taoism, it is the fact that Nature in itself is important and also linked to the cause of a lot things. The making of rivers and such were the focus of Lao Tzu the teacher who was forced to write down all of these, according to the legend.

Basics
http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/fall99/hundoble/
Commentary

In most cases, the philosophy is still holding the idea that nature is part of the world.

4
The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

It is hidden but always present.
I don't know who gave birth to it.
It is older than God.
(http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html)

The Tao considering that fact that nothing can always be used up, that things will happen and then be renewed, don't forget, that even the most important part of the philosophy is that Nature is there.
Shinto

What is Shinto, in Japan, the religion is almost like Taoism, an extreme love of nature and life, characters of life and death, then renewal. In many ways Shinto has many gods and goddess linked to it and many times they appear in different parts. There is the Goddess, Amaterasu who is the sun goddess who was famed for helping to create the world. If anyone who has seen the movie "Last Samurai" and heard the small story at the introduction of the movie, you would hear only a small bit of the story of the creation myth that was and is Shinto.

The many goddesses and gods were linked to the terms, Tengu (demons), Kami (Goddess and Gods), and many more things. There are names that are countless, local villages event have different Gods and Goddesses that they did locally worship in one way or another.

As seen in many anime or movies, the beliefs are still instilled in the people and children, even in the city, but less so now than ever.

The Goddess Amaterasu is seen in many different forms, she seems almost beautiful and wants to create the world in light and not have people trying to hurt her creation. She has other Kami who become the focus of attention, one being a storm god who just about hurt her.

Link:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm
http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/bender4/eall131/EAHReadings/module02/m02japanese.html

Commentary:

When I look at Shinto I am reminded of the anime of Higurashi where many of the villages are still living with the comments of beware of this god or that. That foxes are playful jokers who were able to kill those who trespass without thinking twice upon it.

"Be careful of the snake," Mr. Takayama said conversationally. We were passing beneath a large cryptomeria on our way back from a purification ritual he had conducted in a small shrine set among ripening rice fields. (Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Michael Ashkenazi Page. 1)

These are common thoughts, the temples and shrines are so respected that even animals are also respected around it. That is seen also in many different anime and sometimes even seen as a little weird in the Western world.

More of an Introduction to Asian Philosophies Part 1

Introduction of sorts

We will start off with China, everyone knows where it is, if you don't, I don't think people would have survived geography. Anyway, let's begin, China was at one time largest educated are of Asia in the world, they had a lot of things that even the West did not have. So basically it isn't a surprise that countries would trade back and forth with it.

China had a huge trade in India at one time, and also that is how Buddhism came into the country and spread through out Asia. There were millions of people who traveled through to China along the silk road passing many villages and many of the teachings of the Buddha must have been passed on.

Buddhism (Tabetian, Chinese, and Japanese)

Buddhism as many people might already know is not from China or Japan, though it grew in popularity in those locations, these are far from the facts on the religion in itself. The most I know is that it focuses less on the physical idea of pain and suffering and more on the idea of escaping that kind of torment. The world is full of suffering and also it can have joy in it as well, which is the main focus, it isn't about how much one suffers to gain what is in the next life. Even teachers like Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Dogan were more on the idea of work and education, lesson trying to lessening the pain. One needs the pain to grow and even though the pain might not be good, sometimes it is waht drives us to do what we can to succeed in the world.

Though Khenpo who is a Tibetian monk has many teachings at times that are just as important it is about the stages of meditation on emptyness that become almost amazingly important. He emphasised this on five stages:
1. the Shravaka stage
2. the Cittamatra
3. Svatantrika-Madhyamaka
4. Prasanguja-Madhyamaka
5. Shentong Madhyamaka
(Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness, page 5)
These stages focus on different set of thoughts and forms, sometimes setting the thoughts of what is considered forms or concentrations on what is form or formless. You have to read at least a few of the books to get what I am trying to get at.

Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness. By Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
The Two Truths. By Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

To progress into the Zen side of the research, the Buddhist minds of Japan have a totally different set of thoughts, though they focus on a sort of mind set of the two paths, that people can walk through life and cross these paths at all times. There is also the thought of the Buddhidharma or even the study of the Heart Sutra which is the mainstay at times. And also added to it is the Kanzeon Sutra.

"Many paths enter the Way, but they do not go beyond two basic kinds. The first is entering throug principle, and the seoncd is through practice." (Zen Source book. Page 11)

This is emphasized through out the texts, it is the need to practice and walk through it without being forced into the thoughts or have it drilled in. Many times even Buddhist monks were given strange answers from their teachers when they spoke to them.

Case Eighteen
Tung-shan was asked by a monk, "What is Buddha?
Tung-shan said, "Three Pounds of Flax."

Wu-men's Verse:
Out pour three pounds of flax,
Intimiate words and intimiate meaning;
The Person who explains this and that
Is also a this-and-that person.

(Zen Source Book, page 99)

What is this-and-that? This is a concept that people are considering that people will put a catagory on just about everything, which is the this-and-that mind. Personally, I hate this concept of this-and-that, because it doesn't explain a thing to a person and causes many people to even hate Buddhism for that whole abandonment of this-and-that catagory.

Put it in a manner that might work. If something is red and someting is pink, then you put the two said items next to each other, one will be a bit more red than the other. So then the person who is looking will immediately start to catagorize it as red or pink, not red and lighter red, is that a little easier to see? I don't know its like the glass is either half full or half empty.

Zen Sourcebook. Edited By Stephen Addiss, Stanley Lombardo and Judith Roitman
Moon in a Dewdrop. Edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Commentary

There is much to be said on this topic, the ideals that were illustrated no matter brief as it looks, there is the conceptual thought. This is less on a religious side I found and more on a philosophical and thought basis, this is about the thoughts on everything about what is the world. Buddhists by nature are generally not interested in the aspect of just existing, they are more interested in helping people too. The idea of enlightenment isn't just the thoughts on the basis of considering who is what and what is there, it is that everyone is capable of finding a sense of enlightenment, even if they are Christian or otherwise, Buddhism isn't about believing in God, it is believing in the idea of bettering the mind before you leave it.

There is also the fact that there is the idea of the this-and-that, it is going to show up even in Confucianism as something that is considered important.

Confucianism

Who was Confucius? He was a man who lived during a waring states period in China, he voiced the idea that there shouldn't be a type of war going on and people should unit. He brought up the ideals that were brought forth from the earlier periods of peace which was the Zhao period of China. His students who later went on to copy and re-copy his works went out to hopefully educate rulers in the manners of the state. These lessons went on to be part of the exams used by dignitaries to fill in positions at the courts or even govenors.

Though it isn't clear how this works out, but it is evident that the system worked up until the 1890s when the unfair treaties and the wars in China with the Western governments made the country weaker.

The philosophy of Confucius still remains with the concept of "Felial Piety," "Respect of the Ruler," "Respect of the wife to the husband," and "Respect among Siblings," and "Respect of friends." These are still practiced even though it is not enforced anymore. Families in China and most of Asia still use that concept to maintain order or even more importantly keept the families together.

"Master You said: 'It is a rare thing for someone who has sense of filial and fraternal responsibility to have a taste for defying authority. And it is unheard of for those who have no taste for defying authority to be keen on intiating rebelion. Ememplary persons concentrate their efforts on the root, for the root having taken hold, the way will grow thereform. As for filial and fraternal responsibility, it is I suspect, the root of authoritative conduct.' (Analect of Confucius. page 71, 1.2)

This speaks of the family and also the need to obey authority, even though sometimes we don't agree with it, though in some cases, there is a loophole in Confucianism that makes sense. If the Ruler is a bad person and the people know it, they don't have to deal with it, they just need to agree on it, they can rebel!

The Analects of Confucius. Translated by Roger T. Ames, Henry Rosemont. Jr.

Commentary

What do you know of Confucius? Not much, I suppose, he worked with the idea that being filial helps, but also obeying the ruler, but sadly, this can cost people. Some people believed that rebelion was a bad thing, for China's history it was the fact the waring states went on for centuries and no one was in clear agreement of what was going on. You can even see that in video games like Dynasty Warriors.

The problems that persisted were what Confucius wanted to stop. He was hoping that people would agree with his concepts, sadly, these were not to come until after his death. His followers were similar to the followers of Jesus if you think about it, many of these people were hunted by an Emperor who was a legalist, someone who was way too literal and decided to kill anyone who didn't agree with him. He basically was the one who built the teracotta warriors and became almost known as the Dragon Emperor, he was not only a tyrant, but soon after his fall, knew emperors took over and allowed the new emperors to use the Confucian teachings.

Though in the end it was still a failure at times, but Confucius brought in a practical air at times, that even I find amazing, it is great to respect your elders.

Introduction to Japanese Mythology

Like anyone who has ever sat through an anime, people think, how do the Japanese come up with such strange ideas? Well...the culture itself has an amazing collection of history and mythology that has linked itself in such a strange manner.

Anime is no exception to the rule about the use of the stories, if people will see anime like Sailor Moon, xxxHolic, Tokyo Babylon, X/1999, Lament of the Lamb, Higurashi and so on you will hear the stories. They are told in different manners and some of the greatest series will show you the stories that have ever existed.

When I read about it now, I thought about how silly I was and that Japanese culture was something that I had no interest in until I started to read more into it. Stories like xxxholic and Higurashi took me into a dark side of anime and story telling. I became more interested in trying to make a sort of contribution to the Western World by going to Japan someday to collect the stories of the East and give the stories new life. No to mention try and consider what is going on in the world in a manner that is way beyond the Western thought.