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| Japan
is an East Asian country formed by four large islands and
many small ones. From north to south the main four islands
are Hokkaido, Honshu (the largest island, where the capital
and most major cities are |
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| located),
Shikoku, and Kyushu. Today, Japan has a population of more
than 124 million inhabitants. |
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HISTORY
According to legend Japan was founded in 660 BC by the emperor Jimmu,
a descendant of the sun goddess. In the first centuries the country
was occupied by clans or tribal kingdoms ruled by priest-chiefs.
The Yamato clan became the most powerful of these and opened the
way to the unification of Japan. The Yamato priest-chief became
the first emperor, and a capital city was created in Kyoto.
In the 9th century AD, the Minamoto family became the rulers of
Japan. Their leader, Yoritomo, took the title of 'shogun' and established
his capital in Kamakura. His military dictatorship lasted 700 years.
The first European contact with Japan was made by Portuguese sailors
in 1542. This began trade with the West. Christianity was introduced
by Saint Francis Xavier, who reached Japan in 1549.
In the late 16th century three warriors, Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and
Ieyasu, established military control over the whole country. They
built their palaces in Yedo (later Tokyo) and set up an efficient
but repressive government. Years of peace and stability followed,
but Japan became isolated and cut their trading ties with the West.
Only Holland was allowed to continue trading with Japan.
The society was divided into a strict hierarchy. At the top were
the daimyo, and then the next most powerful were the samurai, peasants,
artisans, and merchants. Trade expanded, and money and credit were
introduced; cities grew and the merchants became wealthy and powerful.
In 1867 the shogunate collapsed. After brief fighting, the boy emperor
Meiji came to power, and the imperial capital was transferred from
Kyoto to Tokyo. Japan's new rulers realized quickly that they could
not isolate themselves from other countries anymore. Japan began
trading with the West again and it became a great military and industrial
power.
In 1894, Japan went to war with China. After their victory Japan's
power and territory increased greatly. In 1904 Japan went to war
with Russia which increased Japan's power as well. In 1910 Japan
officially took control of Korea. During World War I the Japanese
supported the German interests and received in return the German-owned
islands in the Pacific. When World War II began in 1939, Japan joined
forces with Germany and Italy, and sent troops to Indochina. Japan
then attacked the United States and Great Britain. During the war,
Japan lost its territory to the Allies island by island; warfare
reached Japan itself with great bombing raids. Finally in 1945 the
United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki; soon after, Japan
surrendered.
Since 1945 Japan has grown to have one of the most powerful economies
in the world. It has become wealthy mostly due to the technology
and heavy machinery industry, of which it has been a leader for
many years . |
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RELIGION
The main religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. Shinto (which
literally means: "the way of the gods") is the native religion of
the Japanese people, and is deeply rooted in the Japanese tradition.
Shinto is based on the worship of nature and ancestors. The essence
of Shintoism is "kami", the divine spirit found in all things in
heaven and earth. People, as well as all living things, are essentially
the children of the kami.
The Shinto faith has many gods- the most popular is the Sun goddess
Amaterasu Omikami. It is thought that all humans are fundamentally
good, and that all evil is caused by evil spirits. The purpose of
most of the rituals is to avoid evil spirits by purification, offerings
and prayers. The places of worship, called 'shrines', are the homes
of the kami. The shrines are marked by Torii, special gateways for
the gods. When entering these Torii, visitors leave the finite world
and enter the infinite world of the gods. During a visit, a believer
purifies himself and then returns to the finite world through the
Torii. Shinto priests perform the rituals of purification.
When Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 6th century, some conflicts
arose between the two religions. Followers of Buddhism believe that
human life is full of suffering due to earthly desires, illness,
death and loss. By getting rid of desires and attachments, one can
achieve a higher state of enlightenment (Nirvana) and escape suffering
known on earth. The two religions soon were able to co-exist peacefully
and even complemented each other.
In Japan today many people follow both religions. They seek support
in Shinto and visit shrines in order to pray for good luck and to
avoid evil spirits. Birth and wedding ceremonies are often celebrated
in the Shinto tradition. Death, however, is considered evil in Shinto;
therefore funerals are normally carried out in the Buddhist tradition
in temples.
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SOCIETY,
ECONOMY AND POLITICS
By the late 19th century Japan was completely industrialized. The
textile industry was the most important for the country then. Japan's
economy collapsed after its defeat in World War II, and its fleet
of ships, one of the world's largest in the 1930s, was almost totally
destroyed. In the late 1950s, however, the nation was reborn as
a major industrial power. By the 1970s it had become the most industrialized
country in Asia and the second greatest economic power in the world
after the United States.
In the 1950s and 1960s the production of heavy machinery expanded.
Japan is one of the world's leading producers of machinery, motor
vehicles, and steel, and by the1980s it had become a leading exporter
of high technology products, including electrical and electronic
appliances, and computer hardware.
Agriculture, once a main occupation is now less important to the
Japanese economy. In the early 1990s it employed only about 8% of
the total population. Land is scarce and intensively farmed, with
rice and other grains as the main crops. Fishing is very developed;
the yearly catch is one of the largest in the world.
The Japanese educational system is one of the most comprehensive
and effective in the world. Children have to go to school for nine
years at least, and most Japanese young people stay in school much
longer. |
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CULTURE
Japan has preserved its independence and culture while it was isolated
for so many years. Today Japan is a society that cherishes its ancient
cultural traditions but at the same time is a highly modern industrialized
nation. On one hand, traditional values in education, family honor
and ancestry worship are still very present in people's lives today.
On the other hand, urbanization and industrialization have deeply
changed present society. Japanese values have also changed as generations
are born and raised in the city rather than brought up in the villages.
The role of women in society is also gradually changing. Important
women such as the socialist leader Doi Takako and Princess Masako
(the Harvard-educated diplomat who married Crown Prince Naruhito
in 1993) have helped make professional women more acceptable. Women
now account for about two-fifths of the workforce, but most occupy
temporary or part-time positions. Women are still expected to run
the household and raise the children, while the men devote themselves
to their work. Japanese divorce rates are rising but remain low
compared to the West standards. The Japanese have a strong family
structure, which forms the basis of the social system. |
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| "The
Big Myth" © Distant Train 2009 |
