Bushido is an anchor. If your anchor is too big, you can not raise it from the sea floor and so your ship can never sail to more productive waters. If your anchor is too small, any storm will throw your ship upon the rocks. If your anchor is just right, your ship will weather any storm and yet you can move your ship from the harbor to the fishing grounds and return to port again.
The perfect anchor is Christ, the anchor of the soul who trust in Him, who is with us in the storm and says we will cross the sea to the other side despite whatever storm comes
I have never heard so eloquently the root problem of Japan's social structure in a 20 minute setting. This was incredible Shogo! *Post video* I honestly think if the groupist concepts of Japan were done in earnest and honesty, Bushido would make for a good template of society. In my experience living as a foreigner in an inaka town, I saw just how isolationist people could be within the community. BUT I found sub-communities that actually DID look after each other (myself included) because they believed it was right. Not that they were worried about other people's opinion. As a U.S. citizen, I grew up to believe that individuality is key to success and happiness. But the groupist ideas of taking care of people in your community, keeping it clean, and keeping it safe, are all things that all walks of life can easily strive for. Bushido, I think, has every right to exist in the modern era. But the catalyst for it's practice should change to an honest heart looking to do the right thing rather than a lying heart trying to protect itself from literally everyone else.
I would disagree that Bushido has a place in the modern world since so much of it is predicated on a rigid caste system and a hereditary nobility. Neither of which jive well with concepts like "democracy" and "social mobility".
I agree. You need a blend where people can live for themselves but when needed they band together to take care of the elderly and infirmed or those dealing with hardships.
@@jaywalkallstar It has a place in my mind, but in certain ways as Gaijin Goombah says. Here people don't care a bit about the people around them, which is individualism taken to the extremes. Only thinking of others isn't good either, but there's a middle way too, where you can be yourself and respect others and express yourself, with regards for the community you live in, and the people around you. Things like keeping music quiet at night instead of putting some bluetooth speakers at max at 3am when you're walking through the city, letting people off the bus instead of immediately trying to push your way in while they're getting off, simple things like that. Guess it's the difference between the principle behind something, and how it's adapted in reality.
I mean it's a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge factor. The more you look into it, the more important it turns out to be...just like animals evolve or die, humans and societies evolve to survive in their geographic location.
Yes, it's good to keep in mind that if we had lived on Mars we would not exist, and if we had lived in the ocean we would be like fish. Desert, jungle, river deltas, mountains etc. really require different strategies for existence, so it affects our genetics, and if it affects our genetics it will for sure affect our culture.
I absolutely love these videos. As an outsider who's long been fascinated by Japanese culture and history, it's amazing to be given this insight into its nuances and workings.
Having lived in a Confucian society for a decade or more, it really helped me when I realized a few things. 1. This is a collective society, and a society of hierarchy. 2. This does NOT mean that people care about others. 3. This means that group opinion from the outside is more important than substance on the inside 4. This also means that people are looking for every opportunity to use others in the group for their own social and economic advantage. 5. All relationships contain a dominator and a subordinate, they key is to pretend obedience to the dominant and force obedience on the subordinate to get your own personal advantage. It's ironic, but collective societies just means that people are just as self focused as "individualistic" ones, but they use social manipulation and deceit to do it. I've seen some parents so "concerned" for their child's success not really for the happiness of the child, but for the praise that parent will receive from the society. If that means bullying the kid into depression, shut up and obey.
Earth will never change , it's mostly parasitic with humans . It doesn't matter what society or country you live in. There will always be somebody or a group of somebody's who want to tell the other everybody's what to do 💩🤡. Most of the human existence that we know of has been filled with violence and subordination or even slavery. Everything is a hustle, it's just common street knowledge one would think
I don't think you know what collective means. Where is this place that has collective ownership over the means of production? Think like this. Everyone on your block has a their own lawnmower. But on a day to day basis only 10% will mow their lawn. So out of 20 mowers, only 2 are being used. What if instead their was a collective shop paid for by the people where there were 4 lawnmowers to use at will? For free because you as a collective already bought them. It would be just as efficient production wise but 16 fewer lawnmowers would have had to be produced using resources that could have gone to other things. It would also save you personally a couple hundred dollars That is basic collectivism.
how blessed are we to live in an era where books and teachings in another language are explained in an easy and relatable way. Thank you for your hard work, Shogo-san!
I grew up in an Italian-German family, so the close-knitness of family and strict discipline and how your actions "make the family look", and keeping up appearances to fit in, were all super common as well. As was the dishonesty and two-facedness of it all. This video helped me realize that... I see very similar issues in myself, and so it's made me think.
I love how you recap at the end of the video, and your clear explanations of complex things. I love how you love your culture without having to put down someone else's. I love the idea of keeping what's beautiful about tradition while recognizing that we have to leave behind what no longer works. Thank you for your posts!
True I think in America we are to much on the individualism tho is funny and sad to see America not wearing mask because freedom and then the proceed to remove random people by mask by force who didn't want to or you criticize them because you have an issue with them and watch them scream how their freedom of speech is threaten sometime it feel we got the most selfish people here
@@cptromero5595 I think tribalism might be the better word for that. People attack people outside of their group, but they're still individualists within their particular group and care about themselves more than the people within their group.
It is really scary to see how large corporations have abused the societal structure in Japan to largely exploit it's people for labor. Bushido I think is something that has a place in the world if it can find a balance with other individualist philosophies, but it is plain to see how Bushido has been exploited for financial gain by the powerful and wealthy, even in current times.
That’s what large corporations do. They imbed themselves into social systems, seemingly assimilate, by doing so learn how best to exploit said social systems, then hijack them to their own ends.
@@Kenshiro3rd They rather falled to exploit Bushido as Japanese has low productivity. It is the matter of thing, the work culture within company depend on the culture of the peoples they are hired. If anything a company just want maximun productivity and the way Japanese works prevent them to do that.
The future will neither be capitalism, nor communism, nor any other system generated by man. It will be self-sufficiency, as humans will have exhausted all faith in their species. It is the only way to starve the 'human cowbirds' who rely on people not being able to survive on their own; so that their talents and work can be harvested by them, who do not deserve its fruits.
@@TarsonTalon I’m not sure about the future. Honestly, I believe our future is a moneyless communist society with little to no class boundaries and state interference on human rights. As long as we continue to advance, money will eventually be phased out of our lives, and with that, so will capitalism (if of course it has not already been phased out). But, I agree with you on the part of self sufficiency, as a change in economic systems may help, but won’t save humanity. What will, however, is unlocking our true potentials and using our freedom to better humanity (i.e. using it to empower others to unlock their potentials and working together to advance as a species).
It’s impossible to try to understand a whole nation’s characteristics with just a few studies. But I can tell you that this is one of the most interesting ones that made me think, “Wow, this answers a lot of questions about Japanese people and why we are like this.” Have you ever wondered why Japan can't stop following annoying rules? Why do Japanese people work for long hours but have very low productivity? Why can't Japanese people change jobs or run away before they end their own lives? Today’s video might give you a hint to answer these questions. ・ In this channel, you can take a closer look at Japanese traditional culture, tips upon traveling to Kyoto, and social problems in Japan. So learners and lovers of Japanese language and culture, be sure to subscribe to enjoy more content! Please check out the description box for more videos recommended for you! ▼Join our Membership▼ ua-cam.com/channels/n7DCb9ttrcw9h3vh9dfnVw.htmljoin ●Membership benefits -Limited behind-the-scene videos ua-cam.com/play/UUMOn7DCb9ttrcw9h3vh9dfnVw.html -Weekly live stream -Priority reply to comments Every single yen we earn from this membership, we will be donating to groups of people who are fighting to solve social problems in Japan, the Japanese schools where foreign students can study, or use it to spread the works of people working with traditional culture in Japan to preserve the arts they are doing. ▼Sub channel “Shogo’s Podcast”▼ ua-cam.com/channels/ZAe1VayWxp5NLO4Net78DA.html The perfect channel to learn about Japanese culture and history in your spare time, during your walk to school or work, and when you are cooking or doing house chores. Not only will I be covering the topics in this main channel, but also some topics that you will only be able to enjoy in the sub-channel, like answering questions I receive, and my opinions towards some of the comments. ▼Instagram▼ instagram.com/lets_ask_shogo/ *Please ask me questions through the DM here!（⚠️I do not use e-mail） Thank you again very much for watching!
Sociology spans to everything everywhere. Here in the US, tradition attached to certain beliefs or political ideologies serve as a conduit for bad behavior and attitudes that end up being counter productive and regressive. Religion and politics are a main offender. My main point; while socialism and capitalism are the opposite i believe there is a possibility of a healthy mixed market system. Based on real merit, workers/human rights and ownership.
This just sounds like most asian countries, but japan took it to the maximum. In Thailand, groupism is in the form of respecting the monachy. You can do anything you want, as long as you don't slander the king. The irony of this idea is that the people who spread this mindset don't even respect the king, they just force others to do it out of self interest.
This is very true.....its also evident in the Chinese culture as well so its also an Asian humane act to group together instead of going solo for survival, very much in contrast of the Western ways. Even when the so-called democracy in place, there's hardly any democratic manners as the groupism ways is so strong in these Asian democracy, as long as an individual is highlighted out as the 'odd-one out' in society, he/she can be singled out and taken down in any manner the governance deem fit. The only way to make a real change is another major shakeup like how COVID19 somewhat reformed the world anew.
One of the wildest things I saw in Thailand, during martial law when the last king died, was the number of people who would say that they were worried about his son taking over, or they were skeptical of his criminal record, or his tattoos, etc etc, and then quickly catch themselves and follow it up with “oh but he’s a good king” and then look around anxiously like someone was listening, or like we were plants there to turn them in for their views. It felt awful seeing someone who was just talking to you honestly freeze up, suspicious that you were there to ruin their life for questioning the royal family.
It’s interesting that you mention bushido leading to harmony just for the sake of harmony. It reminds me of how individualism in the US can end up leading to a progress for the sake of progress attitude. For example, exponential profit for a business is considered desirable even at the expense of worker’s happiness or even their productivity. Neither harmony nor progress are bad, but I think these examples show how any way of thinking can be detrimental if done blindly or to maintain the status quo. I love that your video calls for a mindful balance-to be aware of why we are doing something and to adapt our thinking as our needs change.
"It reminds me of how individualism in the US can end up leading to a progress for the sake of progress attitude" I have never heard anyone say that they were for individualism for the sake of progress. Individualism is paramount because human nature will eventually rebel against forced collectivism. It is one thing to be part of a group. it is another to be forced to be part of a group. We are tribal so we form groups. But, we are also fiercely independent. That is one of the main dividing points between our political left and right. The individualism inherent in the US ideoligy is why it became so wealthy and powerful while the collectivism in other countries lead them to stagnation.
@@randymiller3918 it also is the reason why we have such a large social and wealth gap. While other nations are closer in range with their stagnation, at least their groups live similarly next to each other. While in the US you can have a millionaire neighborhood flooded with homeless people. Balance is everything yet the US fails to do that as well
@@randymiller3918 Yes you have heard of it. "Progress for the sake of progress" is the marching orders of the left. Collectivist is a strongly held belief of the left as well. Seems like the main take is collectivism is dangerous because it leads to homogenization, group think, and stagnation.
same in Poland, ppl used to think it's matter of 'catholic countryside ostracism' as we experiance mass city migration in last 30y, but it's still present in big cities just in diffrent form
@@yatarookayama8329 Russian here. Russians is absolutely okay to criticize our own country because it's a way to improvement - looks like that some peeps from Japan cannot bear when someone trying to speak about it's own issues. That person just want improvements and he's not using it as a tool in political rivalry. Respect him. Period.
@@yatarookayama8329 How is it racist. He is questioning problems he sees with the culture, not being negative towards Japanese people as a race. So not racist. ... culturalist? Lol
I'm an international relations professional and political scientist and I must say that this video approaches the subject better than most sociology books I read. GREAT job, Shogo!
Sure. Socializm is just a form of materializm. They just give more and more of the same. Increasing only in size, but not in mind, concousness.... Confucious just gives you very small % of Lao Dz. Lao Dz is the real deal, Confucious is just materializm.
@@derpherp7285 no, he's a shill pretend scientist. Social science has never been science. They just used that term to make the public believe they had legitimacy.
I had a Japanese friend who once said: "Japan is the best and the worst place to live in the world." I never understood that, but it makes a lot of sense after watching your video.
@@yatarookayama8329 exactly the western countries have become a place where social and political issues have ruined there countries where as japan it hasn't hopefully will never fallow that path
@@dragonknightn7n796 You say that, but look at the aging population in Japan, the high suicide rates, the number of herbivore men etc, just to name a few. I don't deny that the western world is probably primed for a decline, but Japan has its own issues, it doesn't need to import them from the west.
@@yatarookayama8329 Not worse than Japan though. Y'all are killing yourselves more than any other country in the world because you guys work 60+ hours a week and care too damn much about what others think of you. Every country and region has good and bad sides.
My Japanese friend said ”Human relationships are the worst and best thing in Japan”. I think it’s same everywhere but in Japan it really is on a next level.
Your video was very clear and well thought out. Thank-you for your clear explanation of Bushido and how it shaped Japanese culture. Japan has a special place in my heart because my father learned to speak Japanese while stationed there after WWII. Later on in the 60’s he met and developed a life-long friendship with a Mr. Kowaguchi. We also hosted a visiting Japanese family when I was very young. We all valued the time of their visit and how they shared their culture. After viewing your video and hearing the problems facing Japan today, my heart aches for your country. Your pursuit of drawing on the positive aspects of your culture to pass on to others is admirable.
I agree. Balance is the best policy in everything in life: work, family, habits and hobbies. Anything in extremes and excess tend to come with negative consequences
Unfortunately the human brain loves extremes and simplifications, which is why we tend to cling to an obsessive, one-tracked mindset. We just need to be more aware.
@@bouncehouseofficial As someone who isn't white, it's not a prideful position in most western societies. You're getting no prideful position for being black in Poland or Ukrainian in the north of England. Rich city in the United States =/= western society
@@AdamOwenBrowning Poland is not Western. Ukrainians and other East Europeans don't benefit from "outsider privilege" because of their race and culture.
As a kid I have seen many manga opposing two heroes, one being rebellious, extraverted, original and ambitious and the other being serious, traditionnalist etc, and the two having to work together to win (typically Seya and Shiryu in saint Seya). Is it a metaphor of old and modern Japan?
Well it's more like a "the old world is dying and the new one is trying to be born" and in cases like code geass "bow to the system and try to change it" vs "the system is corrupt and the only way to make the world a better place is to destroy it" although you might have a point since anime and manga are one of the few bastions of creativity left in those terrible times
@@vivusbrydyr4039 Which is the best part of consuming any media imo. Two people can watch the same movie and get completely different understanding of what was important to the plot, and conversation resulting from that can be really engaging.
As a learner of the Japanese language and culture, I found this video to be very informative! At first, I was skeptical about getting into this topic as from my studies, I have always seen Bushido as a positive thing in Japanese society, but after watching the video to the end, I now understand. I also agree with what you said about keeping the cultures alive and having a balance with the ideals of Bushido in everyday, life. I play the shakuhachi and have trained in Budo, and have dabbled in shodo, and I, too, want to preserve the Japanese culture and learn as much as I can. Thank you for making this video. I now have a clearer understanding of why Japan is the way it is.
I think bushido was absolutely necessary back in edo period. Edo period came at a time when Japan just went through over 100 years of constant civil war and horror with the Sengoku period. Bushido was a good tool to keep a scared people calm and keep a blood drunk samurai class in check.
That is a good point. It was a social system made during a time of disorder and chaos. It helped bring order to Japan at the time and help the nation find a sense of unity. Having healthy reforms for more decayed aspects of a system is always good. But any aspects that are still a positive should always be kept. As they create some kind of foundation of stability for society.
I agree with your supporting points but disagree with you saying it was necessary. It was only needed because thats how heavy the feudal caste system was. In the end bushido only kept order for the upper class. Bushido and everything similar to it during the feudal period was a burden to the common people of the past and today.
@@ChrisPage68 hate to say it, but most people need to be ashamed and have fear to nkt do immoral things. Think about how many people in this world literally only dont do crimes because theres time involved
Except, as someone living in South Korea, it seems like they have a lot of the same problems. People will worry about saving face and appearances ... unless they have no social stake in your opinion, in which case, they'll treat you like crap, very often. I think it has more to do with Confucianism than Bushido. Certainly not an expert though.
Like with any religion or philosophy, it comes down to people rationalizing a system of beliefs to justify abuse in order to feel powerful and or special. I have seen so many of my friends be emotionally, verbally, and financially abused by their parents because of a corruption of filial piety. Those types of tiger parents that forcefully make their children prioritize "paying their dues" over everything else.
I think South Korea and japan share a lot of the same problems due to similar cultural influences in their history, but also something that went relatively unaddressed in this video, but severely afflicts both countries, capitalist alienation. Something that’s very apparently the cause of Korea’s economic inequality, as well japan’s toxic work culture, and the difficulty younger Japanese generations find in forming meaningful platonic and romantic relationships, which leads to their rapidly aging population
All of this grew out of Asian culture in general, generated from all the aspects of historical "Asian-ness"- geography, genetics, etc, and the complex interaction of all of them. Things like Bushido and Confucianism are themselves both results and causes, and amplifiers of causes.
@@J-manli It's not so much that, Confucius' philosophy seems to be tailormade to be 'abused' in such a way, and when abuse is so easy and endemic, one has to wonder whether or not it's in fact being abused or the philosophy is in fact working as intended.
It is clear that Shogo loves Japan. The more we love our country, the more we try to understand it, the good and the bad, and do our best, as individuals, and as members of the community to improve the aspects we believe are keeping it from growing better and better. Congratulations, dear, you are doing what you can for you, for your family, your country and for foreigners who admire Japanese culture.
I’m Brazilian, and we have a hybrid familial-individualistic centric based society, and my grandma always cared about what our family would think of us but not so much about what strangers would think. Even then, Japanese society acts in ways that are more individualistic than Brazilian society, it might be thanks to western economic and cultural influences starting at the end of ww2
I think that's a characteristic of many third world "old style" societies .. same here in my country Bangladesh or in the Indian subcontinent in general I think .
My wife's family emigrated to Brazil on the late 1930s (so no natural disasters to contend with as much anymore) but they still keep that old mindset to this day (much to my wife's chagrin)
Fantastic ideas here, Shogo! You have a great attitude. It's very important to preserve unique cultures, but also vital to be able to adapt the way we do things to create better lives for ourselves and future generations. If more people in Japan can understand this, I believe that the country will thrive and grow even better than before.
Great video. Clinging to something because it is traditional can be dangerous. Many great innovators faced discrimination when they first came up with new ideas.
It is interesting how corporate culture in the west is similar with some of the negative aspects of Bushido and groupism structures. One of my favourite books is "The Book of 5 Rings." In the water chapter balance and flexibility are virtues.
@@anasazmi8554 yes it’s the book of 5 rings from Miyamoto Musashi. By the way I think that the way he live was completely different of those Japanese samurais of his time. Hi was a independent samurai. an artist, philosopher, poet, sculptor, writer and more importantly he was a realice master of buddhist meditation. In his void chapter of the his book of the 5 rings said; “when you realise every thing is empty and you see emptiness in every thing you have understood the true void” this words only a master who have realise the perfection wisdom sutra of the Buddha can said this on this affirmative way. I think that the middle way of Buddhism is good alternativa for the modern Japanese people and the rest of the world.
There was a period of time in the '80s, _peak_ "Gordon Gekko," where Japan was the emerging economic power and was perceived as presenting a threat to Western, particularly American, business interests. Many a manager/CEO saw what the Japanese were doing with their organizational structures, and adopted it for themselves, either out of a sense of trying to stay competitive, or in agreement with the social values involved. Incidentally (or appropriately, depending on how you see it), Western corporate culture has now run into exact same problems Shogo is highlighting, exacerbated even more so by the pandemic.
Musashi is quite the fascinating man. Often he will be looked up as a shining example of Bushido but I think it highlights the emptyness of the philosophy in many aspects. He was the greatest warrior poet of his era... an era of peace. He was a master duelist, but famously once forgot his sword to a duel and beat his opponent with a wooden boat paddle. His book of 5 rings could just as much be about becoming the greatest sushi chef as it is about being a dutiful warrior. I suppose he himself must have known the contradictions and emptiness of his honours.
I've really come to enjoy your videos exploring the history and culture of Japan while expressing them in an understandable way to English speakers like myself. It's a lovely balance of introspection on Japan and its past to looking how it has evolved in the contemporary era with worldly influences. As a fellow swordsman from the west, please continue!
I really liked the video! I know that you have put a lot of thought into your values and beliefs where others would accept things just because they’ve been done that way for a long time. And, like was mentioned in the last samurai, *you* are truly “The warrior in whom, the ways of old meet the new”. When I was younger, I used to idolize Japan, thinking it was a near-perfect place to live, but learning more about how it has problems, just like here in the US, helps me understand that it’s a regular place, with both good and bad aspects of society. I still love Japan, but I don’t idolize it. Thank you for making the video!
Me too, I am an Indian, and most people here in India idolize Japan. I previously idolized Japan, but I don't anymore. I also say that India and Japan have very similar problems, like the one where both countries don't give up on 'outdated practices'.
@@s888r what? I didn't know that(but i have a feeling that may be because Japan is having issues with a..certain country that Japan has has bad blood with for CENTURIES now...so solidarity,perhaps?) Didn't know india liked Japan that much..til(today I learned) .
@@mobiuszero1018 As I mentioned, India and Japan share a lot of things, social problems too. Just as in Japan, giving respect and offering hospitality is praised, this is what most Indians like about Japan, and the reason why they idolize it.
Based. That's how people should think. No where is perfect, but here isn't necessarily perfect for you but there might be. It's all subjective and dependent on culture and personality.
I’ve only heard of Bushido in the mindset of a warrior. How it was described to me is pretty much being on the borderline of suicidal and brave and valuing honour above everything including your own life.
11:31 The Emperor’s New Clothes was a story popularized to warn people about the dangers of “going with the crowd” group mindset, where an individual could set the whole thing right.
Interesting fact: The Emperor's New Clothes was written by Danish author HC Andersen and the '"humbleness" was only for not standing out from the crowd and staying hidden' is a thing in danish culture as well. Hell, it's a Scandinavian thing that the author Aksel Sandemose (Norwegian-Danish) named Jantelagen (The Jante Law), named for the fictional town Jante which he based on the danish small town of Nykøbing Mors. As a Swede myself I've heard a lot about Jantelagen and how it fits with the Swedish mentality (often having to correct my fellow countrymen when they claim that "Sweden is the only place in the world that has Jantelagen with the fact that it was named by a Norwegian-Dane), and I found that interesting when I got into japanese culture that so much was similar to Nordic European culture and mind set. True, their were a lot of differences as well. But this? This was I likeness I hadn't thought about until this video. (Another likeness is the "Mono No Aware" mentality that I think is pretty prevalent in both cultures, even though I don't think there is a Scandinavian name for the concept. However, Finnish author Tove Janssons Moominbooks, for example, is overflowing with that mentality. Which might explain Moomins popularity in Japan).
@@theyakkoman Speaking of Huns Christian Anderson; what was the name of that tale he wrote in which the soldier gets the apron from a witch and goes in a tree with three dogs with huge eyes in it?! If you tell me that, I promise to buy matches from match selling kids this coming Christmas.
A truly thoughtful video. I spent some time in Japan picked up on a lot of this. Kabuki particularly struck me. The audience was very well dressed and highly cultured. But once the performance started, I no longer felt that I was in a ultra modern technologically advanced city. I felt like I was in a medieval or tribal village where the same ancient stories were recited over and over for generations and the audience had it all by heart--but were utterly rapt and bonded together in the ritual experience. It also reminded me of children wanting to be read the same story over and over, utterly rapt anticipating each action and taking great satisfaction in that anticipation. To me this seemed a strongly 'groupist' experience! Nothing like Shakespeare, with every audience member seeing it differently, as it fitted their personality.
Here is a little challenge/exercice: Let's modify the 5 teachings of Bushido to fit modern society. Here is my take: 1. Remember your history and the meaning of the traditions 2. Seek those deserving of loyalty 3. Strangers bring new ideas, listen close but beware 4. Think before you act 5. You won't please everyone
@@MrQabalist people have said that ever since the times of ancient Greece, and likely well before then. Hasn’t stopped society from progressing, has it?
@@MrQabalist my point is that there are always going to be people like you, who claim that the modern society of their time is a cancer, yet said people always lose out in the end as the society in question prevails (otherwise progress would be nonexistent), only to itself turn into a curmudgeon who bemoans the depravities of the next modern society. You’re not gonna win, dude.
Another interesting video, thank you. I have lived in Japan for four years and always find myself baffled by the dichotomy of people’s behavior. On the one hand very polite and considerate, on the other, absolutely rude and even aggressive. I could cite many examples but let’s just say living here has disabused of the idea that everything in Japan is sweetness and light.
As someone who understands how hard it is learning English I must praise your English speaking skills, from a native speaker its really good! Hopefully I can speak Japanese this well someday.
This is very interesting, and you might find it fascinating to know that the problems of Bushido have extended beyond Japan, into cultural extensions of Japan elsewhere. I used to live in a Zen monastery in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. The people who run it, are completely white, westerners, however they have swallowed Bushido so completely, that the same problems of social conformity (with the two-faced lies, etc.) are present in the monastery community. People's individual needs are ignored, and group "harmony", is promoted, etc. As a result, many of the "heirs apparent" of the monastery (which are younger, western people), have left, because after spending so many years in a monastic environment that completely ignores their individual needs, and privacy: they finally have had enough and simply leave. I love Japanese culture, but like you, I also recognize that there are social problems in Japanese culture as well. And as parts of Japanese culture like Buddhism have been imported, unfortunately some of the first generation of Westerners who adopted it, didn't really know where the line between "Buddhism" and "Bushido" was, (or Buddhism and Confucianism), and so also imported the negative aspects of Japan to our culture. I am grateful to say that current Buddhists such as myself are looking critically at these aspects and realizing (like yourself) that they simply don't work in the modern world. And as you pointed out so eloquently in your video, it was actually that very rejection of Buddhist values (like honesty) in the first place that led to some of these issues. Wonderful video, and I've forwarded this video to some of my former monastic friends as I feel this will help them understand some of the social problems in the community we lived in. Thank you for this!
@@Ikaros23 Yase-Gaman used to be bad in Spain, and all through Europe. But it was a personal problem. Japan appears to have weaponized Tatemae and Honne and institutionalized it, covering it with the glorious and honorable name of Bushido.
Great insights. I'm not as practiced as you in Buddhism. But when I started going to a Zen Center, I noticed some things being taught that felt more like cultural artifacts than Buddhism so I stopped going.
I hate it, pragmatism is dumb. You can't just add or subtract every time there is too much or too little of something. If you don't have solid objective values to base your actions on, you're bound to repeat the same loops of mistakes over and over again. As a programmer, you learn this lesson pretty fast. Proactive thinking > reactive thinking.
@@AdamBlade17 Pragmatism is more concerned with dealing with uncertainty. If you can't tell what the absolute truth is, then the relative truth (that information which has closest correlation with reality) must suffice.
@@AdamBlade17 ... but philosophy exists specifically because absolute truth is an ideal rather than a realistic analysis. Anyone who claims otherwise is being dishonest.
What I love about this channel is the deep breath of knowledge it offfers on the ACTUAL Japanese culture. As foreigners we often have preconceived notions of how Japan is and we want to consume media that reinforce such stereotypes. This channel helps brake free of this close minded approach to Japan and actually learn something true and actual.
20:20 Bushido.. and the positive attitude.. *"should Bushido be discarded?"... N O* - I agree *not to discard* Bushido, but *to evolve* Bushido. Bushido was the proper response to the era, Bushido should evolve as the era evolve. Great explanation, great video.
I really hope you will make a version of this video in Japanese. It's all well and good for us foreigners to hear and learn this, but I think this message really needs to be spread to your countrymen.
@@terrorist_nousagi8747 Not enough apparently. They still complain about why they aren’t treated the same as Japanese people (or East Asians in general) and have the audacity to bring their political protests overseas.
This was the best analysis of Japan's core flaws I could ever dream to hear from a Japanese man. I love Japanese culture, but as every light casts shadow, beautiful and refined cultures with great impact also have dark sides to them, and no one can ever understand them better than from the inside. You, sir, are a beacon of wisdom. I share your view that wisdom is to be found in balance, it is the core of my philosophy.
The Japanese culture, like all East-Asian cultures, is the material culture first and foremost. Despite the lure of attractive and exotic material display of Japan, there hardly is anything underneath. In fact, the Japanese people are taught to love the "external" or material image of their culture -- e.g. the celebration of four seasons, the dress, the cleanliness, the shinto rituals, etc. Even the festivals that the Japanese love so much appear to lack any substance to me -- mere remnants (material display) of the long-lost aggricultural society that doesn't have any particular meaning. Japan's lack of the spiritual side may be traced to the time when they abandoned buddhism in favor of the natvie Shinto faith. But Shinto is a very hollowed spiritual faith, to me it doean't have a clear teaching; again, the rituals and material displays take precedent over the real spirituality.
I really like the idea of "my bushido," expressed mainly through traditional culture as an individual's way of interpreting received ethics. In Jewish liturgical practice, which someone practicing the religion might be able to speak on better than I am, there is the tradition of midrash. Midrash takes a story from the Torah and revises it to be better understood in contemporary times. I can see an ethical code like Bushido evolving to value sincerity and nuance of expression more so than mere agreement and replication.
13:50 Japanese people can't run away because the job structure makes it so senior workers make more money: Thus your career is based on HOW LONG you worked in the company instead of how productive you were. So if you change jobs, your salary starts from scratch regardless of your skill. If you leave the company; you miss out, so people won't.
This is a problem in the States too... I think people need to be encouraged to start their own businesses more in every nation. Corporate consolidation is a bad thing, these companies are too big and too powerful, there should be more diversity I feel.
Jesus that is horrible. I would just live off welfare or savings until I could set up my own business; which I'm sure will come with it's own bureaucratic nightmares.
@@carinadominguez22 Japan doesn't have the shitty welfare like in the west. They make you work for the welfare. So you have to work for the state. In whatever small job they give you.
"Even if the group was heading towards a cliff, if we are all falling and going to suffer together that's okay." That's what American academics often call "groupthink."
@@superskaldy Groupthink is stupid, yes. American Left v Right is groupthink. That's why normal people are disgusted by the entire American government.
And ironically those same academics who use groupthink as a negative term, will espouse the virtues of Socialism and communism. There is another term more befitting. Double think! Anyone who doesn't think like our group is part of the other group, and It's ok if that other group is heading towards a cliff, so long as it's not our group. Infact it is best if we push that other group off the cliff because groupthink is bad!
This is why it's important to make yourself aware of the intentions and reasoning behind teachings. Too many people just passively follow social customs at a surface level because they feel like they have to and nothing more, resulting in rigid actions that, while confining to the "rhythm" and "outer appearance" of the teachings, defeat the point of them. This isn't just a problem in Japan. For example, in the US, many people treat the Bible itself as more important than the values it is supposed to teach. The medium of teaching values, and the exact process used to fulfill them are not as important as staying true to the value itself. Be flexible in the process, and know how to stay true to the "spirit".
Bruce Lee, again, is more a philosopher than a fighter. Be like water. Flexible, flowing, and formless. Sticking to rigid ideals and beliefs makes one weak. Know what is right, and let everything else go.
My creative writing teacher translated a few poems from Japanese to English, and I started a campaign to learn about the culture, art, and architecture during those years. Much respect.
I’m studying Japanese language and culture for my major in college, and one interesting thing my professor said is that bushido, and in fact the ideals of the samurai in general, were twisted and contorted to fit the imperialistic aims of the nation after the Meiji restoration. I’ve been meaning to read the books he recommended, but I don’t really have the time to right now Edit: Material conditions of the post Meiji restoration Japanese society created the ideology which served to uphold it
Ah, the old apologist angle. It's just like people trying to distance german culture from Nazism or current russians from Putin. Nope, their cultures have everything to do with what their leaderships' crimes. The leading elites are the reflection of the society they rule.
There´s no real need to turn on the captions nor to adjust the speed of the video. Your English is actually very clear and the pace is just fine for an informative video. You´re doing great, Shogo.
@@Zariel_999 Hmmm, you're right. I thought he was saying it because he's not a native speaker. I've seen many people that the first thing they hit you with is "sorry for my bad English" when they're actually good at it and I thought this was one of those cases.
I think the book is taking Bushido in a different light outside of ethics and moral values and involving into political or socioeconomic manner which is not the purpose of bushido. Bushido is for self embetterment not to be used as a system of societal control or way of government.
Very true. It should be modified to keep up with the times. Heck, it can even be used to better one's self. It can serve as our compass to better ourselves as we contribute what we can put out into the world.
@@outboundflight4455 "Bushido is for self embetterment not to be used as a system of societal control or way of government." It was very obviously developed to ensure absolute obedience and loyalty to a rigid hierarchy in a caste system ruled by warlords.
Wow, Shogo! You have given me much to think about! I lived in Japan fo 4 years, and I learned as much as I could, took what I learned back to the US, and I even taught the principles of Bushido to some of my students who I felt had a serious need of the cobcepts. But the points you made, in context, are really valid! Thank you!
This annoyed the heck out of me.. like somehow the word "collectivism" isn't good enough and instead he uses a neologus for a word that already exists..
@@aniinnrchoque1861 I took it as either a different translation or a term used in another field of study. The important thing is to know what these means, their similarities, and their differences.
@@aniinnrchoque1861 Perhaps he wanted to avoid a lot of the baggage that comes with _collectivism_ which for many people can be a fairly loaded word due to all the connotations it has related to economic theories.
Collectivism is usually associated with Communist or Socialist countries while Groupism can be in capitalist countries and while collectivist societies try to include other nationalities groupism is about excluding people.
@@aniinnrchoque1861 Collectivism and Japanese cultural notions of putting the group over the self are quite different, and it is entirely appropriate to use a different word to distinguish them
Japanese culture being so collectivist makes me think of how western cultures are so individualist. Both are detrimental in their extremes. It would probably be more beneficial for Japanese culture to embrace more individualism and for western cultures like mine to embrace more collectivism; a balance between the selfless and the selfish needs to be enacted.
it might actually easy for Japan to slowly become more individualist than Western, or more specifically, America into groupist Cause Japanese people does sense the problem within groupism and can easily grow out of it. But anyone who is already high on the power and the rights of the extreme end of individualism wont get converted into groupism easily.
Japan`s biggest problem is not lack of invidualism, but a shitty working culture. Fix that, then most of the Japan`s problems would go away. (would increase birth rates and reduce suicide rates.)
Marko Liimatainen that is only part of the problem, in fact, what you just said is just a result of the bigger picture The real problem was the entire focus on groupism that eventually lead to the shitty working culture. Just erase the shitty working culture does not even touch like 50% of the whole problem
collectivist extreme Hippie commune with like 10 people = good Individualist extreme homesteading in rural middle of nowhere = Good introduce more than a small community 100+ and communism (extreme collectivism) is no bueno a bunch of chad gun owning homesteaders who dont interact with other communities functioning off a live and let live policy eh let them do what they do I guess lol I dont exactly see what the deal is with "extreme individualism" unless it was meant like you dont want to take care of family and those closest to you... but thats why i meant you can have a hippie commune next door to a gun toting extremely patriotic family and at the end of the day we are all American and nothing separates us when we all bleed red. this is why I like America, "god given rights" are inalienable for everyone on the planet but in America they are written in the founding documents. nobody telling what you need to believe in, just liberty. You can set the flag on fire and if its your property you can do with it what you will without the penalty of going to jail! anyone can make it, you dont know your upward bound limits.
Great video, Shogo. Cultures evolve through the ages, developing new ideas from and even borrowing ideas from another culture. This is the mark of a living and thriving culture that will live on for centuries to come. I think people should find their own path forward and negotiate the way their culture develop, because what works for one culture may not work for another.
Very informative. I'm always impressed when people are able to recognize their own flaws, especially when it is so deep it touches on culture and philosophy.
I think Japan should never forget who they are, one thing I find so amazing is just how well Japan has preserved it's culture through everything. And indeed a balance between the two sides of collectivism and individualism is how it should be done. My family's stories from the Soviet Union (extreme collectivism) were often quite bad (For an example, communal housing with little privacy). But the other end, hyperindividualism, is madness (This is apparently becoming a bit of a problem in modern America). I hope Japan can find this balance. Extremes are rarely all that great.
With my ancestors being driven out of Poland by the Soviet Union invading because they didn't enjoy socialists who refused to bend knee to Soviet calls for a unified state. It literally was imperialism. This was the polish Soviet war in the 1920s for context. Before WWII. The peasants party and socialists under Piłzudski were against the Soviet Machine. The Soviet collectization was something many socialists from nations that didn't start as agrarian societies of mostly agrarian peasants were horrified. Skipping that step of Capitalists nation buildint literally means you must skip entire periods of industrialisation and infrastructure building. Crossing a river without a bridge you are a hell of a lot more likely to drown. Traditionally (ideologically again this is based in philosophy not good or bad just what they believed) you cannot force communism without first having a period of capitalism. The Soviets under stalin literally had the concept of the Soviet man. Being collectivist in material conditions does ignore how following the group empowers individuals. It is a give and take of well propogadna. So he was able to literally both force collectivization of agriculture while giving those positions to people he hired (stalins job before he assumed dictatorship was primarily a hiring manager... Before that a bankrobber in Georgia 🇬🇪 , im not kidding) A colonial empire is a colonial empire and both the USA and Soviet Union often exploited the world and their neighbors with similar methods. But yeah. Standing still to remember we are both individuals but product of the ecosystem and enviroment. We are just as much animals as any other. Pretending otherwise often leads to so much pain. We cannot live up to myth. But. We can respect the weak frail organisms we are as small part of this ecology we call life on earth. Paradox of reality is If nothing matters. Everything matters. Both are true. Why Buddhist koans are important. If you cannot destroy a binary. You cannot find the thousand answers infront of your face.
There is no such thing as hyper-individualism. The United States is correctly worried about collectivism. Collectivism demands that people forgo their individualism and rights for the bigger population. Whenever you hear someone say "We need to sacrifice the few to protect the many," it's never the people in charge. You'll never see a politician or CEO ever consider themselves as "part of the few" needing to be sacrificed. It's always the lesser-folk in society. It's frustrating how many people are die-hard into socialism completely ignore this. Japan's obsession with collectivism allowed women to be preyed upon in trains. They didn't raise an alarm, because it would cause problems socially. Individualism allows our society to see the problems, so we can fix it. The United States may grumble about things, argue, and fight, but we will always seek to address our problems. Collectivist countries always seek to push them away because they're unpleasant to deal with and cause disharmony.
@@renim2974 Forgoing rights is part of what makes a society. Everyone gives up something to come together to accomplish tasks that cannot be accomplished alone. Obviously people can have differences in the details. One of the major issues in the United States is that we are too divided to address our problems.
What they told you about USSR was far from universal experience. There was not enough urban housing for everyone after ww2 and during fast urbanisation, that is why people were living in communal flats. Government tried to give their own apartments to as many families as possible. My family received both a 3 room apartment and a piece of land for summer house, not required to pay for it, because of my grandparents work at the factory and the railroads, they were not even any "elite" or party members. Unfortunately the process dragged along later, and not everyone managed to get their own place.
I'm glad you talked about the effects this mindset and culture of bushido has on people, particularly the young. The depression and suicide rates of the youth of Japan are alarming, those kids need help, not an ancient system that tries to shove them into a box
I just binge watched the Wa no kuni arc from one piece. While watching I sensed a huge similarity between Bushido virtues (or at least how it was portrayed by Oda) and stoicism so I wanted to learn more about it. I'm glad UA-cam recommended your video first, your approach is very critical and objective I learned so many things in just a few minutes. Thank you so much !
I feel like the missing component is a lack of balance, which is something that every culture seems to not do well in. Life is like the sea and is ever shifting.
In my experience, the people who advocates the most strongly for groupism tend to be rather individualist themselves. If they foster a sense of self-sacrifice in a larger group, while abstaining from making sacrifices themselves, the group becomes more easy for the individualist to exploit for his own ends. A more healthy mindset in my view is to encourage the unique perspectives and talents of the individual and spur them to achieve greatness, but also teach them that they should be kind and helpful to other members of the group as a personal virtue. Because one can never know when you might need help from someone else in the future, so having been helpful to others in the past means others are more likely to be helpful towards you. So try to be the very best you can be, and enjoy the rewards it brings, no matter how big or small. But when you are in a position to help another, do so with no hesitation.
I think what you meant are the "wolf in sheep clothing" kind of people and corrupted government officials calling others to "ask not what the company/country did to you, but what you did for your company/country." Collectivism is ruined when there are selfish people exploiting it (which happens more in Asian countries), and individualism is ruined when a unified group divide others to garner the most political/economical power (which happens more in Western countries).
I'm a strong proponent of the needs of the group, and I too am very individualist. For me the groupism isn't about tearing down the individual in favor of an abstract concept of "the group," but rather an acknowledgement that all of the others around you are unique individuals just like you are. Many individualists will cause harm to others and call this individualism because they're looking out for their own individual interests, yet doing this sort of rejects that the other people are also people, who shouldn't have harm delivered to them. The connotation of "individualism" is positive, and this behavior is better captured with the connotations of the term egoism. The aim of the groupism I and many others like is a diverse team of individuals combining their unique strengths to do better. A celebration and utilization of our differences, not a rejection of them.
Well-put, I agree with your points. However, from a personal pov, trying to be the best I can be and be in a situation to help others is something I struggle with tremendously. I struggled with depression and changing majors for ages, and every passing year I felt I was a burden to my family and an anti force of good for society, because I couldn't help anyone in my underdeveloped low-status state. I've only recently tried looking for therapy, cause as of now self-care is literally impossible when I feel that selfishness = evil. I hope people here realize that if they feel like the world is doomed and there's no hope, it's not true, and perspective shifts and therapy (and gratitude/stoicism) can help you. Don't be like me, don't wallow in misery for ten years thinking the bad guys have won and you might as well have never existed.
Putting your best foot forward isn't the best thing to do either. Next thing you know, you're already unaware of stepping on people for the sake of "being the best you". I think the better stance is *be aware*. By living a life of awareness, you also live a life of empathy while also thinking for yourself
I'm so happy I found your channel. I really appreciate how you can criticize your own country in a constructive manner. I've been to Japan twice and I experienced this first hand. Before going I had this ideal place in my mind, like most people who love Japanese culture do. But once I was there I could feel right away that everything was fake. If I went into a shop to buy something the staff was extremely nice although to a point that it was a bit scary. But then when I actually needed help (I got lost multiple times lol) no one wanted to help me. I asked for help politely in my broken Japanese to passersby and even to security people and they all just told me to ask someone else. And something that I found hilarious in a way, was that when I was in Kyoto trying to board a train with my heavy suitcase, Japanese people would see me struggling and just walk past me but then two Argentinian guys who were in the city because of a soccer match, helped me and they didn't even notice we were from the same country and talked to me in English haha. Maybe I was just super unlucky but I realized that people were nice only when they had to. I did have good experiences too, of course. But my trips were eye openers. I've been to other Asian countries and I didn't experience anything like this, so I know that it's something particular from Japan. I don't blame them though and I still love lots of things about Japan.
I really value these videos as I cannot travel to Japan right now. As soon as I can return, 'I will understand your ideas even better. I am very grateful for your insights.
Thank you for this thoughtful and enlightening video. You tackled a huge topic but used examples from your own life to illustrate the human details inside the Bushido culture. That combination helped me use my own background to understand the issues you address. After listening a few more times I may have a more informed response, but for a first-time listener, the video's format and your own search seemed to be examples of the balance you think Japan should seek going forward. It's kind of you to share the journey.
"Do you think there are qualifications to become a samurai? Do you believe without a family to protect or a lord to serve, one cannot become a samurai? I dont think so. Bushido is the will to descipline one's weak self in order to reach one's strongest self. It refers to the act of devoting oneself's to one's ideals. So both they, who study diligently and try to become better human beings, and you, who came here as a dojo challenger to grow stronger are already samurai in my eyes. Even if your births and backgrounds are unknown and you dont have a master to serve or a sword to fight. You can each flaunt your own brand of bushido and become your own samurai. Guiding as many of those samurai as possible... might just be my own brand of bushido. You ended up here after losing your way too didnt you? I am the same. I am still lost. But thats alright. Doubt yourself, lose your way and become the kind of samurai you want to be." - Yoshida Shouyo
"Everyone should have their own bushido and follow them and not for some lord or some group." That defeats the whole point. For example, the virtue of loyalty. If you are doing this for yourself, and you have no leader or group, then loyalty is not possible. By definition, you can only be loyal to someone or something external to yourself. You're modifying bushido to the point where it's fundamentally not bushido.
@@TheMisterGuy you know the saying, "real family is based of loyalty". So you don't have to be loyal to leader or group, just people who you truly love and your family is enough.
I would say the best solution is exploring what is working and what is failing. For example. The part about following the powerful doesn't work. But being loyal is something everyone, even outside Japan, should adopt. Not a blind loyalty, but one based on acknowledging the needs of the other person.
I have a draft: 1. Question rules and traditions 2. Follow those smarter than you and be loyal 3. Be brave and exclusive to keep detractors out 4. No comment 5. Ditto
The interest in the Bushido-themed self-help books you describe reminds me a lot of the way people turn to Stoicism here in the west. I've seen a lot of people reading or encouraging others to read Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" recently, and I think it's for the very same reason of turning to this idealized vision of ancient simplicity as a response to modern complexities.
This was one of the most reasonable videos I've ever seen in my life. You have the maturity to have realized what the culture is like in Japan comparing it to the modern world. Being impartial and recognizing the limitations of how your ancestors viewed life is very commendable. Congratulations on the video. I, as a martial artist, will share this video. Many black belt martial artists share Bushido as something sacred to be taken seriously as much as possible. And this is a mistake... If I read a book on good conduct from other times, maybe I will understand it one way and someone else will understand it differently. To know details of the time, it's needed to research, but one thing is very important: New times always arrives. New trends, new habits, customs. And all of this will shape the modern samurai. Society evolves, old teachings may no longer make sense today and everyone has to readjust. Pure sociology. Receive the compliments of a lover of Japan who is disappointed by how closed this country still is. I would not like to visit this country and be treated as a mere "gaijin". I don't intend to steal or interfere in anyone's way of life. Quite the opposite. My goal is always to learn.
That is a very interesting take on the japanese society. It surprised me at first, but it made way more sense that I expected. It also answer the hardest issue when dealing with japanese companies - why are they so bound by tradition, and never even consider why they are doing it. Because changing requires questioning, and questioning goes against the basic tenet of the society.
I have oft lamented with (American) friends who have spent time in Japan that if we could take the best of Japan and the best of America together, it would be a true template for the world. But in the end, it always hangs up on the conflict between individualism and groupism, and how to get the benefits of both, with as few of their defects as possible.
Don't worry, right now throughout the world whole nations are working indefatigably to take the very WORST of Japan and very WORST of America (north AND south) together.
This is exactly how I feel! I was afraid this was going to be a " down with the old ways!" kind of video, however this video hit the nail on the head. I am actually hoping to get to Japan for my Master's in Economics. I hope that I can work with other scholars to find solutions to some of these problems as many are affecting the economy. I rcenetly learned about how the Japaneze govt deals with debt and my mind is blown. They borrow from themselves but target 0% inflation. This works for a short time but they are stuck in this rut. There is a woman who is running against Suga that is trying to change this. From my basic understanding of the situation, I hope she succeeds. I llok forward to the future and I hope Japan keeps an eye on the futre and the past. Preserving the ancient culture is as important as looking ahead toward the future.
It's amazing how you condensed all these concepts in a 25 min video! I think it can be a matter of balance to improve things in our "global" society, for example in Mexico we are a more individualistic society and that has brought us problems too, specially in this pandemic, people treat this situation individually rather than as a group, people don't want to wear a mask, put the vaccine or keep social distancing, because they think the "It's my body my choice" is a valid argument, when it's the opposite, their choices affect other. I've lived for a short time in Japan and realize that maybe in Mexico we need a sprinkle or two of the Japanese way and maybe Japan need a sprinkle or two of our way too keep balance.
This was very interesting, thank you. I love your conclusion of preserving traditional culture while being honest about its oppressive origins and striving to find a modern balance. There are some collectivist ideals that I strongly believe in and some individualist ideals that I strongly believe in, and I think they can be harmonized if we try.
Japan should do what it always does, not conform to external culture, but internalize external ideas and change them to fit the Japanese society. There is no reason to discard Bushido entirely, it can be adapted like anything else. There is only one Japan after all, and the world don't need yet another country transforming into a repackaged mini America.
Adaption is what the living do. Only the dead are truely ever still. Also yeah the repacked mini America thing is very much a feeling I can understand.
There's no such thing as a "mini America". No other country has ever truly imitated the U.S. in a meaningful way. They simply adopt some of our values, and disregard others. If you think any other country comes close, then you don't know what makes America truly special.
@@Firebreath56 you do understand mass marketing and appealing to world markets is literally what the bretton woods currency agreement signed after WWII making US dollar the primary currency for trade rather than the British pound, did. We wanted the world to like us due to foreign policy. We literally tried to make Afghanistan into a new little America. We supported Israel's development after the Soviet Union dropped support after the 1967 war. I don't think you understand what makes America special either.
to a degree, yeah, groupism can linger around, respect is great when mutual, the idea of superior-inferior in work is pretty terrible, being able to influence the top while being at the bottom is part of the reason west based companies can be out doing the Japan based ones, it can't become mini-america under any situation just as Australia can't and Britain can't
One of my all-time favorite shows is Samurai X(Rurouni Kenshin), and as someone who rarely feels 100% in anything(usually one foot in, one foot out, part of me always having a bit of an outsider perspective), I tend to, at least want to, amalgamate aspects of different styles and cultures that I like, into my own. There are some things I keep in my core(Christianity for one), but part of me inside feels like a drifter, a wanderer. I know I have people who love me and care for me(I know I have a home), and I'm forever grateful. But times I feel part of me is walking alone(not always bad, but there are times companionship is greatly needed, and especially that special companion).
@@ugricpatriot If the tiny, disaster-wracked island nation has enough to satisfy the needs of 125 million people, then the world certainly has enough to satisfy the needs of the rest. Most shortages are artificially created, in an effort by people who have power to exert control over those who don't.
This is a fascinating set of observations, and very educational. I have never researched the true and historical meanings, or tenets, of bushido. You have helped me understand, in a deeper way, some surface-level things I've learned about Japanese culture. I will have to watch this video multiple times. Thank you, Shogo. :)
Congratulations on meeting your goal of 1 million subscribers more than a year ahead of time! I’m glad I found your channel, your videos are very well made and they’re full of knowledge.
My impression of bushido is that it started to get promoted as a national ideology during the Meiji Era, reached its pinnacle during WW2 and then fell into disfavor after that. Of course, the samurai have always had their code for centuries.
I mean bushido is the perfect moral code for a military force and that was the era of imperialism in Japan. So it benefited the government to promote it
I believe that people who keep their cultural traditions alive, while also being able to look at their current culture objectively, and be open-minded to change, are a credit to their society. It's only reasonable that no culture, past or present, is ideal, so we should all try to keep the positive elements of our traditional culture alive, while striving to adapt and improve our current culture for the dynamic world we live in.
This was such a great and honest look and discussion about Japan's social system and Bushido and how they once worked but have become a dated view and practice. I enjoyed this VERY much! You really have a great outlook and and honest understanding of the goods and nada of the Bushido ideals in your country. Great video!!
Bushido is an anchor. If your anchor is too big, you can not raise it from the sea floor and so your ship can never sail to more productive waters. If your anchor is too small, any storm will throw your ship upon the rocks. If your anchor is just right, your ship will weather any storm and yet you can move your ship from the harbor to the fishing grounds and return to port again.
Balance is aways good!
That's a beautiful analogy.
Amen!
Precisely.
The perfect anchor is Christ, the anchor of the soul who trust in Him, who is with us in the storm and says we will cross the sea to the other side despite whatever storm comes
I have never heard so eloquently the root problem of Japan's social structure in a 20 minute setting. This was incredible Shogo!
*Post video*
I honestly think if the groupist concepts of Japan were done in earnest and honesty, Bushido would make for a good template of society. In my experience living as a foreigner in an inaka town, I saw just how isolationist people could be within the community. BUT I found sub-communities that actually DID look after each other (myself included) because they believed it was right. Not that they were worried about other people's opinion. As a U.S. citizen, I grew up to believe that individuality is key to success and happiness. But the groupist ideas of taking care of people in your community, keeping it clean, and keeping it safe, are all things that all walks of life can easily strive for. Bushido, I think, has every right to exist in the modern era. But the catalyst for it's practice should change to an honest heart looking to do the right thing rather than a lying heart trying to protect itself from literally everyone else.
Wow. Interesting and insightful.
...so GG, do you get many requests to talk about Persona 5?
I would disagree that Bushido has a place in the modern world since so much of it is predicated on a rigid caste system and a hereditary nobility. Neither of which jive well with concepts like "democracy" and "social mobility".
I agree. You need a blend where people can live for themselves but when needed they band together to take care of the elderly and infirmed or those dealing with hardships.
@@jaywalkallstar It has a place in my mind, but in certain ways as Gaijin Goombah says. Here people don't care a bit about the people around them, which is individualism taken to the extremes. Only thinking of others isn't good either, but there's a middle way too, where you can be yourself and respect others and express yourself, with regards for the community you live in, and the people around you. Things like keeping music quiet at night instead of putting some bluetooth speakers at max at 3am when you're walking through the city, letting people off the bus instead of immediately trying to push your way in while they're getting off, simple things like that.
Guess it's the difference between the principle behind something, and how it's adapted in reality.
It's always fun to see how geography can be such a huge determining factor for the origins of cultures
It's pretty cool
Agreed. Just as long as we don't fall prey to geographic determinism, but rather see that geography played *a* role, but not the *only* role.
There is a popular book about this called Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
I mean it's a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge factor. The more you look into it, the more important it turns out to be...just like animals evolve or die, humans and societies evolve to survive in their geographic location.
Yes, it's good to keep in mind that if we had lived on Mars we would not exist, and if we had lived in the ocean we would be like fish. Desert, jungle, river deltas, mountains etc. really require different strategies for existence, so it affects our genetics, and if it affects our genetics it will for sure affect our culture.
I absolutely love these videos. As an outsider who's long been fascinated by Japanese culture and history, it's amazing to be given this insight into its nuances and workings.
Having lived in a Confucian society for a decade or more, it really helped me when I realized a few things.
1. This is a collective society, and a society of hierarchy.
2. This does NOT mean that people care about others.
3. This means that group opinion from the outside is more important than substance on the inside
4. This also means that people are looking for every opportunity to use others in the group for their own social and economic advantage.
5. All relationships contain a dominator and a subordinate, they key is to pretend obedience to the dominant and force obedience on the subordinate to get your own personal advantage.
It's ironic, but collective societies just means that people are just as self focused as "individualistic" ones, but they use social manipulation and deceit to do it.
I've seen some parents so "concerned" for their child's success not really for the happiness of the child, but for the praise that parent will receive from the society. If that means bullying the kid into depression, shut up and obey.
Earth will never change , it's mostly parasitic with humans . It doesn't matter what society or country you live in. There will always be somebody or a group of somebody's who want to tell the other everybody's what to do 💩🤡. Most of the human existence that we know of has been filled with violence and subordination or even slavery. Everything is a hustle, it's just common street knowledge one would think
@@thomassullivan6016 your word choices disappoint me
*drops you into a pit filled with lava and laser robot sharks*
@@marx4538 the truth is the truth friend , welcome to earth
Happens in America too.
I don't think you know what collective means. Where is this place that has collective ownership over the means of production?
Think like this. Everyone on your block has a their own lawnmower. But on a day to day basis only 10% will mow their lawn. So out of 20 mowers, only 2 are being used. What if instead their was a collective shop paid for by the people where there were 4 lawnmowers to use at will? For free because you as a collective already bought them. It would be just as efficient production wise but 16 fewer lawnmowers would have had to be produced using resources that could have gone to other things. It would also save you personally a couple hundred dollars
That is basic collectivism.
how blessed are we to live in an era where books and teachings in another language are explained in an easy and relatable way. Thank you for your hard work, Shogo-san!
shogo is a wolf in sheep's clothing. What he's selling is slavery for the japanese.
I grew up in an Italian-German family, so the close-knitness of family and strict discipline and how your actions "make the family look", and keeping up appearances to fit in, were all super common as well. As was the dishonesty and two-facedness of it all. This video helped me realize that... I see very similar issues in myself, and so it's made me think.
So I hope you know the German rapper king Bushido
Agreed. There are a lot of similarities. My mom was Italian and my dad was English and German.
People just need to learn when to break up useless groups and go their own way no matter what their culture is
Hört mal auf mit dem Unsinn Leute hahaha
Die Japaner sind die besseren deutschen geworden und das meine ich nicht als Kompliment
I love how you recap at the end of the video, and your clear explanations of complex things. I love how you love your culture without having to put down someone else's. I love the idea of keeping what's beautiful about tradition while recognizing that we have to leave behind what no longer works. Thank you for your posts!
"Trying to row a boat after you have reached land." This helped me understand the problem. Thank you, Shogo.
Yet he still cannot shed the nurture, and concludes that rowing a little maybe in a different direction is somehow still useful.
@@cdaneawhy did you wait two years to reply to that.
Not just Japan, every country needs a healthy balance between groupism and individualism.
True I think in America we are to much on the individualism tho is funny and sad to see America not wearing mask because freedom and then the proceed to remove random people by mask by force who didn't want to or you criticize them because you have an issue with them and watch them scream how their freedom of speech is threaten sometime it feel we got the most selfish people here
@@USSAnimeNCC- no. The problem right now in America is groupism. Mob rule. People can't think for themselves and follow the herd.
@@cptromero5595 I think tribalism might be the better word for that. People attack people outside of their group, but they're still individualists within their particular group and care about themselves more than the people within their group.
@@Primalxbeast yes ideological tribalism. Its got so bad. Primarily the radical left
@@cptromero5595 Either extreme is bad.
It is really scary to see how large corporations have abused the societal structure in Japan to largely exploit it's people for labor. Bushido I think is something that has a place in the world if it can find a balance with other individualist philosophies, but it is plain to see how Bushido has been exploited for financial gain by the powerful and wealthy, even in current times.
That’s what large corporations do. They imbed themselves into social systems, seemingly assimilate, by doing so learn how best to exploit said social systems, then hijack them to their own ends.
@@Kenshiro3rd They rather falled to exploit Bushido as Japanese has low productivity.
It is the matter of thing, the work culture within company depend on the culture of the peoples they are hired.
If anything a company just want maximun productivity and the way Japanese works prevent them to do that.
The future will neither be capitalism, nor communism, nor any other system generated by man. It will be self-sufficiency, as humans will have exhausted all faith in their species. It is the only way to starve the 'human cowbirds' who rely on people not being able to survive on their own; so that their talents and work can be harvested by them, who do not deserve its fruits.
@@TarsonTalon I’m not sure about the future. Honestly, I believe our future is a moneyless communist society with little to no class boundaries and state interference on human rights. As long as we continue to advance, money will eventually be phased out of our lives, and with that, so will capitalism (if of course it has not already been phased out). But, I agree with you on the part of self sufficiency, as a change in economic systems may help, but won’t save humanity. What will, however, is unlocking our true potentials and using our freedom to better humanity (i.e. using it to empower others to unlock their potentials and working together to advance as a species).
I thought bulshido is when you tell lies.
One of the most interesting and enlightening video I have ever seen about Japan. Great job!
It’s impossible to try to understand a whole nation’s characteristics with just a few studies. But I can tell you that this is one of the most interesting ones that made me think, “Wow, this answers a lot of questions about Japanese people and why we are like this.”
Have you ever wondered why Japan can't stop following annoying rules? Why do Japanese people work for long hours but have very low productivity? Why can't Japanese people change jobs or run away before they end their own lives?
Today’s video might give you a hint to answer these questions.
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Sociology spans to everything everywhere. Here in the US, tradition attached to certain beliefs or political ideologies serve as a conduit for bad behavior and attitudes that end up being counter productive and regressive. Religion and politics are a main offender. My main point; while socialism and capitalism are the opposite i believe there is a possibility of a healthy mixed market system. Based on real merit, workers/human rights and ownership.
collectivism or individualism, any virtue taken to an extreme becomes a vice.
Fantastic video Shogo! Really informative about the culture.
Kudos Shogo, this was an amazing video. Keep up the great work!
I love the Bushido book but you're not wrong Shogo. There's some good stuff in there but also stuff that antiquated.
This just sounds like most asian countries, but japan took it to the maximum.
In Thailand, groupism is in the form of respecting the monachy. You can do anything you want, as long as you don't slander the king. The irony of this idea is that the people who spread this mindset don't even respect the king, they just force others to do it out of self interest.
It's collectivism not groupism. "groupism" is merely a dumbed down neologus
I thought there were serious democratic protests about that going on nowadays
This is very true.....its also evident in the Chinese culture as well so its also an Asian humane act to group together instead of going solo for survival, very much in contrast of the Western ways.
Even when the so-called democracy in place, there's hardly any democratic manners as the groupism ways is so strong in these Asian democracy, as long as an individual is highlighted out as the 'odd-one out' in society, he/she can be singled out and taken down in any manner the governance deem fit.
The only way to make a real change is another major shakeup like how COVID19 somewhat reformed the world anew.
@The Cat Reject Democracy, return to Republic. 😎
One of the wildest things I saw in Thailand, during martial law when the last king died, was the number of people who would say that they were worried about his son taking over, or they were skeptical of his criminal record, or his tattoos, etc etc, and then quickly catch themselves and follow it up with “oh but he’s a good king” and then look around anxiously like someone was listening, or like we were plants there to turn them in for their views. It felt awful seeing someone who was just talking to you honestly freeze up, suspicious that you were there to ruin their life for questioning the royal family.
It’s interesting that you mention bushido leading to harmony just for the sake of harmony. It reminds me of how individualism in the US can end up leading to a progress for the sake of progress attitude. For example, exponential profit for a business is considered desirable even at the expense of worker’s happiness or even their productivity. Neither harmony nor progress are bad, but I think these examples show how any way of thinking can be detrimental if done blindly or to maintain the status quo. I love that your video calls for a mindful balance-to be aware of why we are doing something and to adapt our thinking as our needs change.
A fair and balanced take. Thank you.
"It reminds me of how individualism in the US can end up leading to a progress for the sake of progress attitude" I have never heard anyone say that they were for individualism for the sake of progress. Individualism is paramount because human nature will eventually rebel against forced collectivism. It is one thing to be part of a group. it is another to be forced to be part of a group. We are tribal so we form groups. But, we are also fiercely independent.
That is one of the main dividing points between our political left and right. The individualism inherent in the US ideoligy is why it became so wealthy and powerful while the collectivism in other countries lead them to stagnation.
@@randymiller3918 it also is the reason why we have such a large social and wealth gap. While other nations are closer in range with their stagnation, at least their groups live similarly next to each other. While in the US you can have a millionaire neighborhood flooded with homeless people.
Balance is everything yet the US fails to do that as well
Individualims as a need to progress its capitalists propaganda just check the case with open source.
@@randymiller3918 Yes you have heard of it. "Progress for the sake of progress" is the marching orders of the left. Collectivist is a strongly held belief of the left as well. Seems like the main take is collectivism is dangerous because it leads to homogenization, group think, and stagnation.
Im from germany and my parents also prioritize what people think over how i feel. My dad even quit connections to me over that issue.
same in Poland, ppl used to think it's matter of 'catholic countryside ostracism' as we experiance mass city migration in last 30y, but it's still present in big cities just in diffrent form
Lucky for you, you can now strive to be the freedom seeker and freedom fighter. 😊🎉🎉
Your parents suck
It's surviving
Germany has a dangerous socialist past. German philosophy is the root cause of both communism and nazism
Wow, this guy is a badass for revealing the negative parts of his own culture. Self awareness is the highest form of consciousness.....
@@yatarookayama8329 why don't you just write down an argument or back your words down with evidence instead of making this unnecessary reply?
@@yatarookayama8329 get a life or go look for your parents(if you have one)
@@yatarookayama8329 Russian here. Russians is absolutely okay to criticize our own country because it's a way to improvement - looks like that some peeps from Japan cannot bear when someone trying to speak about it's own issues. That person just want improvements and he's not using it as a tool in political rivalry. Respect him. Period.
Shogo is a thinking man. I respect him.
@@yatarookayama8329 How is it racist. He is questioning problems he sees with the culture, not being negative towards Japanese people as a race. So not racist. ... culturalist? Lol
I'm an international relations professional and political scientist and I must say that this video approaches the subject better than most sociology books I read. GREAT job, Shogo!
Sure. Socializm is just a form of materializm. They just give more and more of the same. Increasing only in size, but not in mind, concousness.... Confucious just gives you very small % of Lao Dz.
Lao Dz is the real deal, Confucious is just materializm.
So we have YOU to blame
Aka you are a shill scientist.
@@derpherp7285 no, he's a shill pretend scientist. Social science has never been science. They just used that term to make the public believe they had legitimacy.
Just out of curiosity - what does someone with that job title actually contribute to the world?
I had a Japanese friend who once said: "Japan is the best and the worst place to live in the world." I never understood that, but it makes a lot of sense after watching your video.
@@yatarookayama8329 exactly the western countries have become a place where social and political issues have ruined there countries where as japan it hasn't hopefully will never fallow that path
The west has its own enemies inside.
@@dragonknightn7n796 You say that, but look at the aging population in Japan, the high suicide rates, the number of herbivore men etc, just to name a few. I don't deny that the western world is probably primed for a decline, but Japan has its own issues, it doesn't need to import them from the west.
@@yatarookayama8329 Not worse than Japan though. Y'all are killing yourselves more than any other country in the world because you guys work 60+ hours a week and care too damn much about what others think of you.
Every country and region has good and bad sides.
My Japanese friend said ”Human relationships are the worst and best thing in Japan”. I think it’s same everywhere but in Japan it really is on a next level.
Your video was very clear and well thought out. Thank-you for your clear explanation of Bushido and how it shaped Japanese culture.
Japan has a special place in my heart because my father learned to speak Japanese while stationed there after WWII. Later on in the 60’s he met and developed a life-long friendship with a Mr. Kowaguchi.
We also hosted a visiting Japanese family when I was very young. We all valued the time of their visit and how they shared their culture.
After viewing your video and hearing the problems facing Japan today, my heart aches for your country. Your pursuit of drawing on the positive aspects of your culture to pass on to others is admirable.
I agree. Balance is the best policy in everything in life: work, family, habits and hobbies. Anything in extremes and excess tend to come with negative consequences
Unfortunately the human brain loves extremes and simplifications, which is why we tend to cling to an obsessive, one-tracked mindset. We just need to be more aware.
Thomas Angelo in Mafia 1 said it too. The game taught me, that everything in life needs balance.
A thought maybe 2000 years older than Bushido and well known in the West.
@@Kaiziak agree
Even western parents sometimes say "You are going to embarrass me" when we misbehave as children, so it's not a surprise to hear that.
Yeah but being an outsider is a prideful position in western societies.
@@bouncehouseofficial Importing outsiders and closing your eyes to the troubles they cause, is a prideful position to have in western societies.
@@bouncehouseofficial to a point. it really depends on what type of outsider you are
@@bouncehouseofficial As someone who isn't white, it's not a prideful position in most western societies. You're getting no prideful position for being black in Poland or Ukrainian in the north of England.
Rich city in the United States =/= western society
@@AdamOwenBrowning Poland is not Western. Ukrainians and other East Europeans don't benefit from "outsider privilege" because of their race and culture.
As a kid I have seen many manga opposing two heroes, one being rebellious, extraverted, original and ambitious and the other being serious, traditionnalist etc, and the two having to work together to win (typically Seya and Shiryu in saint Seya). Is it a metaphor of old and modern Japan?
Well it's more like a "the old world is dying and the new one is trying to be born" and in cases like code geass "bow to the system and try to change it" vs "the system is corrupt and the only way to make the world a better place is to destroy it" although you might have a point since anime and manga are one of the few bastions of creativity left in those terrible times
It’s a really old trope in Japanese literature look up red oni versus blue oni on TV tropes
anything you want can be a metaphor for you.
@@vivusbrydyr4039 Which is the best part of consuming any media imo. Two people can watch the same movie and get completely different understanding of what was important to the plot, and conversation resulting from that can be really engaging.
Naruutooooooooooooo
Saaasssukeeeeeeeeee
As a learner of the Japanese language and culture, I found this video to be very informative! At first, I was skeptical about getting into this topic as from my studies, I have always seen Bushido as a positive thing in Japanese society, but after watching the video to the end, I now understand. I also agree with what you said about keeping the cultures alive and having a balance with the ideals of Bushido in everyday, life. I play the shakuhachi and have trained in Budo, and have dabbled in shodo, and I, too, want to preserve the Japanese culture and learn as much as I can. Thank you for making this video. I now have a clearer understanding of why Japan is the way it is.
I think bushido was absolutely necessary back in edo period. Edo period came at a time when Japan just went through over 100 years of constant civil war and horror with the Sengoku period. Bushido was a good tool to keep a scared people calm and keep a blood drunk samurai class in check.
That is a good point. It was a social system made during a time of disorder and chaos. It helped bring order to Japan at the time and help the nation find a sense of unity.
Having healthy reforms for more decayed aspects of a system is always good. But any aspects that are still a positive should always be kept. As they create some kind of foundation of stability for society.
I'll jusr say one word 'Brukumin'
I agree with your supporting points but disagree with you saying it was necessary. It was only needed because thats how heavy the feudal caste system was. In the end bushido only kept order for the upper class. Bushido and everything similar to it during the feudal period was a burden to the common people of the past and today.
It was repression by those who saw themselves as morally pure. It's as bad a religion, using shame and fear to keep people in line.
@@ChrisPage68 hate to say it, but most people need to be ashamed and have fear to nkt do immoral things. Think about how many people in this world literally only dont do crimes because theres time involved
Except, as someone living in South Korea, it seems like they have a lot of the same problems. People will worry about saving face and appearances ... unless they have no social stake in your opinion, in which case, they'll treat you like crap, very often. I think it has more to do with Confucianism than Bushido. Certainly not an expert though.
I actually have to agree with that. Confucius' works were/are far more detrimental.
Like with any religion or philosophy, it comes down to people rationalizing a system of beliefs to justify abuse in order to feel powerful and or special. I have seen so many of my friends be emotionally, verbally, and financially abused by their parents because of a corruption of filial piety. Those types of tiger parents that forcefully make their children prioritize "paying their dues" over everything else.
I think South Korea and japan share a lot of the same problems due to similar cultural influences in their history, but also something that went relatively unaddressed in this video, but severely afflicts both countries, capitalist alienation. Something that’s very apparently the cause of Korea’s economic inequality, as well japan’s toxic work culture, and the difficulty younger Japanese generations find in forming meaningful platonic and romantic relationships, which leads to their rapidly aging population
All of this grew out of Asian culture in general, generated from all the aspects of historical "Asian-ness"- geography, genetics, etc, and the complex interaction of all of them. Things like Bushido and Confucianism are themselves both results and causes, and amplifiers of causes.
@@J-manli It's not so much that, Confucius' philosophy seems to be tailormade to be 'abused' in such a way, and when abuse is so easy and endemic, one has to wonder whether or not it's in fact being abused or the philosophy is in fact working as intended.
It is clear that Shogo loves Japan. The more we love our country, the more we try to understand it, the good and the bad, and do our best, as individuals, and as members of the community to improve the aspects we believe are keeping it from growing better and better. Congratulations, dear, you are doing what you can for you, for your family, your country and for foreigners who admire Japanese culture.
Your channel is great for exposing viewers who don’t really enjoy anime to Japanese history & culture.
I’m Brazilian, and we have a hybrid familial-individualistic centric based society, and my grandma always cared about what our family would think of us but not so much about what strangers would think. Even then, Japanese society acts in ways that are more individualistic than Brazilian society, it might be thanks to western economic and cultural influences starting at the end of ww2
I think that's a characteristic of many third world "old style" societies .. same here in my country Bangladesh or in the Indian subcontinent in general I think .
@@rahatzaman8120 I think in Latin America 2, the "bleed for family"
As a Brazilian... I do agree with you.
Agreed
The more traditional in here the more "family" and self-image is valued above personhood
the only point that I'd contest is that the end of the WW2 was the beginning of the downfall of the western culture.
Thanks!
My wife's family emigrated to Brazil on the late 1930s (so no natural disasters to contend with as much anymore) but they still keep that old mindset to this day (much to my wife's chagrin)
Mindset is very hard to change, my bf is a small town mountain clan of Appalachia so I’ve seen that in person .
Fantastic ideas here, Shogo!
You have a great attitude. It's very important to preserve unique cultures, but also vital to be able to adapt the way we do things to create better lives for ourselves and future generations. If more people in Japan can understand this, I believe that the country will thrive and grow even better than before.
Great video. Clinging to something because it is traditional can be dangerous. Many great innovators faced discrimination when they first came up with new ideas.
Many "new ideas" are garbage.
This is a fascinating take not only on Japanese culture in particular, but on societal structure in general.
It is interesting how corporate culture in the west is similar with some of the negative aspects of Bushido and groupism structures. One of my favourite books is "The Book of 5 Rings." In the water chapter balance and flexibility are virtues.
The Book of 5 Rings? That's the one written by Miyamoto Musashi, right?
@@anasazmi8554 yes it’s the book of 5 rings from Miyamoto Musashi. By the way I think that the way he live was completely different of those Japanese samurais of his time. Hi was a independent samurai. an artist, philosopher, poet, sculptor, writer and more importantly he was a realice master of buddhist meditation. In his void chapter of the his book of the 5 rings said; “when you realise every thing is empty and you see emptiness in every thing you have understood the true void” this words only a master who have realise the perfection wisdom sutra of the Buddha can said this on this affirmative way. I think that the middle way of Buddhism is good alternativa for the modern Japanese people and the rest of the world.
There was a period of time in the '80s, _peak_ "Gordon Gekko," where Japan was the emerging economic power and was perceived as presenting a threat to Western, particularly American, business interests. Many a manager/CEO saw what the Japanese were doing with their organizational structures, and adopted it for themselves, either out of a sense of trying to stay competitive, or in agreement with the social values involved. Incidentally (or appropriately, depending on how you see it), Western corporate culture has now run into exact same problems Shogo is highlighting, exacerbated even more so by the pandemic.
Musashi is quite the fascinating man. Often he will be looked up as a shining example of Bushido but I think it highlights the emptyness of the philosophy in many aspects. He was the greatest warrior poet of his era... an era of peace. He was a master duelist, but famously once forgot his sword to a duel and beat his opponent with a wooden boat paddle. His book of 5 rings could just as much be about becoming the greatest sushi chef as it is about being a dutiful warrior. I suppose he himself must have known the contradictions and emptiness of his honours.
I have read this book too. Great book
I've really come to enjoy your videos exploring the history and culture of Japan while expressing them in an understandable way to English speakers like myself. It's a lovely balance of introspection on Japan and its past to looking how it has evolved in the contemporary era with worldly influences.
As a fellow swordsman from the west, please continue!
I really liked the video! I know that you have put a lot of thought into your values and beliefs where others would accept things just because they’ve been done that way for a long time. And, like was mentioned in the last samurai, *you* are truly “The warrior in whom, the ways of old meet the new”.
When I was younger, I used to idolize Japan, thinking it was a near-perfect place to live, but learning more about how it has problems, just like here in the US, helps me understand that it’s a regular place, with both good and bad aspects of society. I still love Japan, but I don’t idolize it.
Thank you for making the video!
Me too, I am an Indian, and most people here in India idolize Japan. I previously idolized Japan, but I don't anymore. I also say that India and Japan have very similar problems, like the one where both countries don't give up on 'outdated practices'.
@@s888r what? I didn't know that(but i have a feeling that may be because Japan is having issues with a..certain country that Japan has has bad blood with for CENTURIES now...so solidarity,perhaps?)
Didn't know india liked Japan that much..til(today I learned) .
@@mobiuszero1018 As I mentioned, India and Japan share a lot of things, social problems too. Just as in Japan, giving respect and offering hospitality is praised, this is what most Indians like about Japan, and the reason why they idolize it.
Based. That's how people should think. No where is perfect, but here isn't necessarily perfect for you but there might be. It's all subjective and dependent on culture and personality.
I’ve only heard of Bushido in the mindset of a warrior. How it was described to me is pretty much being on the borderline of suicidal and brave and valuing honour above everything including your own life.
It's a rapper too
@@cescocesco1105 shut up 😂
Watch the movie Ran for a glimpse of Japanese reality.
11:31 The Emperor’s New Clothes was a story popularized to warn people about the dangers of “going with the crowd” group mindset, where an individual could set the whole thing right.
It only takes Jesus Christ
Just seen it and ,yes, that is the dangers of groupism.
Interesting fact: The Emperor's New Clothes was written by Danish author HC Andersen and the '"humbleness" was only for not standing out from the crowd and staying hidden' is a thing in danish culture as well. Hell, it's a Scandinavian thing that the author Aksel Sandemose (Norwegian-Danish) named Jantelagen (The Jante Law), named for the fictional town Jante which he based on the danish small town of Nykøbing Mors.
As a Swede myself I've heard a lot about Jantelagen and how it fits with the Swedish mentality (often having to correct my fellow countrymen when they claim that "Sweden is the only place in the world that has Jantelagen with the fact that it was named by a Norwegian-Dane), and I found that interesting when I got into japanese culture that so much was similar to Nordic European culture and mind set. True, their were a lot of differences as well. But this? This was I likeness I hadn't thought about until this video.
(Another likeness is the "Mono No Aware" mentality that I think is pretty prevalent in both cultures, even though I don't think there is a Scandinavian name for the concept. However, Finnish author Tove Janssons Moominbooks, for example, is overflowing with that mentality. Which might explain Moomins popularity in Japan).
@@theyakkoman Speaking of Huns Christian Anderson; what was the name of that tale he wrote in which the soldier gets the apron from a witch and goes in a tree with three dogs with huge eyes in it?!
If you tell me that, I promise to buy matches from match selling kids this coming Christmas.
@@OssamabinKenny Ah! That one is named "The Tinderbox". Or "Fyrtøjet" in original danish. It's one of my favourite of his.
A truly thoughtful video. I spent some time in Japan picked up on a lot of this.
Kabuki particularly struck me. The audience was very well dressed and highly cultured. But once the performance started, I no longer felt that I was in a ultra modern technologically advanced city. I felt like I was in a medieval or tribal village where the same ancient stories were recited over and over for generations and the audience had it all by heart--but were utterly rapt and bonded together in the ritual experience. It also reminded me of children wanting to be read the same story over and over, utterly rapt anticipating each action and taking great satisfaction in that anticipation. To me this seemed a strongly 'groupist' experience! Nothing like Shakespeare, with every audience member seeing it differently, as it fitted their personality.
Here is a little challenge/exercice: Let's modify the 5 teachings of Bushido to fit modern society. Here is my take:
1. Remember your history and the meaning of the traditions
2. Seek those deserving of loyalty
3. Strangers bring new ideas, listen close but beware
4. Think before you act
5. You won't please everyone
I think with 5 you should replace ”won’t” with ”can’t”. Just a small nitpick.
Other than that, all your takes have a point.
Modern society is a cancer, an inversion of higher values.
@@MrQabalist people have said that ever since the times of ancient Greece, and likely well before then. Hasn’t stopped society from progressing, has it?
@@jordinagel1184 It has not stopped it at all. Time is cyclical and the elemental substratum eventually exercises subversion.
@@MrQabalist my point is that there are always going to be people like you, who claim that the modern society of their time is a cancer, yet said people always lose out in the end as the society in question prevails (otherwise progress would be nonexistent), only to itself turn into a curmudgeon who bemoans the depravities of the next modern society.
You’re not gonna win, dude.
Another interesting video, thank you. I have lived in Japan for four years and always find myself baffled by the dichotomy of people’s behavior. On the one hand very polite and considerate, on the other, absolutely rude and even aggressive. I could cite many examples but let’s just say living here has disabused of the idea that everything in Japan is sweetness and light.
As someone who understands how hard it is learning English I must praise your English speaking skills, from a native speaker its really good! Hopefully I can speak Japanese this well someday.
IIRC he mentioned in one of his video that he live in the US until 6 year old.
He's not Canadian?
@@Theohybrid he looks like anyone from Vancouver.
Thank you. After watching your videos I have better understanding of Japan, but I still admire Japan.
This is very interesting, and you might find it fascinating to know that the problems of Bushido have extended beyond Japan, into cultural extensions of Japan elsewhere. I used to live in a Zen monastery in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. The people who run it, are completely white, westerners, however they have swallowed Bushido so completely, that the same problems of social conformity (with the two-faced lies, etc.) are present in the monastery community. People's individual needs are ignored, and group "harmony", is promoted, etc. As a result, many of the "heirs apparent" of the monastery (which are younger, western people), have left, because after spending so many years in a monastic environment that completely ignores their individual needs, and privacy: they finally have had enough and simply leave. I love Japanese culture, but like you, I also recognize that there are social problems in Japanese culture as well. And as parts of Japanese culture like Buddhism have been imported, unfortunately some of the first generation of Westerners who adopted it, didn't really know where the line between "Buddhism" and "Bushido" was, (or Buddhism and Confucianism), and so also imported the negative aspects of Japan to our culture. I am grateful to say that current Buddhists such as myself are looking critically at these aspects and realizing (like yourself) that they simply don't work in the modern world. And as you pointed out so eloquently in your video, it was actually that very rejection of Buddhist values (like honesty) in the first place that led to some of these issues. Wonderful video, and I've forwarded this video to some of my former monastic friends as I feel this will help them understand some of the social problems in the community we lived in. Thank you for this!
Honesty has always been publicly praised, privately scorned and loudly condemned as disruptive whenever used.
@@xhagast This is the consept " Tatemae & Honne". The real reason for alot of the problems, and not bushido
@@Ikaros23 Yase-Gaman used to be bad in Spain, and all through Europe. But it was a personal problem. Japan appears to have weaponized Tatemae and Honne and institutionalized it, covering it with the glorious and honorable name of Bushido.
Great insights. I'm not as practiced as you in Buddhism. But when I started going to a Zen Center, I noticed some things being taught that felt more like cultural artifacts than Buddhism so I stopped going.
So interesting! Thanks for your comment 😊
I like the way he looks at things. Strictly pragmatic: This is reality, this is where we are at and where we could go to fit into that reality better.
Based material analysis.
I hate it, pragmatism is dumb. You can't just add or subtract every time there is too much or too little of something. If you don't have solid objective values to base your actions on, you're bound to repeat the same loops of mistakes over and over again. As a programmer, you learn this lesson pretty fast. Proactive thinking > reactive thinking.
@@AdamBlade17 Pragmatism is more concerned with dealing with uncertainty. If you can't tell what the absolute truth is, then the relative truth (that information which has closest correlation with reality) must suffice.
@@MadassAlex "If you can't tell what the absolute truth is"
But that's what religion and philosophy are for.
@@AdamBlade17 ... but philosophy exists specifically because absolute truth is an ideal rather than a realistic analysis. Anyone who claims otherwise is being dishonest.
What I love about this channel is the deep breath of knowledge it offfers on the ACTUAL Japanese culture. As foreigners we often have preconceived notions of how Japan is and we want to consume media that reinforce such stereotypes. This channel helps brake free of this close minded approach to Japan and actually learn something true and actual.
This video is really illuminating for anyone interested in the Japanese culture. Thank you!
20:20 Bushido.. and the positive attitude.. *"should Bushido be discarded?"... N O*
- I agree *not to discard* Bushido, but *to evolve* Bushido. Bushido was the proper response to the era, Bushido should evolve as the era evolve.
Great explanation, great video.
I really hope you will make a version of this video in Japanese. It's all well and good for us foreigners to hear and learn this, but I think this message really needs to be spread to your countrymen.
That would make a good project To remake this video into a Japanese language version
Are you gonna make a video about Americans about their flaws and why every country hates them? It really should be spread to your countrymen.
@@alan.92 There is already so many of those
@@terrorist_nousagi8747 Not enough apparently. They still complain about why they aren’t treated the same as Japanese people (or East Asians in general) and have the audacity to bring their political protests overseas.
@@alan.92 Because Americans think of themselves like the center of the world. They don't understand geography, nevermind different culture
This was the best analysis of Japan's core flaws I could ever dream to hear from a Japanese man. I love Japanese culture, but as every light casts shadow, beautiful and refined cultures with great impact also have dark sides to them, and no one can ever understand them better than from the inside. You, sir, are a beacon of wisdom. I share your view that wisdom is to be found in balance, it is the core of my philosophy.
The Japanese culture, like all East-Asian cultures, is the material culture first and foremost. Despite the lure of attractive and exotic material display of Japan, there hardly is anything underneath. In fact, the Japanese people are taught to love the "external" or material image of their culture -- e.g. the celebration of four seasons, the dress, the cleanliness, the shinto rituals, etc. Even the festivals that the Japanese love so much appear to lack any substance to me -- mere remnants (material display) of the long-lost aggricultural society that doesn't have any particular meaning. Japan's lack of the spiritual side may be traced to the time when they abandoned buddhism in favor of the natvie Shinto faith. But Shinto is a very hollowed spiritual faith, to me it doean't have a clear teaching; again, the rituals and material displays take precedent over the real spirituality.
@@FingersKungfu k-jealousy
I really like the idea of "my bushido," expressed mainly through traditional culture as an individual's way of interpreting received ethics. In Jewish liturgical practice, which someone practicing the religion might be able to speak on better than I am, there is the tradition of midrash. Midrash takes a story from the Torah and revises it to be better understood in contemporary times. I can see an ethical code like Bushido evolving to value sincerity and nuance of expression more so than mere agreement and replication.
13:50 Japanese people can't run away because the job structure makes it so senior workers make more money: Thus your career is based on HOW LONG you worked in the company instead of how productive you were. So if you change jobs, your salary starts from scratch regardless of your skill. If you leave the company; you miss out, so people won't.
"production" determined by the demands of the insane. Look at celebs.
This is a problem in the States too... I think people need to be encouraged to start their own businesses more in every nation. Corporate consolidation is a bad thing, these companies are too big and too powerful, there should be more diversity I feel.
@@JohnnyThund3r No. Here in the states it's the opposite in most industries. They hire their higher ups from outside instead of promoting from within.
Jesus that is horrible. I would just live off welfare or savings until I could set up my own business; which I'm sure will come with it's own bureaucratic nightmares.
@@carinadominguez22 Japan doesn't have the shitty welfare like in the west. They make you work for the welfare. So you have to work for the state. In whatever small job they give you.
"Even if the group was heading towards a cliff, if we are all falling and going to suffer together that's okay."
That's what American academics often call "groupthink."
Absolutely agree, and worth noting that "groupthink" is a negative term!
You mean stupid
@@superskaldy Groupthink is stupid, yes. American Left v Right is groupthink. That's why normal people are disgusted by the entire American government.
And ironically those same academics who use groupthink as a negative term, will espouse the virtues of Socialism and communism.
There is another term more befitting. Double think!
Anyone who doesn't think like our group is part of the other group, and It's ok if that other group is heading towards a cliff, so long as it's not our group.
Infact it is best if we push that other group off the cliff because groupthink is bad!
@@ozmul5810 you claim academics think in terms of us vs them while generalizing American academia with no solid proof. Oh the irony
This is why it's important to make yourself aware of the intentions and reasoning behind teachings. Too many people just passively follow social customs at a surface level because they feel like they have to and nothing more, resulting in rigid actions that, while confining to the "rhythm" and "outer appearance" of the teachings, defeat the point of them. This isn't just a problem in Japan. For example, in the US, many people treat the Bible itself as more important than the values it is supposed to teach. The medium of teaching values, and the exact process used to fulfill them are not as important as staying true to the value itself. Be flexible in the process, and know how to stay true to the "spirit".
Bruce Lee, again, is more a philosopher than a fighter. Be like water. Flexible, flowing, and formless. Sticking to rigid ideals and beliefs makes one weak. Know what is right, and let everything else go.
an even better example is communists spending a year rioting for "acceptance, or else"
@@lithuaniaball group allegiance isn’t always tied to communism
You touch on an important point of dogma vs. Values.
So true 👏🏽.
My creative writing teacher translated a few poems from Japanese to English, and I started a campaign to learn about the culture, art, and architecture during those years. Much respect.
I’m studying Japanese language and culture for my major in college, and one interesting thing my professor said is that bushido, and in fact the ideals of the samurai in general, were twisted and contorted to fit the imperialistic aims of the nation after the Meiji restoration. I’ve been meaning to read the books he recommended, but I don’t really have the time to right now
Edit: Material conditions of the post Meiji restoration Japanese society created the ideology which served to uphold it
Ah, the old apologist angle. It's just like people trying to distance german culture from Nazism or current russians from Putin. Nope, their cultures have everything to do with what their leaderships' crimes. The leading elites are the reflection of the society they rule.
@@switchgear100 My bad! I should’ve worded that better
I know this comment was posted a while back but I’m curious about those books if you still remember their names? 🤔
@@michellesmirnova4471 Agreed. I would be interested in the list of those books as well.
@@edwardwright4633 OP disappeared off the face of the earth, don't hold your breath guys. 😘
There´s no real need to turn on the captions nor to adjust the speed of the video. Your English is actually very clear and the pace is just fine for an informative video. You´re doing great, Shogo.
@@Zariel_999 Hmmm, you're right. I thought he was saying it because he's not a native speaker. I've seen many people that the first thing they hit you with is "sorry for my bad English" when they're actually good at it and I thought this was one of those cases.
Bushido should evolve and change.. not be discarded. It’s very intertwined in Japan’s culture so change will be complicated
I think the book is taking Bushido in a different light outside of ethics and moral values and involving into political or socioeconomic manner which is not the purpose of bushido. Bushido is for self embetterment not to be used as a system of societal control or way of government.
Well put. Only if something CANNOT evolve and change with the times should you consider discarding it.
Very true. It should be modified to keep up with the times.
Heck, it can even be used to better one's self. It can serve as our compass to better ourselves as we contribute what we can put out into the world.
@@outboundflight4455 "Bushido is for self embetterment not to be used as a system of societal control or way of government."
It was very obviously developed to ensure absolute obedience and loyalty to a rigid hierarchy in a caste system ruled by warlords.
@@TheMisterGuy it's got nothing do do with politics.
Wow, Shogo! You have given me much to think about! I lived in Japan fo 4 years, and I learned as much as I could, took what I learned back to the US, and I even taught the principles of Bushido to some of my students who I felt had a serious need of the cobcepts. But the points you made, in context, are really valid! Thank you!
"Groupism" is also known as "collectivism" when studying cultural differences between and within countries. Very good video! Arigato gozaimashita!
This annoyed the heck out of me.. like somehow the word "collectivism" isn't good enough and instead he uses a neologus for a word that already exists..
@@aniinnrchoque1861 I took it as either a different translation or a term used in another field of study. The important thing is to know what these means, their similarities, and their differences.
@@aniinnrchoque1861 Perhaps he wanted to avoid a lot of the baggage that comes with _collectivism_ which for many people can be a fairly loaded word due to all the connotations it has related to economic theories.
Collectivism is usually associated with Communist or Socialist countries while Groupism can be in capitalist countries and while collectivist societies try to include other nationalities groupism is about excluding people.
@@aniinnrchoque1861 Collectivism and Japanese cultural notions of putting the group over the self are quite different, and it is entirely appropriate to use a different word to distinguish them
Japanese culture being so collectivist makes me think of how western cultures are so individualist. Both are detrimental in their extremes. It would probably be more beneficial for Japanese culture to embrace more individualism and for western cultures like mine to embrace more collectivism; a balance between the selfless and the selfish needs to be enacted.
it might actually easy for Japan to slowly become more individualist than Western, or more specifically, America into groupist
Cause Japanese people does sense the problem within groupism and can easily grow out of it. But anyone who is already high on the power and the rights of the extreme end of individualism wont get converted into groupism easily.
Japan`s biggest problem is not lack of invidualism, but a shitty working culture. Fix that, then most of the Japan`s problems would go away. (would increase birth rates and reduce suicide rates.)
Marko Liimatainen that is only part of the problem, in fact, what you just said is just a result of the bigger picture
The real problem was the entire focus on groupism that eventually lead to the shitty working culture. Just erase the shitty working culture does not even touch like 50% of the whole problem
I think the guy is on to something, japan is super hyper capitalist.
collectivist extreme Hippie commune with like 10 people = good
Individualist extreme homesteading in rural middle of nowhere = Good
introduce more than a small community 100+ and communism (extreme collectivism) is no bueno
a bunch of chad gun owning homesteaders who dont interact with other communities functioning off a live and let live policy eh let them do what they do I guess lol
I dont exactly see what the deal is with "extreme individualism" unless it was meant like you dont want to take care of family and those closest to you... but thats why i meant you can have a hippie commune next door to a gun toting extremely patriotic family and at the end of the day we are all American and nothing separates us when we all bleed red.
this is why I like America, "god given rights" are inalienable for everyone on the planet but in America they are written in the founding documents. nobody telling what you need to believe in, just liberty. You can set the flag on fire and if its your property you can do with it what you will without the penalty of going to jail! anyone can make it, you dont know your upward bound limits.
Great video, Shogo. Cultures evolve through the ages, developing new ideas from and even borrowing ideas from another culture. This is the mark of a living and thriving culture that will live on for centuries to come.
I think people should find their own path forward and negotiate the way their culture develop, because what works for one culture may not work for another.
Thanks
Very informative. I'm always impressed when people are able to recognize their own flaws, especially when it is so deep it touches on culture and philosophy.
I think Japan should never forget who they are, one thing I find so amazing is just how well Japan has preserved it's culture through everything. And indeed a balance between the two sides of collectivism and individualism is how it should be done. My family's stories from the Soviet Union (extreme collectivism) were often quite bad (For an example, communal housing with little privacy). But the other end, hyperindividualism, is madness (This is apparently becoming a bit of a problem in modern America). I hope Japan can find this balance. Extremes are rarely all that great.
With my ancestors being driven out of Poland by the Soviet Union invading because they didn't enjoy socialists who refused to bend knee to Soviet calls for a unified state. It literally was imperialism.
This was the polish Soviet war in the 1920s for context. Before WWII. The peasants party and socialists under Piłzudski were against the Soviet Machine. The Soviet collectization was something many socialists from nations that didn't start as agrarian societies of mostly agrarian peasants were horrified. Skipping that step of Capitalists nation buildint literally means you must skip entire periods of industrialisation and infrastructure building.
Crossing a river without a bridge you are a hell of a lot more likely to drown.
Traditionally (ideologically again this is based in philosophy not good or bad just what they believed) you cannot force communism without first having a period of capitalism.
The Soviets under stalin literally had the concept of the Soviet man. Being collectivist in material conditions does ignore how following the group empowers individuals. It is a give and take of well propogadna.
So he was able to literally both force collectivization of agriculture while giving those positions to people he hired (stalins job before he assumed dictatorship was primarily a hiring manager... Before that a bankrobber in Georgia 🇬🇪 , im not kidding)
A colonial empire is a colonial empire and both the USA and Soviet Union often exploited the world and their neighbors with similar methods.
But yeah. Standing still to remember we are both individuals but product of the ecosystem and enviroment.
We are just as much animals as any other. Pretending otherwise often leads to so much pain.
We cannot live up to myth. But. We can respect the weak frail organisms we are as small part of this ecology we call life
on earth.
Paradox of reality is
If nothing matters. Everything matters.
Both are true.
Why Buddhist koans are important.
If you cannot destroy a binary. You cannot find the thousand answers infront of your face.
There is no such thing as hyper-individualism. The United States is correctly worried about collectivism. Collectivism demands that people forgo their individualism and rights for the bigger population. Whenever you hear someone say "We need to sacrifice the few to protect the many," it's never the people in charge. You'll never see a politician or CEO ever consider themselves as "part of the few" needing to be sacrificed. It's always the lesser-folk in society. It's frustrating how many people are die-hard into socialism completely ignore this.
Japan's obsession with collectivism allowed women to be preyed upon in trains. They didn't raise an alarm, because it would cause problems socially. Individualism allows our society to see the problems, so we can fix it. The United States may grumble about things, argue, and fight, but we will always seek to address our problems. Collectivist countries always seek to push them away because they're unpleasant to deal with and cause disharmony.
@@renim2974
This is very true.
@@renim2974 Forgoing rights is part of what makes a society. Everyone gives up something to come together to accomplish tasks that cannot be accomplished alone. Obviously people can have differences in the details.
One of the major issues in the United States is that we are too divided to address our problems.
What they told you about USSR was far from universal experience. There was not enough urban housing for everyone after ww2 and during fast urbanisation, that is why people were living in communal flats. Government tried to give their own apartments to as many families as possible. My family received both a 3 room apartment and a piece of land for summer house, not required to pay for it, because of my grandparents work at the factory and the railroads, they were not even any "elite" or party members. Unfortunately the process dragged along later, and not everyone managed to get their own place.
I'm glad you talked about the effects this mindset and culture of bushido has on people, particularly the young.
The depression and suicide rates of the youth of Japan are alarming, those kids need help, not an ancient system that tries to shove them into a box
I just binge watched the Wa no kuni arc from one piece. While watching I sensed a huge similarity between Bushido virtues (or at least how it was portrayed by Oda) and stoicism so I wanted to learn more about it. I'm glad UA-cam recommended your video first, your approach is very critical and objective I learned so many things in just a few minutes. Thank you so much !
Bushido is basically " Japanese Stoicism"
I feel like the missing component is a lack of balance, which is something that every culture seems to not do well in. Life is like the sea and is ever shifting.
That is because of how the world has been evolving way too quickly for our societies to follow
@@samuelelias5115 Yeah. Honestly, too many countries are trying to be like each other and we are not.
In my experience, the people who advocates the most strongly for groupism tend to be rather individualist themselves.
If they foster a sense of self-sacrifice in a larger group, while abstaining from making sacrifices themselves, the group becomes more easy for the individualist to exploit for his own ends.
A more healthy mindset in my view is to encourage the unique perspectives and talents of the individual and spur them to achieve greatness, but also teach them that they should be kind and helpful to other members of the group as a personal virtue. Because one can never know when you might need help from someone else in the future, so having been helpful to others in the past means others are more likely to be helpful towards you.
So try to be the very best you can be, and enjoy the rewards it brings, no matter how big or small. But when you are in a position to help another, do so with no hesitation.
I think what you meant are the "wolf in sheep clothing" kind of people and corrupted government officials calling others to "ask not what the company/country did to you, but what you did for your company/country." Collectivism is ruined when there are selfish people exploiting it (which happens more in Asian countries), and individualism is ruined when a unified group divide others to garner the most political/economical power (which happens more in Western countries).
I'm a strong proponent of the needs of the group, and I too am very individualist. For me the groupism isn't about tearing down the individual in favor of an abstract concept of "the group," but rather an acknowledgement that all of the others around you are unique individuals just like you are. Many individualists will cause harm to others and call this individualism because they're looking out for their own individual interests, yet doing this sort of rejects that the other people are also people, who shouldn't have harm delivered to them. The connotation of "individualism" is positive, and this behavior is better captured with the connotations of the term egoism. The aim of the groupism I and many others like is a diverse team of individuals combining their unique strengths to do better. A celebration and utilization of our differences, not a rejection of them.
"A lot of you will die, but that's a risk I am willing to take" - Farquad (Shrek)
Well-put, I agree with your points. However, from a personal pov, trying to be the best I can be and be in a situation to help others is something I struggle with tremendously. I struggled with depression and changing majors for ages, and every passing year I felt I was a burden to my family and an anti force of good for society, because I couldn't help anyone in my underdeveloped low-status state. I've only recently tried looking for therapy, cause as of now self-care is literally impossible when I feel that selfishness = evil. I hope people here realize that if they feel like the world is doomed and there's no hope, it's not true, and perspective shifts and therapy (and gratitude/stoicism) can help you. Don't be like me, don't wallow in misery for ten years thinking the bad guys have won and you might as well have never existed.
Putting your best foot forward isn't the best thing to do either. Next thing you know, you're already unaware of stepping on people for the sake of "being the best you".
I think the better stance is *be aware*. By living a life of awareness, you also live a life of empathy while also thinking for yourself
I'm so happy I found your channel. I really appreciate how you can criticize your own country in a constructive manner. I've been to Japan twice and I experienced this first hand. Before going I had this ideal place in my mind, like most people who love Japanese culture do. But once I was there I could feel right away that everything was fake. If I went into a shop to buy something the staff was extremely nice although to a point that it was a bit scary. But then when I actually needed help (I got lost multiple times lol) no one wanted to help me. I asked for help politely in my broken Japanese to passersby and even to security people and they all just told me to ask someone else. And something that I found hilarious in a way, was that when I was in Kyoto trying to board a train with my heavy suitcase, Japanese people would see me struggling and just walk past me but then two Argentinian guys who were in the city because of a soccer match, helped me and they didn't even notice we were from the same country and talked to me in English haha. Maybe I was just super unlucky but I realized that people were nice only when they had to. I did have good experiences too, of course. But my trips were eye openers. I've been to other Asian countries and I didn't experience anything like this, so I know that it's something particular from Japan. I don't blame them though and I still love lots of things about Japan.
I really value these videos as I cannot travel to Japan right now. As soon as I can return, 'I will understand your ideas even better. I am very grateful for your insights.
Thank you for this thoughtful and enlightening video. You tackled a huge topic but used examples from your own life to illustrate the human details inside the Bushido culture. That combination helped me use my own background to understand the issues you address. After listening a few more times I may have a more informed response, but for a first-time listener, the video's format and your own search seemed to be examples of the balance you think Japan should seek going forward. It's kind of you to share the journey.
Gintama had the right idea all along. Everyone should have their own bushido and follow them and not for some lord or some group.
"Do you think there are qualifications to become a samurai? Do you believe without a family to protect or a lord to serve, one cannot become a samurai? I dont think so. Bushido is the will to descipline one's weak self in order to reach one's strongest self. It refers to the act of devoting oneself's to one's ideals. So both they, who study diligently and try to become better human beings, and you, who came here as a dojo challenger to grow stronger are already samurai in my eyes. Even if your births and backgrounds are unknown and you dont have a master to serve or a sword to fight. You can each flaunt your own brand of bushido and become your own samurai. Guiding as many of those samurai as possible... might just be my own brand of bushido. You ended up here after losing your way too didnt you? I am the same. I am still lost. But thats alright. Doubt yourself, lose your way and become the kind of samurai you want to be." - Yoshida Shouyo
And that is exactly the reason why it’s my favorite manga😊
"Everyone should have their own bushido and follow them and not for some lord or some group."
That defeats the whole point. For example, the virtue of loyalty. If you are doing this for yourself, and you have no leader or group, then loyalty is not possible. By definition, you can only be loyal to someone or something external to yourself. You're modifying bushido to the point where it's fundamentally not bushido.
@@TheMisterGuy Does being loyal to Philosophies or Creeds, count as Bushido?
@@TheMisterGuy you know the saying, "real family is based of loyalty". So you don't have to be loyal to leader or group, just people who you truly love and your family is enough.
staying true to yourselves is just as important as a community :) shogo, thank you for showing all the various parts of japan to us gaijins
I love your channel. You have a powerful but deeply calm presence as a speaker.
Thank you Shogo. Your in-depth lessons on Japanese culture are enjoyable and appreciated.
I think the best solution is having a type of Neo-Bushido ideology tailored to fit modern Japan moving into the future
Yes I think formulating a modern Neo-Bushido philosophy would be a good thing to do
I would say the best solution is exploring what is working and what is failing.
For example. The part about following the powerful doesn't work. But being loyal is something everyone, even outside Japan, should adopt.
Not a blind loyalty, but one based on acknowledging the needs of the other person.
I have a draft:
1. Question rules and traditions
2. Follow those smarter than you and be loyal
3. Be brave and exclusive to keep detractors out
4. No comment
5. Ditto
This was incredibly interesting to watch. I've always been curious about how Japan's current societal norms formed. Thank you!
One of the most valuable videos on YT history, IMHO.
The interest in the Bushido-themed self-help books you describe reminds me a lot of the way people turn to Stoicism here in the west. I've seen a lot of people reading or encouraging others to read Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" recently, and I think it's for the very same reason of turning to this idealized vision of ancient simplicity as a response to modern complexities.
That's an amazing video about a very interesting topic! As always, I was captivated. Way to go, Shogo-san
This was one of the most reasonable videos I've ever seen in my life. You have the maturity to have realized what the culture is like in Japan comparing it to the modern world. Being impartial and recognizing the limitations of how your ancestors viewed life is very commendable. Congratulations on the video. I, as a martial artist, will share this video. Many black belt martial artists share Bushido as something sacred to be taken seriously as much as possible. And this is a mistake... If I read a book on good conduct from other times, maybe I will understand it one way and someone else will understand it differently. To know details of the time, it's needed to research, but one thing is very important: New times always arrives. New trends, new habits, customs. And all of this will shape the modern samurai. Society evolves, old teachings may no longer make sense today and everyone has to readjust. Pure sociology. Receive the compliments of a lover of Japan who is disappointed by how closed this country still is. I would not like to visit this country and be treated as a mere "gaijin". I don't intend to steal or interfere in anyone's way of life. Quite the opposite. My goal is always to learn.
Amazing video! Thank you very much for the clarification. BTW, your English pronunciation is clear enough and the speed is natural ✌️
That is a very interesting take on the japanese society. It surprised me at first, but it made way more sense that I expected.
It also answer the hardest issue when dealing with japanese companies - why are they so bound by tradition, and never even consider why they are doing it. Because changing requires questioning, and questioning goes against the basic tenet of the society.
I have oft lamented with (American) friends who have spent time in Japan that if we could take the best of Japan and the best of America together, it would be a true template for the world. But in the end, it always hangs up on the conflict between individualism and groupism, and how to get the benefits of both, with as few of their defects as possible.
Anytime westerners start defining templates for the world, people in Asia starts sweating with nervousness.
It is like joining Sahara desert and North Pole 😁
Don't worry, right now throughout the world whole nations are working indefatigably to take the very WORST of Japan and very WORST of America (north AND south) together.
💯💯💯💯
This is exactly how I feel! I was afraid this was going to be a " down with the old ways!" kind of video, however this video hit the nail on the head.
I am actually hoping to get to Japan for my Master's in Economics. I hope that I can work with other scholars to find solutions to some of these problems as many are affecting the economy.
I rcenetly learned about how the Japaneze govt deals with debt and my mind is blown. They borrow from themselves but target 0% inflation. This works for a short time but they are stuck in this rut. There is a woman who is running against Suga that is trying to change this. From my basic understanding of the situation, I hope she succeeds.
I llok forward to the future and I hope Japan keeps an eye on the futre and the past. Preserving the ancient culture is as important as looking ahead toward the future.
Hello, you speak of these issues with a great deal of care and respect which is helpful, welcome and does you great credit. Thank you from Ireland.
It's amazing how you condensed all these concepts in a 25 min video! I think it can be a matter of balance to improve things in our "global" society, for example in Mexico we are a more individualistic society and that has brought us problems too, specially in this pandemic, people treat this situation individually rather than as a group, people don't want to wear a mask, put the vaccine or keep social distancing, because they think the "It's my body my choice" is a valid argument, when it's the opposite, their choices affect other. I've lived for a short time in Japan and realize that maybe in Mexico we need a sprinkle or two of the Japanese way and maybe Japan need a sprinkle or two of our way too keep balance.
This was very interesting, thank you. I love your conclusion of preserving traditional culture while being honest about its oppressive origins and striving to find a modern balance. There are some collectivist ideals that I strongly believe in and some individualist ideals that I strongly believe in, and I think they can be harmonized if we try.
Japan should do what it always does, not conform to external culture, but internalize external ideas and change them to fit the Japanese society. There is no reason to discard Bushido entirely, it can be adapted like anything else. There is only one Japan after all, and the world don't need yet another country transforming into a repackaged mini America.
Adaption is what the living do. Only the dead are truely ever still.
Also yeah the repacked mini America thing is very much a feeling I can understand.
As an American I agree
There's no such thing as a "mini America". No other country has ever truly imitated the U.S. in a meaningful way. They simply adopt some of our values, and disregard others. If you think any other country comes close, then you don't know what makes America truly special.
@@Firebreath56 you do understand mass marketing and appealing to world markets is literally what the bretton woods currency agreement signed after WWII making US dollar the primary currency for trade rather than the British pound, did.
We wanted the world to like us due to foreign policy.
We literally tried to make Afghanistan into a new little America.
We supported Israel's development after the Soviet Union dropped support after the 1967 war.
I don't think you understand what makes America special either.
to a degree, yeah, groupism can linger around, respect is great when mutual, the idea of superior-inferior in work is pretty terrible, being able to influence the top while being at the bottom is part of the reason west based companies can be out doing the Japan based ones, it can't become mini-america under any situation just as Australia can't and Britain can't
Nothing is constant in life but change, and fighting that just ends in frustration. Great and well thought out video.
One of my all-time favorite shows is Samurai X(Rurouni Kenshin), and as someone who rarely feels 100% in anything(usually one foot in, one foot out, part of me always having a bit of an outsider perspective), I tend to, at least want to, amalgamate aspects of different styles and cultures that I like, into my own. There are some things I keep in my core(Christianity for one), but part of me inside feels like a drifter, a wanderer. I know I have people who love me and care for me(I know I have a home), and I'm forever grateful. But times I feel part of me is walking alone(not always bad, but there are times companionship is greatly needed, and especially that special companion).
Hey. I just wanted to say I hope you’re both doing alright out there.
"The world has enough for everyone's needs, but not everyone's greed" - Mahatma Gandhi
It certainly doesn't have for everyone's needs either. Not to mention what remains for everyone's greed.
I wouldn't take any advice from a grown man that wore a diaper and drank his own urine. We can do better than Gandhi.
@The Cat Bad men can still say good things.
@@ugricpatriot If the tiny, disaster-wracked island nation has enough to satisfy the needs of 125 million people, then the world certainly has enough to satisfy the needs of the rest. Most shortages are artificially created, in an effort by people who have power to exert control over those who don't.
@@ClokworkGremlin your absolute ignorance regarding modern economics is hilarious.
This is a fascinating set of observations, and very educational. I have never researched the true and historical meanings, or tenets, of bushido. You have helped me understand, in a deeper way, some surface-level things I've learned about Japanese culture. I will have to watch this video multiple times. Thank you, Shogo. :)
Congratulations on meeting your goal of 1 million subscribers more than a year ahead of time! I’m glad I found your channel, your videos are very well made and they’re full of knowledge.
My impression of bushido is that it started to get promoted as a national ideology during the Meiji Era, reached its pinnacle during WW2 and then fell into disfavor after that. Of course, the samurai have always had their code for centuries.
I mean bushido is the perfect moral code for a military force and that was the era of imperialism in Japan. So it benefited the government to promote it
I believe that people who keep their cultural traditions alive, while also being able to look at their current culture objectively, and be open-minded to change, are a credit to their society. It's only reasonable that no culture, past or present, is ideal, so we should all try to keep the positive elements of our traditional culture alive, while striving to adapt and improve our current culture for the dynamic world we live in.
This was such a great and honest look and discussion about Japan's social system and Bushido and how they once worked but have become a dated view and practice. I enjoyed this VERY much! You really have a great outlook and and honest understanding of the goods and nada of the Bushido ideals in your country. Great video!!
Was worried at first but things was wrapped up rather neatly at the end.
Well done.