Miwa in Kyoto

Japan itself is wrapped too. It is well known for its economic power, high technology, motor vehicle industries, Manga and Anime all over the world; however, it is still wrapped with geographical, historical and political ‘packaging’ which is difficult to decode or even ‘unwrap’.
Japan is a small island country off the coast of the Eurasian continent. From an early stage of its history it was subjected to enormous influences from the continent, but the relationship has diminished over time. Moreover, Japan was once closed to the world for over two hundred years from the seventeenth to the middle of nineteenth century, a measure aimed at prohibiting the entry of foreign power’s into Japan. The seclusion worked effectively that the Japanese traditional arts were re-vitalised from within. The people, on the other hand, became relatively ignorant of affairs outside of the country. At the same time, homogeneity had increasingly developed, enabling many invisible rules and common practices to take root in Japanese. As a result, mutual understanding without non-verbal communication became a key in Japanese culture. Even after it was opened to the world and the Japanese started learning and digesting things from European and American cultures (and transforming them into peculiarly Japanese things), the homogenous nature of Japan remained intact. For these reasons, it became very common for Westerners who undertook a social and cultural analysis of Japan to generalise or categorize or interpret Japanese behaviours in the light of their own concepts and cultural values. For instance, Ruth Benedict, a social anthropologist from the United States wrote “Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture” under the commission by the U.S. Government during the Second World War. It is a good book in the way in which it uncovers many cultural themes about Japan, some of which were influential within Japan itself. At the same time, however, many Japanese ended up reading the text with a lasting sense of displeasure because of her   sometimes inaccurate portrayal of Japanese culture.
It is never an easy task to describe other cultures, as their own cultural wrappings appear to hide the core. However, Hendry points out that the layers of wrapping are not really ‘covering up’ or ‘rolling up’ to conceal the inside, but that the interpreter must carefully examine that society in order to understand it better, peeling away to quicken comprehension.
In the first two chapters of Wrapping Culture, Hendry looks at Japanese gifts and analyzes the purpose, meaning and value of its wrapping. In Britain and in many other countries, for example, wrapping is simply the way to present a gift. The wrapping can protect the gift from outside impurities and can also give the receiver the enjoyment of guessing what’s inside or a surprise upon opening. In addition to those more mundane meanings, wrapping in Japan, TUTUMU, contains ritual and sacred meanings. To wrap involves the important role of expressing the giver’s heartfelt respect for the person to whom they are presenting the gift. Therefore, there are many particular rules and customs of wrapping, pertaining to the types and patterns of the paper, the direction of the paper’s motif and ways of wrapping. These add auspiciousness and a message to the gift.
Hendry considers the most common gifts, towels, to expound on the function of wrapping and also to highlight a characteristic part of Japanese thinking. The reason why the custom of giving towels became widespread is not only their necessity in everyday life. Towels and the way they are wrapped and unwrapped have deeper meanings within Japanese society. For example they attach an importance to the relationships with neighbours; also, to the use of things until their value is fully utilized. The fact that the purposes of towels in Japan have changed from the Western conception (their practical use) is evidence of the Japanese habit of absorbing and changing cultural imports. The examples she uses to expound upon her thesis not only introduces the culture but also shows the significance of the anthropologic approach inter-cultural understanding. Only a deep analysis of one aspect of culture, such as a presentation of towels, can extend the understanding of a people’s thoughts and beliefs. It demonstrates that there is no need for categorising and defining people in order to understand them.

Posted on February 8th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized