Some Chinmoku Would Be Nice

Blog #1 Aimai, Uchi/Soto, Chinmoku, and Danjyo Kankei.

The concept of aimai, or in other words, a certain "ambiguity", is a staple in Japanese culture. It can be defined as somewhat of a common understanding between people; a communicative element, if you will. In our American culture, we are used to saying what is on our mind; freedom of speech. This can be extrapolated upon in the sense of saying what you want to say when you want without the regards of others which can lead to heated disagreements, debates, and fights. However, in the culture of the Japanese, it seems to be that the only way to maintain a harmony and unity among people was to incorporate and adopt aimai. "They [The Japanese] like and value aimai because they think that it is unnecesary to speak clearly as long as their partner is knowledgeable. To express oneself distinctly carries the assumption that one's partner knows nothing" (p. 11). To be honest, I understand the concept, but I'm sure it would be somewhat strange to me. Their idea of aimai is not about creating awkward situations, but to just show the utmost respect. "...a form of unity [in] which all people aim for the same goal [is] most important for the group and is strictly enforced. This strong group consciousness brings about a feeling of 'in and out'."

Uchi to Soto, or as stated above "in and out", is the custom of keeping a private but open relationship among the community. For instance, as stated on page 218 of "The Japanese Mind", houses are extremely isolated units surrounded by high fences and walls to maintain privacy. However, inside of the house, sliding doors made of paper create the sensation of un-privacy, in order to create a higher family bond. But then again, there is still a distinct separation of inside (uchi) and outside (soto). One of the more important aspects of the uchi to soto relationship is the idea of Ie, or "house". Three characteristics of the ie system helped to inform uchi/soto;

-male dominated
-head of the household was responsible for salaries
-the household was more important than the individuals

In our culture, privacy almost always requires either a bathroom or an island with no one around. Countless developments with houses a foot away from each other pop up constantly and the idea of privacy is much different.

Privacy coincides with silence almost hand in hand. Chinmoku or silence, in Japanese culture, is not a means of disrespect or emptiness/non-intelligence. I'd like to first start with a couple of quotes:

"Thus a man of few words is trusted more than a man of many words."

"The nail that sticks out will be hammered down".

Silence seems to have originated through the idea of "meditation, quietude, and emptying one's mind", based off of Zen Buddhism; "designed to teach that truth cannot be described verbally, but can exist only in silence". Going back to aimai, chinmoku is an important part of keeping things running smoothly during communication. By incorporating silence into conversation, it is a means of showing thought and hesitation before blurting out something ridiculous. "Japanese silence occurs not only in public but also in private interactions, particularly in conjugal relationships, because the couple are in love but too embarrassed to express their feelings in speech."

Danjyo Kankei... not sure exactly what it translates to, but I do know that it has to deal with interactions between males and females within Japanese culture. As mentioned by the Ie, the household is a male-dominated ideal. Even in schooling, the female population received an education in becoming good wives and wise mothers.

"At this time, if women had sexual relations with men other than their husbands, they were punished severely, while men were openly allowed to keep mistresses in order to have sons and maintain the ie system." Growing up in more or less a monogamous culture, the idea of being able to sleep around just to maintain an ideal seems strange. One could question morality here. Women seemed to be more or less objectified to the male population, used exclusively for breeding and/or maintaining the ie. However, more women are getting a higher education and don't need to rely on the finances of a husband. This is resulting in more singular women who can support themselves, a lower birthrate, and a higher average age for first marriages.