or is a

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...

term for the cultural values and characteristics of the

Japanese people The are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago."人類学上は，旧石器時代あるいは縄文時代以来，現在の北海道〜沖縄諸島（南西諸島）に住んだ集団を祖先にもつ人々。" () Ja ...

. The phrase was coined in the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

to describe the indigenous Japanese 'spirit' or cultural values as opposed to cultural values of foreign nations such as those identified through contact with

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. Later, a qualitative contrast between Japanese and Chinese spirit was elicited from the term.

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

writers and

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

used it to augment and support the

Bushido is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...

concept of honor and valor. English translations of ''Yamato-damashii'' include the "Japanese spirit", "Japanese soul", "Yamato spirit", and "The Soul of Old Japan".

Lafcadio Hearn , born Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (; el, Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χέρν, Patríkios Lefkádios Chérn, Irish: Pádraig Lafcadio O'hEarain), was an Irish- Greek- Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture a ...

mentions the latter in connection with

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...

For this national type of moral character was invented the name ''Yamato-damashi'' (or ''Yamato-gokoro''), — the Soul of Yamato (or Heart of Yamato), — the appellation of the old province of Yamato, seat of the early emperors, being figuratively used for the entire country. We might correctly, though less literally, interpret the expression ''Yamato-damashi'' as "The Soul of Old Japan". (1904:177)

Etymology

Originally ''Yamato-damashii'' did not bear the bellicose weight or ideological timbre that it later assumed in pre-war modern Japan. It first occurs in the section of '' The Tale of Genji'' (Chapter 21), as a native virtue that flourishes best, not as a contrast to foreign civilization but, rather precisely, when it is grounded on a solid basis in Chinese learning. Thus we read: Each man, according to

Motoori Norinaga was a Japanese scholar of ''Kokugaku'' active during the Edo period. He is conventionally ranked as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku (nativist) studies. Life Norinaga was born in what is now Matsusaka in Ise Province (now part of Mie ...

(who wrote a Commentary of '' The Tale of Genji'' ), has at his birth a "true heart" a "

magokoro is a principle known in Japan related in particular to the origin of the country, the . It has also been described in Japanese literature. Motoori Norinaga (1730–1801) devoted about 35 years of his life to the elaboration of a Commentary (Koj ...

" (the term magokokoro is itself almost an onomatopoeia since kokoro, the heart, expresses these "beats of the heart") whose ancient Japanese literature is the most faithful expression. This sentiment expresses the ''Yamato gokoro'' (大和心, "Japanese heart") as opposed to the ''Kara gokoro'' ("superficial level of consciousness cluttered with masculine things, intellectually astute but full of pretension")''''.

Lexicology

''Yamato-damashii'' "Japan, Japanese" compounds ''Yamato'' ( 大和, "great harmony") with ''damashii'', which is the

voiced Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds (usually consonants). Speech sounds can be described as either voiceless (otherwise known as ''unvoiced'') or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer ...

rendaku is a phenomenon in Japanese morphophonology that governs the voicing of the initial consonant of a non-initial portion of a compound or prefixed word. In modern Japanese, ''rendaku'' is common but at times unpredictable, with certain words un ...

'' pronunciation of ''tamashii'' ( 魂 "spirit; soul"). Both these ''

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...

'' (

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji ...

used in Japan) readings ''Yamato'' (大和) and ''damashii'' (魂) are native Japanese ''

kun'yomi are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequen ...

'', while the ''Wakon'' (和魂 "Japanese spirit") reading is Sinitic ''

on'yomi are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...

'' borrowed from Chinese ''Héhún'' (和魂). ''Yamato'' is historically the second of three common Japanese

endonym An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...

s (or autonyms) for 'Japan; Japanese'. *'' Wa'' ( 倭 or 和) is Japan's oldest endonym and derives from the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

Chinese exonym ''Wō'' 倭 "Japan, Japanese". This character 倭, which graphically combines the 亻 "human, person"

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics * Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...

and a ''wěi'' 委 "bend"

phonetic Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...

, was usually pronounced ''wēi'' in

Classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...

compounds like ''wēichí'' 倭遲 "winding, circuitous", but scholars have interpreted ''Wō'' 倭 "Japanese" as connoting either "submissive; docile" or "short; dwarf". In the 8th century, Japanese scribes replaced the pejorative Chinese character 倭 for ''Wa'' "Japan" with ''Wa'' 和 "harmony; peace". *''Yamato'' (大和, "great harmony") is the oldest native name for "Japan". ''Daiwa'' and ''Taiwa'' (borrowed from Chinese ''dàhé'' 大和) are ''on'yomi'' readings. This name ''Yamato'' (大和) originally referred to "

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

", around present-day

Nara Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...

, where

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and '' Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the Word stem, stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy'' ...

include ''Yamato-jidai'' (大和時代 "

Yamato period The is the period of Japanese history when the Imperial court ruled from modern-day Nara Prefecture, then known as Yamato Province. While conventionally assigned to the period 250–710, including both the Kofun period (–538) and the Asuka ...

", 250-710 CE), ''Yamato-minzoku'' (大和民族 "

Yamato people The (or the )David Blake Willis and Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu''Transcultural Japan: At the Borderlands of Race, Gender and Identity,'' p. 272: "“Wajin,” which is written with Chinese characters that can also be read “Yamato no hito” (Ya ...

; Japanese race"), and ''

Yamato-e is a style of Japanese painting inspired by Tang dynasty paintings and fully developed by the late Heian period. It is considered the classical Japanese style. From the Muromachi period (15th century), the term Yamato-e has been used to distingui ...

'' (大和絵 "traditional Japanese-style paintings"). In current Japanese usage, ''Wa'' 倭 is an archaic

variant Chinese character Variant Chinese characters (; Kanji: ; Hepburn: ''itaiji''; ; Revised Romanization: ''icheja'') are Chinese characters that are homophones and synonyms. Most variants are allographs in most circumstances, such as casual handwriting. Some contexts ...

for ''Wa'' 和, ''Yamato'' is a literary and historical term, and ''Nihon'' is the usual name for "Japan; Japanese". ''Tamashii'' or ''tama'' (魂 "soul; spirit; ghost" or 霊 "spirit; soul") is Japanese ''kun'yomi'', while ''kon'' or ''gon'' is Chinese ''on'yomi'' (from ''hún'' 魂). The

-influenced semantics of Japanese ''tama''/''tamashii'' exceed customary English concepts of "spirit", "soul", or "ghost", besides the human soul, it also includes diverse spiritual forces found in nature.

Roy Andrew Miller Roy Andrew Miller (September 5, 1924 – August 22, 2014) was an American linguist best known as the author of several books on Japanese language and linguistics, and for his advocacy of Korean and Japanese as members of the proposed Altaic ...

suggests that German '' Geist'' or French '' élan'' are better translations than English ''spirit'' or ''soul'':

But finally we must conclude that nothing in any commonly used European language, including English, really does justice to Japanese ''tama''. The spirit, soul, ''Geist'', or ''élan'' to which the Japanese term has reference, whether it is the ''tama'' of ''Yamato-damashii'' or the ''tama'' of ''kotodama'', is a vital and active entity that plays no part in any usual Western-language imagery or expression. We have no such word, and we make use of no imagery capitalizing upon the concepts that it employs; but the Japanese have, and they do. (1982:131)

Kotodama refers to the Japanese belief that mystical powers dwell in words and names. English translations include "soul of language", "spirit of language", "power of language", "power word", "magic word", and "sacred sound". The notion of ''kotodama'' ...

'' (, "word spirit", approximately "

magic word Magic words are often nonsense phrases used in fantasy fiction or by stage magicians. Frequently such words are presented as being part of a divine, adamic, or other secret or empowered language. Certain comic book heroes use magic words to activ ...

") illustrate this traditional Japanese belief about ''tama(shii)'' energies. ''

Kenkyūsha's New Japanese-English Dictionary First published in 1918, has long been the largest and most authoritative Japanese-English dictionary. Translators, scholars, and specialists who use the Japanese language affectionately refer to this dictionary as the ''Green Goddess'' or ('' ...

'' (5th ed., 2003) gives ''kotodama'' translation equivalents and a revealing usage example: ", the soul piritof language; the miraculous power of language phrase, a spell ̍ ⇨ Japan, "the land where the mysterious workings of language bring bliss"." ''

Yamato nadeshiko ''Yamato nadeshiko'' ( or ) is a Japanese term meaning the "personification of an idealized Japanese woman", or "the epitome of pure, feminine beauty"; poised, decorous, kind, gentle, graceful, humble, patient, virtuous, respectful, bene ...

'' (, "Japanese

fringed pink ''Dianthus superbus'', the fringed pink or large pink, is a species of ''Dianthus'' native to Europe and northern Asia, from northernmost Spain and France north to arctic Norway, and east to Japan; in the south of its range, it occurs at high al ...

") is a floral metaphor for "the idealized traditional Japanese woman". During World War II, ultra-nationalists popularized ''Yamato-nadeshiko'' as the female manifestation of ''Yamato-damashii''.

Later history

The record of ''Yamato-damashii'' dates back one millennium to the Heian period (794–1185) of Japanese history.

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

and

Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the wor ...

were highly influential during the previous short

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...

. ''Yamato-gokoro'' (大和心 "Japanese heart; Japanese mind" is the closest synonym of ''Yamato-damashii''. The Heian poet

Akazome Emon was a Japanese ''waka'' poet and early historian who lived in the mid-Heian period. She is a member both of the and the . Biography Akazome Emon's year of birth is unknown, but she was likely born between Tentoku 1 (957) and Kōhō 1 (964). ...

first used ''Yamato-gokoro'' in her ''Goshūi Wakashū'' (後拾遺和歌集 "Later Collection of

Waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

Gleanings," 1086). Since ''Wa'' 和 commonly abbreviates ''Yamato'' 大和 "Japan; Japanese", 和魂 (also read ''Wakon'') is a contraction of ''Yamato-damashii''. The ''

Konjaku Monogatarishū , also known as the , is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period (794–1185). The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which 28 remain today. The volumes cover various tales fr ...

'' (circa 1120) first uses it describing a burglar who murdered a nattering scholar of Chinese classical law. "Although Kiyohara no Yoshizumi (清原善澄) had admirable learning, he is said to have died in this childish way because he did not have the slightest knowledge of the Japanese spirit" (tr. Carr 1994:283). For centuries after its use by Heian authors ''Yamato-damashii'' was rarely recorded until the late

(1600–1868). One Kamakura-period exception is the '' Gukanshō'' history (ca. 1220), which uses ''Yamato-damashii'' (和魂) in praising the character of child

Emperor Toba was the 74th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 鳥羽天皇 (74)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Toba's reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chr ...

(r. 1107–1123).

Still, he had the personality of (his uncle) Fujiwara no Kinzane (藤原公実) characterized by Chinese learning and followed in the footsteps of (his ancestor)
Sugawara no Michizane was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in Kanshi poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the poem anthology ''Hyakunin Isshu'', he is known ...
, but Toba had even more Japanese spirit than either of them. (adapted from Carr 1994:283)

Three new "Japanese spirit" phrases originated around the 1867

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

. First, the modernization was fashioned by

Kyokutei Bakin (), a.k.a. (, 4 July 1767 – 1 December 1848), was a Japanese novelist of the Edo period. Born (), he wrote under the pen name (). Later in life he took the pen name (). Modern scholarship generally refers to him as , or just as n. He is ...

, a famous

author of ''

Gesaku is an alternative style, genre, or school of Japanese literature. In the simplest contemporary sense, any literary work of a playful, mocking, joking, silly or frivolous nature may be called gesaku. Unlike predecessors in the literary field, gesak ...

''. His ''Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki'' ("The Crescent Moon", 1811) quotes

Minamoto no Tametomo , also known as , was a samurai who fought in the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156. He was the son of Minamoto no Tameyoshi, and brother to Yukiie and Yoshitomo. Tametomo is known in the epic chronicles as a powerful archer and it is said that he onc ...

discussing ''

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

'' rituals: "I admit that a person who does not care about dying when on the verge of death may superficially have the Japanese spirit, but I think this is a misunderstanding from not having learned about it." (tr. Carr 1994:284). Second, ''Wakon-kansai'' (和魂漢才 "Japanese spirit and Chinese scholarship") occurs in the ''Kanke ikai'' (菅家遺戒 "Sugawara's dying instructions"). Third, ''Wakon-yōsai'' (和魂洋才 "Japanese spirit and Western techniques") was created by Yoshikawa Tadayasu (吉川忠安) in his ''Kaika sakuron'' (開化策論 , "Questions and Themes on Progress", 1867). Following the Japanese victories in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

and

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

, nationalists made ''Wakon-yōsai'' into a catchphrase for

modernization Modernization theory is used to explain the process of modernization within societies. The "classical" theories of modernization of the 1950s and 1960s drew on sociological analyses of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and a partial reading of Max Weber, ...

and

militarization Militarization, or militarisation, is the process by which a society organizes itself for military conflict and violence. It is related to militarism, which is an ideology that reflects the level of militarization of a state. The process of milit ...

, and developed ''Yamato-damashii'' into what Miller (1982:13) calls "the official rallying cry for the Japanese armed forces in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

." In the present day, ''Yamato-damashii'' is historically associated with

Japanese nationalism is a form of nationalism that asserts the belief that the Japanese are a monolithic nation with a single immutable culture, and promotes the cultural unity of the Japanese. Over the last two centuries, it has encompassed a broad range of ideas a ...

, but is commonly used in ''

Nihonjinron is a genre of texts that focus on issues of Japanese national and cultural identity. The concept became popular after World War II, with books and articles aiming to analyze, explain, or explore peculiarities of Japanese culture and mentality, u ...

'' discussions and sports media. It is the motto for the international Purebred

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

school headed by Japanese-American

Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-American jiu-jitsu practitioner and retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2010, he fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, Shooto ...

. Professor David Pollack predicts that ''Yamato-damashii'' will become extinct.

Synthesis comes to an end only when antithesis ceases to appear. For many centuries Japan found its most significant antithesis in China. During the last century and a half the West has been the antithetical term in the dialectic, and as always it has been in that "other" that Japan has sought its own image, peering anxiously for signs of its own identity into the mirror of the rest of the world. After the challenge of Western technology has been successfully met, one wonders what will be left that is "alien," besides the very fact that the historically necessary "other" is lacking. In that case, "Japanese spirit" (Yamato-damashii) will find itself face to face with the most frightening "other" of all – its lack – at which point opposition must cease or else feed upon itself. (1986:52-3)

Definitions

Racially and ethnically offensive words are problematic for dictionaries.

Lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoreti ...

s and publishers have editorial policies for treating

ethnic slurs The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or oth ...

and insults. For example,

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (''AHD'') is an American English, American dictionary of English published by Boston publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969. ...

(4th ed., 2000) defines ''Jap'' as "''Offensive Slang''. Used as a disparaging term for a person of Japanese birth or descent." Michael Carr argues that ''Yamato-damashii'' (1994:280-1) "significantly differs from everyday racist slurs because it is not an overt insult, it is the opposite: an ethnic adulation. It belongs to a special category of benedictions such as ''

Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. There were three basic tenets to the concept: * The special vir ...

'' or ''

Chosen People Throughout history, various groups of people have considered themselves to be the chosen people of a deity, for a particular purpose. The phenomenon of a "chosen people" is well known among the Israelites and Jews, where the term ( he, עם ס� ...

'' that imply national, racial, or ethnic self-conceit." Carr lexicographically analyzed ''Yamato-damashii'' definitions among modern general-purpose

Japanese dictionaries have a history that began over 1300 years ago when Japanese Buddhist priests, who wanted to understand Chinese sutras, adapted Chinese character dictionaries. Present-day Japanese lexicographers are exploring computerized editing and electronic di ...

from four publishers, namely, ''

Daijisen The is a general-purpose Japanese dictionary published by Shogakukan in 1995 and 1998. It was designed as an "all-in-one" dictionary for native speakers of Japanese, especially high school and university students. History Shogakukan intended for ...

'' (Shōgakukan, 1986), ''

Daijirin is a comprehensive single-volume Japanese dictionary edited by , and first published by in 1988. This title is based upon two early Sanseidō dictionaries edited by Shōzaburō Kanazawa (金沢庄三郎, 1872–1967), ''Jirin'' (辞林 "Forest o ...

'' (Sanseidō, 1988), ''

Nihongo Daijiten The is a color-illustrated Japanese dictionary edited by Tadao Umesao and published by Kodansha in 1989 and 1995 (2nd edition). History The ''Nihongo daijiten'' was one of three Japanese dictionaries specifically published to compete ...

'' (Kōdansha, 1989), and ''

Kōjien is a single-volume Japanese dictionary first published by Iwanami Shoten in 1955. It is widely regarded as the most authoritative dictionary of Japanese, and newspaper editorials frequently cite its definitions. As of 2007, it had sold 11 mil ...

'' (Iwanami, 1991). For instance, this definition from the popular ''Daijirin'' dictionary gives the ''kanji'' 大和魂, modern and

Old Japanese is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language, recorded in documents from the Nara period (8th century). It became Early Middle Japanese in the succeeding Heian period, but the precise delimitation of the stages is controversial. Old Jap ...

pronunciations, two meanings, synonyms, and usage examples from

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanes ...

やまとだましい［―だましひ］4 【《大和》魂】①大和心。和魂。（漢学を学んで得た知識に対して）日本人固有の実務・世事などを処理する能力・知恵をいう。「才(ざえ)を本としてこそ、―の世に用ゐらるる方も強う侍らめ〔出典：源氏（乙女）〕」「露、―無かりける者にて〔出典：今昔二十〕」②( 近世以降の国粋思想の中で用いられた語)日本民族固有の精神。日本人としての意識。
yamato ... -damashii, ''-damashiFi'' "type 4" ccent on ''da''【《大和》魂】1. ''yamato-gokoro''. ''wakon''. (in contrast to knowledge obtained from studying Chinese classics) Japanese people's characteristic ability or wisdom/intelligence for managing/treating actual things and worldly affairs. '' The Tale of Genji'' (The Maiden hapter "Without a solid foundation of book-learning this 'Japanese spirit' of which one hears so much is not of any great use in the world."
ales of Ales may refer to: Places * Alès, a town and commune in southern France * Ales, Sardinia, a small town in the province of Oristano on Sardinia in Italy People with the surname * Alexander Ales (1500–1565), Scottish theologian * Mikoláš Ale� ...
Times Now Past (20) "He did not have the slightest knowledge of the Japanese spirit." 2. (term used in ultra-nationalistic ideology of recent times) characteristic mentality of the Japanese race/people. Consciousness/awareness of being a Japanese person. (tr. Carr 1994:288)

Collectively, these four definitions provide insights into what ''Yamato-damashii'' means in current Japanese usage. They all distinguish two basic meanings: ① "A Japanese practical ability; opposed to Chinese scholarship" and ② "A traditional (bushido/nationalistic) concept of death-defying valor". When two or more definitions use identical terminology, it suggests consensus on semantics. For instance, while the dictionaries split on whether meaning ① refers to ''Nihon-minzoku'' (日本民族 "Japanese race/people/nation") or ''Nihon-jin'' (日本人 "Japanese person/people"), all four say the nationalistic meaning ② refers to ''Nihon-minzoku''. For meaning ①, the most salient word (used seven times) is ''koyū'' (固有 "inherent; innate; characteristic; special quality"). This sense is defined as a ''noryoku'' (能力 "ability, capability; competency") or ''chie'' (知恵 "wisdom; insight; intelligence"), which pertains to ''jisseikatsujōno'' (実生活上 "real life; everyday/practical reality') or ''jitsumutekina'' (実務的な "actual things, practical experience"). For meaning ②, all the definitions describe a ''seishin'' (精神 "mind; mentality; spirit; soul; genius"). Specifically a "Japanese spirit" with ''kakan'' (果敢 "boldness; courage; daring; determination"), ''yūmō'' (勇猛 "bravery; valor; intrepidness; daring"), and ''shinmei o mo oshimanai'' (身命をも惜しまない "without regard for one's life"), especially when ''koto ni atatte'' (事に当たって "facing a vital matter; in case of crisis"). Purity is mentioned with ''seijo'' (清浄 "purity; cleanliness") and ''isagiyoi'' (潔い "pure; clean; honorable; gallant; brave"). Within this dictionary sample, only the ''Nihongo daijiten'' qualifies ''Yamato-damashii'' as a characteristic that is ''to sareta'' (とされた "assumed, supposed; alleged'"), whereas the other three define it as a matter of fact. Carr concludes (1994:290), "Believing that all individuals of any race or nationality share certain "spiritual" characteristics is at best overgeneralization, or at worst racism." Some monolingual English dictionaries enter ''Yamato'' or ''Yamato-e'', but only the

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

enters ''Yamato-damashii''.

Yamato (ja'mato) ap., = 'Japan'br> 1. The style or school of art in Japan which culminated in the 12th and 13th centuries and dealt with Japanese subjects in a distinctively Japanese (rather than Chinese) way. Usu. as Yamato-e (†-we) 'e'' picture also –ryū ''ryū'' style, orig. stream, school …
2. Yamato-damashii: the Japanese spirit. … (v. 3, 2002)

The ''OED'' gives three usage examples, starting with ''Yamato-damashi'' (1942, ''Royal Air Force Journal'', "He will be filled with what is called ''yamato damashi'' icor the pure spirit of Japan.") and ''Yamato-damashii'' (1957, ''

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''). Note that the 1904 Hearn quotation above antedates this 1942 citation. Most Japanese-English dictionaries literally translate ''Yamato-damashii'' as "the Japanese spirit". For instance,

(5th ed., 2003) enters ''Yamato'' "やまと【大和】 Yamato; (old) Japan" along with 14 subentries, including ''Yamato-damashii'' "大和魂 the Japanese spirit" and ''Yamato-gokoro'' "大和心 the Japanese spirit; the Japanese sensibility." The online ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' (linked below, note the pronunciation file) comprehensively defines Yamato-damashii.

Literally, "Japanese spirit"; ''Yamato damashii'' is also written 大和魂. This term is often contrasted with "Chinese Learning" (''karasae''), that is, knowledge and scholarship imported into Japan from China. ''Yamato damashii'' refers to an inherent faculty of common-sense wisdom, resourcefulness, and prudent judgment that is characteristic of, and unique to, the Japanese people. It also refers to a practical, "real life" ability and intelligence that is in contrast with scholarship and knowledge acquired through formal education. It is a term used to express such ideas as the essential purity and resolute spirit of the Japanese people, the wish for the peace and security of the nation, and the possession of a strong spirit and emotion that will meet any challenge, even at the expense of one's own life. ''Yamato damashii'' is synonymous with ''Yamato gokoro'' (lit. "Japanese heart").

References

External links

Yamato damashii
Encyclopedia of Shinto article, Fukui Yoshihiko
The Japanese Spirit
Okakura Yoshisaburo, 1905

chapter from ''Cultural Impact on International Relations'', Guo Jiemin, 2002
Yamato Damashii
Chapter from ''The Japanese Nation in Evolution: Steps in the Progress of a Great People'', William Elliot Griffis, 1907 {{Authority control Cultural history of Japan Empire of Japan Japanese aesthetics Japanese nationalism Japanese values Japanese words and phrases Politics of Japan Yamato people