or is a Japanese language term for the cultural values and characteristics of the Japanese people. The phrase was coined in the Heian period 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

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Later, a qualitative contrast between Japanese and Chinese spirit was elicited from the term. Edo period writers and samurai 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 language, Irish: Pádraig Lafcadio O'hEarain), was an Irish people, Irish-Greeks, Greek-Japanese people, Japanese writer, t ...

mentions the latter in connection with Shinto.

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 (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 (Ko ...

" (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 '' rendaku'' pronunciation of ''tamashii'' ( 魂 "spirit; soul"). Both these '' kanji'' ( Chinese characters used in Japan) readings ''Yamato'' (大和) and ''damashii'' (魂) are native Japanese '' kun'yomi'', while the ''Wakon'' (和魂 "Japanese spirit") reading is Sinitic '' on'yomi'' 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 is the oldest attested name of Japan in foreign sources (names such as Fusang or Penglai are mythological or legendary, thus are not considered). The Chinese and Korean scribes regularly wrote it in reference to the inhabitants of the Wa K ...

or 和) is Japan's oldest endonym and derives from the Han dynasty 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 and ...

and a ''wěi'' 委 "bend" phonetic, was usually pronounced ''wēi'' in Classical Chinese 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", around present-day Nara Prefecture, where Emperor Jimmu legendarily founded Japan. Common words with this

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", 250-710 CE), ''Yamato-minzoku'' (大和民族 " Yamato people; Japanese race"), and '' Yamato-e'' (大和絵 "traditional Japanese-style paintings"). In current Japanese usage, ''Wa'' 倭 is an archaic variant Chinese character 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 Shinto-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 suggests that German ''

Geist ''Geist'' () is a German noun with a significant degree of importance in German philosophy. Its semantic field corresponds to English ghost, spirit, mind, intellect. Some English translators resort to using "spirit/mind" or "spirit (mind)" to he ...

'' or French ''

élan Elan Corporation plc was a major drugs firm based in Dublin, Ireland, which had major interests in the United States. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as ELN, the Irish Stock Exchange as ELN.I, and the London Stock Exchange as ELN. ...

'' 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") illustrate this traditional Japanese belief about ''tama(shii)'' energies. '' Kenkyūsha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'' (5th ed., 2003) gives ''kotodama'' translation

equivalents ''Equivalents'' is a series of photographs of clouds taken by Alfred Stieglitz from 1925 to 1934. They are generally recognized as the first photographs intended to free the subject matter from literal interpretation, and, as such, are some of t ...

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'' (, "Japanese fringed pink") 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 and Chinese language were highly influential during the previous short Nara period. ''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 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 Edo period (1600–1868). One Kamakura-period exception is the ''

Gukanshō is a historical and literary work about the history of Japan. Seven volumes in length, it was composed by Buddhist priest Jien of the Tendai sect . Political problems arising from the relations between the Imperial government and the ''bakufu ...

'' history (ca. 1220), which uses ''Yamato-damashii'' (和魂) in praising the character of child Emperor Toba (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, 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. First, the modernization was fashioned by Kyokutei Bakin, a famous samurai author of '' Gesaku''. 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 and Russo-Japanese War, 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." In the present day, ''Yamato-damashii'' is historically associated with Japanese nationalism, but is commonly used in '' Nihonjinron'' discussions and sports media. It is the motto for the international Purebred mixed martial arts 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. Lexicographers and publishers have editorial policies for treating ethnic slurs and insults. For example, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (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'' that imply national, racial, or ethnic self-conceit." Carr lexicographically analyzed ''Yamato-damashii'' definitions among modern general-purpose Japanese dictionaries from four publishers, namely, '' Daijisen'' (Shōgakukan, 1986), '' Daijirin'' (Sanseidō, 1988), '' Nihongo Daijiten'' (Kōdansha, 1989), and '' Kōjien'' (Iwanami, 1991). For instance, this definition from the popular ''Daijirin'' dictionary gives the ''kanji'' 大和魂, modern and Old Japanese 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 The following is a glossary of terms used in the description of lichens, composite organisms that arise from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungus species in a mutualistic relationship. Until the end of the 18th cen ...
"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 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, '' Encyclopædia Britannica''). 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, Kenkyūsha's New Japanese-English Dictionary (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