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Japanese culture and religion
Western influence on Japanese tradition
Western influence on Japanese tradition
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Japanese culture has always been highly influenced by religions; such as, Buddhism. So, it is not very shocking to find out that even Noh Theater, a form of acting, is influenced by religion. Buddhism is the following of the teachings of Buddha, who encourages his students to live by the “Four Noble Truths” and to get rid of the bad spirits in their lives. Noh theater is the oldest form of traditional theater (video, 0:13) and it started in Japan, which makes sense that a lot of the ideas for the performances would have a strong example of Buddhist faith. Another reason that it would show signs of Buddhism is the fact the Elites/ Nobles supported the idea of a religion or belief that encouraged everything to remain “status quo”. When watching Noh performances it is important to notice what the actors are portraying and the effects Japanese culture and religion have had on the performance.
Many people play a part in Noh performances, there is the actors and then there is the music - the chanters keep the melody and the rhythmic accompaniment is done by four instruments (video, 1:53...
Japan became one of the most industrialize countries in the world; it has grown rapidly in the economic arena, however, religious liberty in Japan is still in maturing. Different from the United States and other Western countries in where the principle of separation of church and state took place, Japanese tradition continues with the usual patter in where governments control religion. Most Japanese people do not identify themselves adherent to a single religion; instead they incorporate different elements from various religions. Japan enjoys religious freedom. Minority religious like Islam, Hinduism and Christianity are practiced as well. But census perform in Japan show that 70% of its population prefers not to affiliate with any religion, 65% do not believe in God, 55% do not believe in Buddha. This numbers create many question in whether Japan’s modern lifestyle and religion beliefs create conflict among the Japanese population. It’s this rapidly modernization of Japan leaving traditions outside Japanese culture?
Canadian identity has always been difficult to define. This definition is essential in order to evaluate theatre in Canada. French Canadians appear to have no difficulty in establishing their own identity, both on and off the stage, as they share a distinct tradition. We, as English-Canadians, have continued to define ourselves by reference to what we are not, American, rather than in terms of our own national history and tradition. For English Canadians, this tradition comes not from the nation but instead from community and region. Because English-Canada has such a great cultural diversity, nationality and relevance to our outstanding values and attitudes must define the Anglophone Canadian identity, both on and off the stage.
entertainment trying to catch our attention. If we're interested, we can simply go the the nearest
In this essay I will discuss the many aspects and ideals of Asian Religions along with their impact and the role they play within the United States. I had a few questions that I had to try and find answers for, in order to complete the connection of Asian Religions to the United States. Why are some Americans and westerners finding Asian Religions as well as Asian thought and philosophy to be more gratifying than traditional western religions and philosophy? How are Asian Religions perceived and practiced here in the United States as opposed to its place of origination? Finally, is there further growth of the Asian Religions as well as philosophy still possible here in the United States and the west? All of the answers to these questions will try and explain the place Asian Religions have here in the United States.
The development and evolution of the different sects of Japanese Buddhism such as Zen Buddhism played an important role in the development of classical Japanese culture throughout the four major periods, which was shown in the way that the Nara period, the Heian era, the Kamakura period, and the Edo period were all shaped by the ascent and decline of different Buddhist sects. It is these transitions that make Japanese history a myriad, but fascinating web of interconnecting events that manages to confuse even the most veteran historians. At first, Buddhism was only a pastime of the elite class of landowners and daimyo that held no special significance to the common peoples. It was mainly another way for the central government to gain power and influence among the many local lords that it had to contend with on a regular basis. Although it is to be noted that most of these new converts to Buddhism did not abandon their earlier religions, but instead blended it together with several aspects of Shintoism, the original indigenous religion of Japan(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). This created several amalgamations of the two religions wherever and whenever they met(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). However, as Buddhism was introduced to the general population through the process of hierarchical diffusion, it quickly branched off and evolved from its original form as different sects that shaped contemporary Japanese culture (Kasahara, 302).
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
Millions of people across the country roamed the streets in search of jobs, hoping to find some way to get the money they needed to feed their families. The Great Depression in the United States during the 1930s affected not only those who worked in jobs requiring physical labor, but those involved with theatre and the arts as well. The Federal Theatre Project was one of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)'s projects that was created to help deal with the economic turmoil caused by the Great Depression. Thousands of artists, whether it was in the form of writing, music, or performing arts, were put out of work. The Federal Arts projects were created to reinstate jobs for unemployed artists as well as create displays of art for the public. "The Federal Theatre Project, directed by the former head of the Vassar College Experimental Theatre, Hallie Flanagan, was the most important, the most controversial, and hence, the shortest-lived of the Federal One Projects" (Gerdes, 155). Though the Federal Theatre Project caused a large amount of controversy among people in America, it was very important because during its short life it supplied jobs for many people working in the arts and it brought free theatre to America.
Buddhist art was introduced to Japan along with the Buddhist religion in 552 AD. Almost all the art produced in this Suiko period in Japan was to do with the new religion. "The introduction of the Buddhist faith had from the very start gone hand in hand with the introduction of Buddhist images." (Munsterberg 1985: 19) These Buddhist images included Chinese scrolls depicting the life of Buddha, at first copied by Chinese priests in Japan, later painted by the Japanese themselves. With the introduction of Buddhism, temples were needed for the practicing of the religion. This consisted of ...
Noh theatre came about at the same time Buddhism started having an influence on Japanese culture. They each affected the other. Noh theatre took the beliefs and the ideas of Buddhism and intertwined it with ancient Japanese beliefs to create a magnificent form of drama. Buddhism took those ancient Japanese beliefs and rituals to make a unique religion. Zeami took all of it and wrote some of the most influential plays of Japan. In fact, Zeami’s Noh plays are classified as the highest classics of Noh drama and of Japanese literature (Tsuchiya 104). Noh drama had a major influence on Japanese culture. A quarter of the eight hundred plays ever written and performed are still performed today (Magill 2423). This shows how important Noh theatre was in not only the fourteenth century, but in present day.
Although it started out as just another type of dance, Kabuki eventually emerged into an important and fascinating theatre where elaborate makeup and costumes combined to put on entertaining performances for audiences throughout the centuries.
The connection of Naruto and Buddhism is evident due to Buddhist characteristics and values evident in the manga/anime, it is also clear that Kishimoto did this in order to persuade his young audience to convert to Buddhism. Buddhism is something Kishimoto wanted to modernize and bring alive once again through the youth. This is something that is done subconsciously, it is not seen by the naked eye and never does he state that; nonetheless, he included Buddhism as a background for the manga/anime for a reason: proselytization. Mark Macwilliams, who wrote on Japanese comics and religion, states that in Japan, manga dominates the mass culture marketplace as an entertainment medium read by all ages and classes of people. (Macwilliams 110) So from this, it is very much possible that the Japanese audiences who read and like manga are partaking in consuming Buddhism subconsciously. This is because as they read or watch the manga/anime, they learn about the religion 's characteristics. Moreover, if they like the manga/anime, its is almost certain they like those characteristics as well. According to Joylen Thomas who wrote on manga, anime and religion in Japan: “The religious themes in manga/anime are important because they reveal the popularity of apparently religious themes in a society where many people exhibit antipathy or apathy towards religion.”
Theatre-In-Education The theatre education industry/movement has seen some rapid changes since its initial developments and establishment in the 1960’s. However its origins mainly lie in the early years of the last century. It was the initial establishment of companies such as Bertha Waddell’s in Scotland and Esme Church’s in the north of England that thoroughly established the main roots of TIE.
Theatre will always survive in our changing society. It provides us with a mirror of the society within which we live, and where conflicts we experience are acted out on stage before us. It provides us with characters with which we identify with. The audience observes the emotions and actions as they happen and share the experience with the characters in real time.
For thousands of years, people have been arguing that theatre is a dying art form. Many people think theatre is all just cheesy singing and dancing or just boring old Shakespeare, but there is much more to theatre than those two extremes. Theatre is important to our society because it teaches us more about real life than recorded media. Theatre has been around for thousands of years and began as a religious ceremony that evolved into an art form that teaches about the true essence of life. Theatre can incorporate profound, and provocative, observations of the human condition that can transcend time; lessons found in Greek plays can still be relevant to the modern world. People argue that the very essence of theatre is being snuffed out by modern
My experience watching a live theatre performance on stage was a fascinating one, most especially since it was my first time. I attended a staged performance of “The History Boys” in a small theatre called “The Little Theatre of Alexandria” at 8:00 pm on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. The overall production of the play was a resounding experience for me particularly the performance of the actors and the design of the scene made the play seem real.