Japanese Literary Adventure: Study Notes

I hope you guys have enjoyed learning a little more about Japanese literature with our guests Roger Lowther and Dr. Mike Sugimoto this month.  As a wrap-up, I’ve compiled a few notes from our discussions.  Hopefully, you can put them with the resources listed below and you’ll have a fun, Christ-centered beginning experience about Japan for your kids!

Don’t forget to check out my original recommendation of two Japanese books, our podcast with missionary Roger Lowther, and the comments of Dr. Mike Sugimoto of Pepperdine University.  And keep in mind we’ll be looking at African literature next month, so keep an eye out for that!

FINDING CHRIST IN JAPANESE LITERATURE

Three ways I look for Christ in Japanese literature (or any literature or culture):

Christ as Creator:  Whatever good we see in the world, including cultural and national differences, is part of God’s design.  And we are told in Col. 1:16 that “in him all things were created…whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”  And that means all the good of Japanese culture is a reflection of God Himself and His character.  I have tried to discover a little bit of what that is through my interviews this month.  Here are a few places I see Japanese literature exhibits something of who Christ is:

1. Submission to Authority: As Roger Lowther pointed out, Japanese culture asks, “Is that your job?”  There is a big concern for roles–for doing your part within the bigger culture.  Japan is more group-oriented, and that means they are less likely to go outside of their roles, even when it might be merited.  After the Tsunami, American missionaries immediately assumed it was their responsibility to help, whereas their Japanese neighbors didn’t.  This reminds me very much (though in a limited way, of course) of Christ’s submission to the Father’s will and to His fellow men, even unto death on a cross. (Phillipians 2:7, and the Garden of Gethsemane)
2. Quiet Heroes: I have to admit, I love to trade barbs when playing a game of checkers or basketball.  That was always part of the fun for me.  But traditional Japanese literature is often not as loud or filled with super heroes as American stories.  Instead, good characters are often quiet and resourceful (Little One Inch) rather than loud and larger than life (like Paul Bunyan.)  In fact, Japanese “heroes” are often the losers of life, in contrast to stories like The Little Engine that Could.  When I think of Christ, I definitely don’t think of someone who exalts himself at others’ expense.  Our Lord would not quench the smoking flax–he affirmed even the little boy who offered his fish and loaves to feed a crowd.  And he certainly encouraged deference and humility whenever possible.  (Luke 14)
3. Compassion:  The Japanese idea of beauty seems to encompass the idea of how fragile we are.  As Roger Lowther said, we might enjoy a vase full of healthy flowers, but a Japanese gardener might choose one wilting flower for her vase.  There is a sense of the fallen-ness of life, of the difficulty and sadness that marks our days upon this earth, and I think this marks and cultivates a sense of compassion toward others.  Christ is of course the most compassionate Savior, for “in all their afflictions, He was afflicted.”

Christ as Judge:  Because God is our Creator, He also has the right to judge us.  And because every race and culture is fallen in some way, it will inevitably fall short of His standards and His example.

1. Forgiveness: Roger Lowther pointed out that there isn’t really even a good word for forgiveness in Japanese culture.  The idea of a grace-based society is sorely missing, and thus many families and friendships are wrecked by sin and the inability to seek forgiveness.  Can you find instances of lack of forgiveness in Japanese stories?

Christ as Redeemer:  Where is Christ in Japanese literature?  Ultimately He is outside of it, of course.  He is a transcendent God of history, and He has expressed Himself in the Bible–a witness to His works throughout human history.  But for Japanese people, just like any other culture, who repent and believe that witness, He is a Redeemer-King who will affirm their God-created dignity as well as save and sanctify them from all their sin and sorrow.  Christ is the “vanished one” (like Genji) of history who has returned, and because of that, the story of the Japanese people is one that will end in a flourish of glory greater than we can imagine!

WEB RESOURCES

• Japan Unit Study (Squidoo Site): Your one shop stop for teaching your kids about Japan. Learn to map Japan, plan a virtual trip, make your own sushi, and much more. Add this to our literature and the spiritual insight above, and you’ll be all set!
• Kids Web Japan: A great basic resource for teaching your kids about Japan. It includes information about the weather, housing, food, clothes, school, history, culture, etc. It also contains a number of Japanese folktales, games, virtual culture, and profiles of actual kids in Japan today. You might caution your children about the pluralistic view of Japanese religions.
• Columbia University: If you can figure out how to play videos with a .ram extension, there seems to be quite a lot of educational information here.
• Free lesson plans: Rice paddy games, daruma dolls (good for learning about and critiquing

BOOKS

COMMENTS