or is a

Japanese language is the principal language of the Japonic languages, Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese dia ...

term for the cultural values and characteristics of the

Japanese people are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago. Japanese people constitute 97.4% of the population of the country of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 125 million people are of Japanese descent, making them list of contempora ...

. 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 Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

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, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

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

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

writers and

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

used it to augment and support the

Bushido is a Samurai moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. Its origins date back to the Kamakura period, but it was formalized in the Edo period (1603–1868). There are multiple types of bushido which evolved significantl ...

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 was a Greek-born Irish and Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the Western world. His writings offered unprecedented insight into Japanese culture, especially his collections of legend ...

mentions the latter in connection with

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

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 is a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have wo ...

'' (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 people, Japanese scholar of 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, Mie, Matsusaka in Ise Province ...

(who wrote a Commentary of ''

'' ), has at his birth a "true heart" a "

magokoro , (まごころ) also sometimes archaically rendered as without the "impurity" of rendaku, is a principle known in Japanese kokugaku related in particular to the origin of the country, the . It has also been described in Japanese literature. M ...

" (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 refe ...

rendaku is a pronunciation change seen in some compound words in Japanese. When rendaku occurs, a voiceless consonant (such as ) is replaced with a voiced consonant (such as ) at the start of the second (or later) part of the compound. For example, t ...

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

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

'' (

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

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

kun'yomi is the way of reading kanji characters using the native Japanese word that matches the meaning of the Chinese character when it was introduced. This pronunciation is contrasted with ''on'yomi'', which is the reading based on the original Chi ...

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

on'yomi , or the Sino-Japanese vocabulary, Sino-Japanese reading, is the reading of a kanji based on the historical Chinese pronunciation of the character. A single kanji might have multiple ''on'yomi'' pronunciations, reflecting the Chinese pronuncia ...

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

endonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

s (or autonyms) for 'Japan; Japanese'. *'' Wa'' ( 倭 or

和 Wa is the oldest attested name of Japan and ethnonym of the Japanese people. From Chinese and Korean scribes used the Chinese character to refer to the various inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago, although it might have been just used t ...

) is Japan's oldest endonym and derives from the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

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

radical Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...

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 is the language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from . For millennia thereafter, the written Chinese used in these works was imitated and iterated upon by scholars in a form now called Literary ...

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 Prefectures of Japan, 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 ...

, where

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed. Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...

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 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" (Yamato person). ar ...

; 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 disting ...

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

variant Chinese character Chinese characters may have several variant forms—visually distinct glyphs that represent the same underlying meaning and pronunciation. Variants of a given character are ''allographs'' of one another, and many are directly analogous to allog ...

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 Alta ...

suggests that German ''

Geist ''Geist'' () is a German noun with a significant degree of importance in German philosophy. ''Geist'' can be roughly translated into three English meanings: ghost (as in the supernatural entity), spirit (as in the Holy Spirit), and mind or int ...

'' 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 Magic words are phrases used in fantasy fiction or by Magic (illusion), stage magicians. Frequently such words are presented as being part of a Divine language, divine, Adamic language, adamic, or other Twilight language, secret or Language of t ...

") 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 ''G ...

'' (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 language, Japanese term meaning the "Anthropomorphism, personification of an idealized Japanese woman." The term is the archetype of conservative and traditional femininity. Name origin and connotatio ...

'' (, "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 Chinese culture () is one of the Cradle of civilization#Ancient China, world's earliest cultures, said to originate five thousand years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia called the Sinosphere as a whole ...

and

Chinese language Chinese ( or ) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and List of ethnic groups in China, many minority ethnic groups in China, as well as by various communities of the Chinese diaspora. Approximately 1.39& ...

were highly influential during the previous short

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 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 capita ...

. ''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 Thirty-Six Immortal Women Poets. Biography Akazome Emon's year of birth is unknown, but she was likely born between Te ...

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

Waka WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

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 f ...

'' (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 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 around 1220. Political problems arising from the relations between the Imperial government and ...

'' 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 Ch ...

(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 , or , was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in '' waka'' and '' kanshi'' poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the famed poem anthology ' ...
, 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

. First, the modernization was fashioned by

Kyokutei Bakin , born , was a Japanese novelist of the Edo period, who 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 regarded as one of, if not the, leading author of early ...

, 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, gesa ...

''. 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 , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

'' 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 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

and

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

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

modernization Modernization theory or modernisation theory holds that as societies become more economically modernized, wealthier and more educated, their political institutions become increasingly liberal democratic and rationalist. The "classical" theories ...

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 mil ...

, 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

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

, but is commonly used in ''

Nihonjinron ''Nihonjinron'' (: ''treatises on Japaneseness'') is a genre of ethnocentric nationalist literary work that focuses on issues of Japanese national and cultural identity. ''Nihonjinron'' posits concepts such as Japanese being a "unique isolate, ...

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

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

school headed by Japanese-American

Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-Hawaiian 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, Shoo ...

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 the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...

s and publishers have editorial policies for treating

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

and insults. For example,

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (''AHD'') is a dictionary of American English published by HarperCollins. It is currently in its fifth edition (since 2011). Before HarperCollins acquired certain business lines from H ...

(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 the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...

'' 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 "chosen people" is well known among the Israelites and Jews, where the term () refers to the ...

'' 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 ...

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 fo ...

'' (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 "Fores ...

'' (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 compet ...

'' (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 mi ...

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

modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

and

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

kana are syllabary, syllabaries used to write Japanese phonology, Japanese phonological units, Mora (linguistics), morae. In current usage, ''kana'' most commonly refers to ''hiragana'' and ''katakana''. It can also refer to their ancestor , wh ...

'' spellings, 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-Japa ...

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 is a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have wo ...
'' (The Maiden
hapter This glossary provides an overview of scientific terminology, terms used in the description of lichens, composite organisms arising from algae or cyanobacteria living symbiosis, symbiotically among Hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species. Er ...
"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 ofTimes 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 principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

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 Concepts in Japanese aesthetics Japanese nationalism Japanese values Japanese words and phrases Politics of Japan Yamato people