Japanese Identity: Cultural Analyses (Japan Studies

by Peter Nosco (Editor)

123 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Erik Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work covers a broad range of approaches to Japanese identity that can be empowering in both understanding japan, and generalization to broader understandings of national and cultural identity. So it is with the last chapter in the book, on the Pilgrimage of Mount Fuji, Modern Roots in Ancient Traditions that I contributed to the book. This essay explores the dichotomy of National education-driven identity and personal experience-driven identity as it comes out as individuals interact on the slopes of Mt. Fuji. It also describes in detail the actual pilgrimage and provides a guide to many of the practices of that tradition. It was perhaps the first detailed guide in English to provide these, and also includes photos from the trip and a gloss in the back for the Kanji (Chinese Characters) use to write key terms in the essay. While out of print at the U. Berkeley Center for East Asian Studies, please contact me if you are interested.