The Japanese mindset - part 2

As I said in my last post, about the Japanese system very much working on a vertical level (from old to young, or mostly time working somewhere which is usually along the general guidelines of old to young), and from this next bit you can conclude that his usually seems to be very similar to feudal relationships, and therefore no matter how modern they may seem on the outside, they are still very traditional on the inside. This is very deceptive to most people!!

To take this vertical relationship even further, in most companies and organizations there is a ^ shape with the boss (a) communicating with subordinate 1 (b) or subordinate 2 (c) but b and c never really communicate with each other, like a bottomless triangle.
This means that there can only ever be 1 leader – there is no such thing as parallels or joint leaders. At this point the book goes into detail about oyabun and kobun.

Most Japanese have many sempai – the name for older people they respect and look up to. But out of these someone will usually become an oyabun – someone who guides the younger person though their life and will make difficult decisions for them. If the oyabun doesn’t agree the kobun (younger counterpart) will not do it either. Not everyone is an oyabun, and it doesn’t mean too much if you don’t have one, but very few have don’t have an oyabun (but there is only ever 1 oyabun, never more). Being such a lone wolf (called ippikikan) is very difficult in Japanese society.

So back to the image of the triangle without a base. The supreme importance of the leader in this figure is to prevent it from breaking. This triangular shape without a base is very prone to instability and subsequent fission. Once the leader goes away (leaves, or passes away) Each leg, i.e. b and c, usually breaks away and takes their kobun with them – b or c, based on seniority in terms of years working for the company will take the lead and one will leave.
Another reason fission could occur is because a part is displeased. In Japan, a man gets on top by seniority, and unless you are on top, it is very rare to get public appraisal – to get on top you either wait your turn or you leave. No individual popularity from outside the company (e.g. for being really good at something, popularity from another school or company etc) should exceed that of your senior or boss.

Enlargement of a company will lead to vertical attachments – keeping the same structural characteristics as before. The bigger the company, the more the effectiveness is decreased as the on at the top of the baseless triangle will have more subordinates to work with – for b to get to c, it must go through a first, so with more legs this becomes very hectic. The book claims that this system still survives as the inefficiency is compensated by the efficiency of sending news from top to bottom, but as far as my experience goes, it still remains extremely inefficient by comparison!
Almost there.
The locus is the group instead of personal merit – and oyabun often try to bring kobun along with their success. The protection the kobun give the oyabun is repaid by dependence of oyabun on kobun, affection and loyalty – sometimes called ‘paternalism’ – so the relationship between these people has a greatly enlarged emotional element. A good chief is indicated by his perceptiveness and permission to his kobun. It is also said that it’s better if the man on top is not brilliant because if he were, he wouldn’t be so dependent on his subordinates for help and information thereby losing part of their essential function.

This means there is no clear cut in the divisions of labour – the entire group is amalgamated into a single functional body.
One of the most popular Japanese lovestory is one called: The Forty-Seven Ronin. Oishi Kuranosuke was the leader, and as he was very paternalistic, he had utmost devotion from his 46 followers, so much that they left their families on a course that would end in a suicidal deed, in order that they might assist Oishi’s revenge on his own master.
Men so involved as this have little room left for a wife/sweetheart – if he were to be so involved in a man-to-man relationship there would seem no necessity for a love affair with a woman. His emotions would be completely expended in his devotion to his master – this was most likely the real nature of samurai mentality and is sometimes still true of the modern Japanese man.

Sorry for the long entry but I felt it would be best to explain this all in one!
Hope you find it interesting.
I’ve also attached a photo of a work done by one of my kids at school, I think it’s hilarious English:

Japanese mindset - part 1

In defining people, and their cultural groupings, two terms are sometimes used:
- frame, which describes the circumstantial situation of a person i.e. place of residence, work etc.
- attributes, which is what a person is, so what skills they possess, who they're related to etc.

In Japanese society, frame is the most important factor in determining social groupings - where you work, what town you live in, who lives in your house - is more important than what attributes you have. This is in contrast to most other societies, which place huge importance on the value of family, the most extreme being the caste system in India where where you're born into determines you for your whole life.
For Japanese, this means that their workplace becomes more important than anything else, and more shockingly to me, that their homes once they get married are more important than the ones they come form - to the extent that even servants are included and are sometimes considered more important than sisters or even parents who live in other houses.

This is the first point made in a book i've started to read, and it's fascinating. I'll give you a little summary over the next week or so.

The next point is a further distinction. One of the things that it stresses is that the nature of Japanese people is one that will always make rankings. No one is ever exactly the same, unless they're extremely close.
The next distinction, which will clarify this, is that of the vertical relationship compared to the horizontal one - i.e. older-younger vs peer to peer. The vertical relationship is the most important one in Japanese society, i.e. that if you are older, or if you have worked for the company for longer, you are superior to that of your colleague. You are always placed in this vertical system, even with people who work in the same department in the company as you.
As this tie is more important, along with your frame, your alliance will be with your sempai (your elder) and your kohai (your junior) rather than with people doing the same job but for a different company. This is so ingrained that not even the highest member in the vertical chain is able to make a change to this (though this vertical distinction is sometimes only really realized by the youth once they start a career).
This is a mindset that has become under increasing pressure recently with smaller business because merit has very little swing with your position - in fact what university you went to is far more important than what marks you got when graduating. But it is also a more stable mindset and form of ranking, which has allowed Japanese life to be so regulated.

2 more points on this latter topic:
- this distinction of older to younger goes so far, that even in a dining setting, the elder sits by the window with the plants, but the inferiour sits on the worst chair by the entrance.
- this distinction has made the Japanese mind as uninquisitive as it is. A junior takes great care not to create open confrontation with his superior (and as a distinction between senior and junior is made almost everywhere, you usually don't say a thing). it's better not to say anything than to say "no" or "i disagree" and risk being cast out of the group - which is why many conversations are one-sided sermons, usually intellectually dull and emotionally enjoyable only to the speaker, not the listener. I haven't explained this point nearly enough but i just want to say that this explains so many things i have noticed - most people hate goign to office parties when their boss is there, and that in Japanese no one says "iie", the Japanese word for no. They instead choose to use, "ii desu" it's fine (for example if asked if you want the receipt, saying ii desu means no), "...wa irimasen" (I dont need...) or "chigau/chigaimasu" it's different.

Now that shit would not fly back home!

Anyway, that's what i've understood from the book so far.
On a slightly different note, i think you may find this link quite interesting:
It's a video of a penis festival they hold near here every year - they carry a penis statue, and eat phallic-shaped ice lollies and everything!
Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXh3UUwn1_I&feature=fvw