JAPAN is drawn on the far east of the world map.
Various cultures were transmitted from West to East, and reached to Japan archipelago.
Beyond that is the wide, wide Pacific Ocean.
So, these various cultures or wisdoms did not flow ahead further more.
And these wisdoms were finally “和【WA】＝harmonized” and fermented in Japan land,
then consisted ”和風【WA-FUU】”Harmonized Style”.
Japan is the goal or end point of the Silk Road, which runs from west to east of Eurasia Continent.
Even now, 正倉院【SYOUSOUIN】 in 奈良【NARA PREFECTURE】 is having treasures from various countries includes the Middle East, West Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, etc.
(Lapis Lazuli in Afghanistan, 螺鈿【RADEN】shell craft in Persian-Iranian, Myanmar amber, Buddha statues of the Korean Peninsula, etc.) .
Ancient Japan looks very international.
What kinds of peoples had been consisted Japanese people in ancient time?
Nowadays Japanese people looks like one ethnic group, but actually, we are mixed of some races historically.
（※Attention:There are many theories and the following is my view about ancient history of Japan in pre- historical ages including myth-ages.※）
●It is said humans were born in Africa continent and walked to Japan in about 20 thousand years ago ( at that time, it was icy age and Japan archipelago was connected with Eurasia continent by ice. So, people could walked on the ice, following mammoth elephants, so on).
These indigenous people are called 蝦夷【EMISI】( ancestor of アイヌ【AINU】).
●People came from south islands by boats are Polynesians and called like 熊襲【KUMASO】at first, and later (after capitulated to imperial court), they are re-named into 隼人【HAYATO】. Some tribes are called 土蜘蛛【TUCHI-GUMO（Mud Spider）】and
▶ESSAY: ”Damon Slayers” is very popular all over the world！What’s 鬼【ONI】for Japanese？(Coming Soon)
●There is a legend 始皇帝【SHI-KOUTEI】, the first Emperor of 秦【SHIN】made his servant 徐福【JYOFUKU】for seeking medical grass and leached Japan with 3 thousands people including young male and females ( Some people say they are ancestors of 山伏【YAMABUSHI】, and their roots are Jewish. )
I suppose that they conveyed culture of 春秋【SHUNJYUU】era of 秦【SHIN】like 陰陽五行【IN YOU GOGYOU(Plus-Minus and Five elements Philosophy)】.
●Peoples from countries around 秦【SHIN】, like 呉【GO】and 越【ETSU】also came to Japan, escaping from 秦【SHIN】’s political pressure, too. There is a proverb 呉越同舟【GOETSU DOUSYUU】；Countries usually hostile each other escape from a common enemy on the same boat(Then, the place finally ended up was Japan.)
●In the later 縄文時代【JYOUMON-ERA（Straw Pattern Pottery Age)】, I suppose that there had been a country called 越【ETSU】/古志【KOSHI】in 北陸【HOKURIKU（North Rand )District】. People related with Sasanian Persia or Zoroastrianism having dragon and snake cultures.
●From Korean peninsula peoples of 新羅【SHIRAGI】came to Japan and married with many princesses of small “countries” of inhabitant tribes.
●百済【KUDARA】’s people lead by woman came to Japan started to unite other small countries and races from AD 645.
(●Legendary or spirituality, Mu Continent or Lemuria Country they might be thought as legends and sink into the ocean, had been existed at the Pacific Ocean. Then, some people(‘s spirits) came to Japan.
Someone say Hawaii, Japan and other Polynesian countries are remained high mountains of these continents)).
There were the era five tribes leaders named 和の五王【WA NO GO-OU (Wa’s Five Kings)】run government co-operate together.
What’s 和風【WA-Style】？Since 聖徳太子【SHOUTOKU-TAISHI】has said ”和【WA】Harmony is very precious” in the first 17 articles constitute of Japan, Japan became a country even religious are harmonized.
聖徳太子【SHOUTOKU-TAISHI】is so famous politician in 6 Century who became portraits of Japanese bills 7 times ( it’s the highest record in Japanese history) .
聖徳太子【SYOUTOKU-TAISHI】has a legend that he could hear what 7 peoples say, at the same time.
He allowed to import 仏教【BUKKYOU（Buddhism）】（it was also an origin of Zoroastrianism) and 儒教【JYUKYOU(Confucianism)】, added to 神道【SHINTOISM】which are worshipped among people until then.
He made “Seventeen-Article Constitution” which is the first constitution in our country and said “和【WA（harmony)】 is very precious” in it.
Then, Japan became the county HARMONY is the most important value.
聖徳太子【SYOUTOKU-TAISHI】has a legend that he could hear what 7 peoples say, at the same time.
From above of all, It seems that he was putting together and harmonized other tribe’s peoples.
(As a gold stamp of 1st. Century which was excavated in 1784 , 「漢倭奴王【KAN‐WA‐NA‐OU（KAN’ｓKING OF WA) 】」shows, at that time, a part of Japan was a kind of client county.
聖徳太子【SYOUTOKU-TAISHI】sent a letter to an emperor of 隋【ZUI】”An emperor of country which the sun is rising, send a letter to an emperor of country where the sun is setting. How are you?…”.It means Japan showed will of independent from 隋【ZUI】.)
He is so famous politician in 6 Century who became portraits of Japanese bills 7 times ( it’s the highest record in Japanese history) .
聖徳太子【SYOUTOKU-TAISHI】has a legend that he could hear what 7 peoples say, at the same time.
He allowed to import 仏教【BUKKYOU（Buddhism）】（it was also an origin of Zoroastrianism) and 儒教【JYUKYOU(Confucianism)】, added to 神道【SHINTOISM】which are worshipped among people until then.
He made “Seventeen-Article Constitution” which is the first constitution in our country and said “和【WA（harmony)】 is very precious” in it.
Then, Japan became the county HARMONY is the most important value.
聖徳太子【SYOUTOKU-TAISHI】has a legend that he could hear what 7 peoples say, at the same time.
From above of all, It seems that he was putting together and harmonized other tribe’s peoples.
As far, some of small countries of Japan were seemed as kind of dependent countries of 隋【ZUI】, a large country in the east Asia where nowadays China. 聖徳太子【SYOUTOKU-TAISHI】sent a letter to an emperor of 隋【ZUI】, “An emperor of country which the sun is rising, send a letter to an emperor of country where the sun is setting. How are you?…”.It means Japan showed will of independent from 隋【ZUI】.)
日本【NIHON/NIPPON】means “the country where sun rising”.
Seven deities came from all over the world and smiling in 七福神【SHICHIFUKU-JIN】”SEVEN LUCKY GODS” .
From the right・大国様【DAIKOKU】（India／Japan／Shiragi）・弁天様【BENTEN】（India）・恵比寿様【EBISU】（Japan）・布袋様【HOTEI】（China）・帝釈天【TAISYAKUTEN】（Indian）・南極老人【NANKYOKU-ROUJIN】（China）・寿老人【JYU-ROUJIN】（China）
They had been established from 室町【MUROMACHI】to 江戸【EDO】period and it’s still popular in 令和【REIWA】. We can find their statures, pictures and objects in temples, shrines, towns and common homes.
Even Indian and Chinese deities are popular in Japan 七福神【SHICHI-FUKU-JIN】Seven-Lucky-deities as lucky items.
▶ESSAY : Everyone cheerfully smiles in 七福神【SHICHI-FUKU-JIN】”Seven fortune deities”, they came from all over the world to Japan!
○大黒様【DAIKOKU-SAMA】was from the God of Hindu, Mahakala. It syncretism with 大国主【OO-KUNI-NUSHI】, a leader of 新羅【SHIRAGI】who came to Japan in 5 ～6 Century.
〇EMISHI is former inhabitants or indigenous people of Japan who named by new people.
It might be strange for the strong believers of 「One GOD Religions」 like Christians, Muslims or Judaists, so on, though. After some fierce conflicts, mixed and separated, now Japan is a country Buddhism and Shintoism, sometimes Confucianism are 和【HARMONIZED】and coexisting.
ESSAY:GOD is The Only One Creator of this World, in One-God religions.
They are all “brother religious” having the same god, only having different names started by different age, because human beings who want to make his influence large used the power of GOD and other religions.
They are all “brother religious” having the same god, only having different names started by different age, because human beings who want to make his influence large used the power of GOD and other religions.
Assuming that religious is a thing dealing with the world after death or invisible things, an phenomenon is one. It’s like people having different believes climb a mountain from various entrance and it is also just different what points they have reached. So I hope they admit each other and are in good relationship.
Japanese religion is able to explain by Buddhism, Shintoism and sometimes Confucianism(and Taoism).They are mixed and harmonized to become the background of spirit and life style of Japanese.
Nowadays, Japanese people might not be seen so religious, and not a few people say I’m non-religious.
It seems that Japanese people feel kind of allergy to religious nowadays.(I think one of the reason is in WW2, under the world-wide age of imperialism, Shintoism and emperor became a central exist of militarism and so many people obeyed, followed, gathered under it.)
There are also troubles and cases caused by new religions. Then, images of people to belong particular religion has not been good. Recently, after 80 years of WW2, it is getting changing however because people are escaped from postwar curse , I think.
Any way, these taught of religious are living under Japanese people’s spirit or lifestyles.
There are so many 神社【JINJYA】Shrines in each villages and also 寺【TERA】temples.Japanese people go to shrine when baby born and wedding while they go to temples when funerals and Buddhist memorial services. Teachings of Confucianism are living in style School education and company mottos.
In addition to that, in Edo period( from 1603-1868), Japan closed the country from foreign countries and unique and original cultures has grown and established among this peaceful 260years.
儒教【JYUKYOU】is rather philosophy or human relationship than religious, was imported from ancient peninsula and China with Buddhism about 3 AD, became very popular in EDO period under feudal society SYOUGUN ruled other local readers SAMURAIS.
After W.W.2, School education and company’s motto or Company mission statement. In 1990’s, a lot of Japanese Companies expanded over abroad and many foreigners followed them;
Ex. of Japanese company’s motto “○○○・・・・
are influenced by those philosophies. Not every Japanese are learning them, but some of them are required objects of schools and they know essences naturally.
In the MEIJI era after Edo period and opened country to abroad, especially for western countries, people learned Western philosophy, academics, science technology, literature, religious, so on very enthusiastically. And after lost in ＷＷ２，people admired and enthusiastically incorporated, affected American culture.
As we have seen, Japan is a country all thoughts and philosophy are come from ancient time and staying.
That’s a reason Japanese people are patient and cooperate under disasters like large earthquakes, I think.
Japan is known as a country world the lowest crime rate and woman can walk alone in the night, too.
Now, we can enjoy a lot of world culture and food in Japan, in peaceful country♪
Nowadays, transportations are developed and information are substantial.
French, Italy, Russia, China, Korea, Georgia, UK, Sweden, Bulgaria, South East, South East, Africa, Middle East・・・We can enjoy high-quality meals all over the world in at restaurants in TOKYO and other large cities.
At the last…We thank for all ancestors of every country’s humankind who made an over-imaginable, grateful, tremendous effort to make a peaceful country.
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