The Pulse of Japan is Where the Old and New Meet

The constant mixing of the past and present in Japanese culture is the pulse of Japan and a source of inspiration for many manga and anime.

BY NATALIE CHERIE CAMPBELL

Shrine in Kyoto, Japan

Japan is an old place. Its oldest existing chronicle, the Koji-ki (古事記), was compiled in 712 CE. The oral histories that it references tell of a Japan that dates back to 660 BCE. That would mean that Japan as a historically-recorded civilization is about 2,700 years old. One could assume that Old Japan has faded away like much of ancient history, all that's left of the oldest times, the Jomon Period, being pottery. But it's not. Japan is old, but Old Japan isn't gone.

Somehow Japan maintains a divide between the past and the present while inhabiting both times simultaneously. History is still history; this boundary line is defined. But it's a line that is meant to be crossed and experienced again and again. For example, at many festivals, traditional clothing like the yukata is worn. Every spring, people gather under cherry trees to spend time under the fleeting blossoms. These gatherings are called hanami, and they've been part of traditional Shinto flower festivals for centuries. Japan itself is divided between the more traditional rural communities and the more modern urban centers like Tokyo. Yet, these communities and centers share a common heritage.

Japan is Shinto shrines, sakura trees, samurai, rice fields, woodblock prints, Mount Fuji, and kabuki theatre. Japan is mecha, manga, maid cafes, anime, cosplay, and everything kawaii. Japan is both.

The boundary between Old and New Japan is porous. Old Japan—its rituals, clothing, history—is embedded in the everyday occurrences of modern Japan. It's so embedded that sometimes the connections to the past are forgotten. I believe this porous duality is the pulse of Japan. Everyone feels it. Japanophiles love it. And when artists tap into it, they give us a glimpse into Japan's cultural psyche.

A fantastic example is Makoto Shinkai's animated movie Your Name. *spoilers* A young boy who lives in Tokyo and a young girl whose family are caretakers of a Shinto shrine in rural Japan wake up one morning in each other's bodies. They begin switching bodies involuntarily more and more often, and they get to know each other through written messages. They don't realize it at first, but they are actually separated by three years. Through Shinto ritual, they find each other across time. They try to exchange names, knowing that they'll forget each other once they stop switching bodies. (I'll leave out the rest since I've already mentioned two too many spoilers.) What's incredible about this narrative is that it shows us how crossing Japan's porous boundary might feel. It shows how easy it is to forget that Old Japan influences just about everything in New Japan—a forgotten cultural memory that exists like a shadow and asserts itself in little ways everyday.

"Your Name" by Makoto Shinkai

Your Name isn't the only story highlighting this porous boundary. Lots of anime and manga are tapping into this pulse. Some stories take audiences back into history, featuring samurai, shogun, and folk religion. Other stories bring history forward into the present with old gods walking city streets like Noragami. Some have a modern twist like the presence of mecha in Samurai 7. Some express nostalgic yearning for the past like many of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. Some depict enduring supernatural forces like Kamisama Hajimemashita. It's no longer a secret that anime and manga have the flexibility and depth to depict Old Japan, New Japan, and the porous boundary between the two. Back when I was first trying to figure out what I found so captivating in anime, I found Susan Napier and her book Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle. It's a groundbreaking book that places anime in a cultural context and defines why it's so good at tapping into the pulse of Japan. She says,

“Anime is a richly fascinating contemporary Japanese art form with a distinctive narrative and visual aesthetic that both harks back to traditional Japanese culture and moves forward to the cutting edge of art and media. Furthermore, anime, with its enormous breadth of subject material, is also a useful mirror on contemporary Japanese society, offering an array of insights into the significant issues, dreams, and nightmares of the day.”[1]

This is what Your Name is doing, what Miyazaki is doing in films like Spirited Away, what anime like Noragami and Kamisama Hajimemashita are doing. So the next time you watch anime, look a little deeper. More likely than not, there's something telling hiding behind the beautiful colors, large eyes, and complex storytelling.