助成Institute forInternational Policy Studies
・Tokyo・IIPS International Conference“Reidentifying Japan for the 21st Century”
Tokyo, October 27-28, 2004

“Japanese Culture: Unraveling the Secrets of Shi and Hai”
ByProf. Lee, O Young
Former Minister of Ministry of Culture
Republic of Korea

Reidentifying Japan for the 21st Century
Japanese Culture: Unraveling the Secrets of Shi and Hai
Professor Lee O Young, Ewha Women’s University
Though Japan is a member of the kanji culture bloc—countries that use Chinesecharacters—it uses them in a way unique to Japan. For instance, the character 士 (shi)means “writer,” but in Japan it can also mean “samurai.” Because the character looks alittle like the number 11 when written using characters, (十一月十一日), November 11 iscalled “Samurai Day.”
The character 仕 (shi , to serve or work) is widely used in words to represent thesound “shi,” but without using the characters meaning, such as in the phrases
shigataganai and shiyoganai (both meaning roughly “nothing can be done about it”).
The meaning of shi is different in Chinese and Korean. Shi expresses the commerce andmanufacturing aspects of Japanese culture, starting with its use in shiho (method)
through to shiage (to finish), and expressing a methodical mind.
Before the influences of Western culture in modern times, a special Japanesemethodology or know-how was developing in Japan. Before the modernization of Japan,
a man named Ninomiya Sontoku successfully established hundreds of villages with ashiyo (method) that combined hard work, financial management, and humbleness into asingle mindset. Just as the American-English word “know-how” created a uniquely
American pragmatism on the continent, the Japanese words shiyo (method) and shikata(way) were the master keys to creating the uniquely Japanese pragmatism andtechnologism.
Haikai (俳諧) is a particular Japanese literary style that includes haiku, but thecharacter hai and its meaning come from the kanji culture. As can be seen in thecharacters of the word 俳優 (haiyu, actor), the concept for hai contrasts with yu andmeans “not serious,” “common,” or “comical.” Yu means “serious” or “elegant” andserves as an antonym to hai. Thus, haiyu refers to a person who performs comedies andtragedies on stage. The haikai spirit was born of an anti-establishment that split off fromthe primary, surface culture. The unique characteristics of Japanese culture can be seen
more in the dualism of hai and yu than in the dualism of the chrysanthemum and thesword.
Observing Japanese culture (the Japan brand and other national symbols) from thestandpoint of shi and hai, we can see a new Japan emerging. The engine driving thedevelopment of Japanese society is ritualized patterns based on 士 and 仕 (both shi)and the resulting deviance of 俳 (hai) as seen in comic tanka. If Japan loses thattension and balance created between the two, Japan will lose its drive. There is theserious side of Japan, and then there is the side that parodies the classic Seven Sages
with the Seven Beauties.
It is a mistake to only use the tea-ceremony type serious culture as Japan's image.
There is also the wild side of Japanese culture.
This deviant element in the buttoned-down culture is Japan's secret ingredient for
creating the likes of anime and Pokemon.