Thanks Tom, I'm glad there's someone willing to present another aspect of
the iemoto story.
As a long-time resident of Japan and a black-hearted critic of things
Nipponese I feel compelled to add that the iemoto system, as a reflection of
the Confucian-based heirarchial structure of Japanese society, is one of the
main structural problem facing the country in the modern world.
A few years ago a Japanese medical researcher, upon being awarded the Nobel
Prize (few Japanese win one), shocked his countrymen and dampened the
celebration by saying that if he had stayed in Japan he would never have
been able to do the research that led to the award (he worked at an American
university). Because if he had stayed in Japan he would have been
constrained to do only research that was "approved" by his superior. He
would not have been able to pursue his own interest or talent; he would have
been constrained to act as an assistant to his "sensei" in the latter's line
of research, no matter how mediocre or unpertinent that might have been. And
all credit for the research in the lab would have gone to the superior,
whether he actually performed it or not.
This is typical of the iemoto system, and the waste of talent it engenders
is crippling Japanese initiative and creativity. Obsessional work does not
make up for it, as the Japanese are finding out after more than a decade of
economic trouble.
This all apparently grew out of the unique structure of Japanese society.
Nakane Chie, a brilliant early psychoanalyst and one of the first women to
graduate from Tokyo University, observed that the Japanese lack horizontal
peer relationships. Three kinds of connections can exist: vertical upwards
(as a subordinate to a boss), vertical downwards (vice-versa) and horizontal
(equals--as friends).
Nakane claims that in Japan even friends are connected only by a common
vertical link. The direct person-to-person horizontal link is missing. An
example would be two co-workers, who relate as two members on the same level
of a group, but who have no direct connection as peers. She points out that
if a worker transfers to another firm he typically cuts all ties to
erstwhile "friends"--coworkers with whom he has spent many years
socializing, and takes up new "friend" relationships in his new company. In
traditional Japan individuals exist only as members of a defined group.
And for the group to function efficiently, especially in the absence of peer
relationships, all members must know their place in the heirarchy and act in
such a manner that this can be readily perceived by all members of the
group. Hence the oft commented upon ritualized Japanese behavior and the
importance of "keigo" (honorific language). Outward manifestations of rank
are also important, hence the Japanese love of identifying badges and
uniforms.
Also to maximize group effectiveness harmony ("wa") must be maintained. This
takes precedence at all times and supercedes questions of justice and
individual fulfillment. Complaints, suggestions and criticisms must be
extremely oblique. Japanese abhor direct confrontation and deflect it by any
means possible. To suffer and endure is seen as noble. So changes in
Japanese society come at the speed of glacial creep.
Since individual initiative is frowned upon as disruptive of wa, great value
is placed on obedience and the ability to follow instructions to the letter.
This characteristic can clearly be seen in the Japanese educational system,
in which rote memorization of voluminous amounts of data are the benchmark
by which one (through the instrument of college entrance exams) can achieve
success. The Japanese themselves have recently recognized this as a serious
shortcoming and a damper on creativity and have paid lip service to
reforming the educational system, but as this is determined by a reactionary
ministry in an even more reactionary bureaucracy no one expects it to change
soon.
Traditional Japanese interpersonal relationships are also governed by a
labrynthine system of duties and obligations, called "on", "cho" and "giri".
Those interested are referred to Ruth Benedict's classic "The Chrysanthemum
and the Sword". Suffice it to say that each relationship in Japan is
governed by a minute accounting of favors received, repaid, duties and
obligations by rank, etc. A tremendous amount of energy is spent in keeping
track of these things, and while it is true that the observance of these
customs has been diluted in the last 50 years, they still underlie and form
the bedrock of personal relations in Japan.
The lifetime obligations of the student towards his sensei (in the iemoto
system and out of it) must be seen in this light. The "on" (obligation) of
the inferior towards his superior is a lifetime debt--it can never be
repaid; in fact the interest on it grows with each passing year and each
success of the student. If not for his sensei, none of it would be
possible...
So at the cost of his individuality the Japanese artist, artisan or musician
stifles his individual talents, creativity, desires. Everything is in
deference to his group, embodied in his sensei. Only when the sensei finally
dies and if one ascends to his place, can one hope to add something of his
own heart and vision to the body and soul of the group.
In fairness I must recognize that I have omitted the positive aspects of
good group functioning--the marvelous synergy that arises when many are
united as one. But just as in the West the extreme emphasis on the
individual inhibits good group functioning, so likewise does the extreme
emphasis on the group stifle the individual. Perhaps in some distant future
both sides will find more balance.
Toby
-
-- Original Message -----
From: "Tom" <tom-tom@gaea.ocn.ne.jp>
To: "shakuhachi mail list" <shakuhachi@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2001 6:41 AM
Subject: Iemoto
> For a good look at what the Iemoto System is really all about someone in
the
> Kyoto area might delve into the inner workings of Tozan Ryu Shakuhachi
> Gakkai, probably the biggest Iemoto of them all. The name of this game is
> MONEY!
>
> If each of the rumored 10000 or so members pays the $150 annual membership
> fee, then that translates into $1,500,000 in "sales" each year. Adding on
> another million or so for sheet music sales, examination fees, licensing
> fees, workshop fees, appearance fees and so on and so on, and it gets to
be
> about two and a half million in gross income per year. Of course, an
Iemoto
> has his (or in this case her) expenses as well.
>
> This flow of money from the ranks to the head of the sect or branch of the
> sect seems not to
> have been mentioned at all, but it is a large part of being an Iemoto and
> supporting an Iemoto, regardless of artistic ability.
>
> Tom
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jan 08 2002 - 09:19:35 PST