Departures (おくりびと)
The following is a "reflection paper" (two pages, double spaced) on the movie Departures (おくりびと) which I wrote for my Japanese Culture 260B class.
Departures (おくりびと)
Departures is a film about a man who, upon losing his job as a cellist, returns to his hometown and takes up the job of “encoffinment.” The first of two major themes which run through this film is the Japanese attitude toward death and toward those who deal with the dead. Second is that of furusato, the conception of belonging to a place. I admit that I am more fascinated with the second theme, as Western society is severely atomized and rootless.
The aversion to death appears to be a standard superstition, much as how the West has an aversion to the number 13 (thirteen is a number of death in Western culture). Japanese death aversion is apparent even when counting. “Four” (pronounced “shi” し/四) is not used for counting people, but instead the alternate pronunciation, “yon” (よん/四) is used. “Shi” is also the Japanese word for death. Something rooted that deeply in a culture is bound to bleed over into normal interactions. Despite the strong reverence for ancestors present in Japanese society, those who handle the dead are shunned, they are considered “unclean.” The job of undertaker is one of the professions of the Burakumin (部落民), or outcasts. This group seems to mirror the Dalit (untouchables) of India. Even today, the Burakumin are discriminated against, being refused jobs and housing. They have even been rejected as marriage candidates due to their ancestry. What is interesting is that Shinto has no injunction against working with the dead. There was no spiritual injunction against the dead coming in contact with the shrine or prohibiting the shrine or its priests from conducting rituals for the dead. Instead, the separation of Shinto from funerals was a political move to limit the spread of Christianity. All funerary rites were given to the Buddhists. Due to a combination of Buddhist doctrine and its confusion with the Japanese conception of Kegare (穢れ), or “uncleanliness,” those that dealt with dead things (whether those things were human or not) were deemed to be unclean. This is the basis for his friend and his wife's request for him to get a “proper job.”
Repeatedly in the film, we were confronted with the concept of “going home.” The concept of furusato (ふるさと) is a bit tricky for the Western mind to grasp. Pagan attitudes toward the group and the land seem similar to this Japanese concept, somewhat reminiscent of the German heimat. A sort of nationalism without nations and an organic rootedness that can - and typically does - support the individual. Furusato creates a very close knit community. Everyone knows everyone else's business and problems. This can have negative effects as well, as was expressed with Yuriko's plight. Since she had abandoned her child, she could not return home since everyone knew who she was and what she had done. While I agree with the use of furusato to inhibit someone from making such a rash move, it is unfortunate that it seems to leave no room for the concept of atonement. Furusato was shown or alluded to repeatedly, from the premise of the movie (Daigo returns home) to the various animals returning for some purpose (the geese and salmon). The negatives were shown by the father's death and the aforementioned Yuriko's plight. It would be interesting to see how furisato has been impacted by the continuous exposure to Western Individualism.
References:
Ono, Sokyo. Shinto: The Kami Way. Pp108-9. Tuttle Publishing.
Wiki: Dalit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit
Wiki: Burakumin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin
class notes
IMDB: Okuribito: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1069238/
Departures (おくりびと)
Departures is a film about a man who, upon losing his job as a cellist, returns to his hometown and takes up the job of “encoffinment.” The first of two major themes which run through this film is the Japanese attitude toward death and toward those who deal with the dead. Second is that of furusato, the conception of belonging to a place. I admit that I am more fascinated with the second theme, as Western society is severely atomized and rootless.
The aversion to death appears to be a standard superstition, much as how the West has an aversion to the number 13 (thirteen is a number of death in Western culture). Japanese death aversion is apparent even when counting. “Four” (pronounced “shi” し/四) is not used for counting people, but instead the alternate pronunciation, “yon” (よん/四) is used. “Shi” is also the Japanese word for death. Something rooted that deeply in a culture is bound to bleed over into normal interactions. Despite the strong reverence for ancestors present in Japanese society, those who handle the dead are shunned, they are considered “unclean.” The job of undertaker is one of the professions of the Burakumin (部落民), or outcasts. This group seems to mirror the Dalit (untouchables) of India. Even today, the Burakumin are discriminated against, being refused jobs and housing. They have even been rejected as marriage candidates due to their ancestry. What is interesting is that Shinto has no injunction against working with the dead. There was no spiritual injunction against the dead coming in contact with the shrine or prohibiting the shrine or its priests from conducting rituals for the dead. Instead, the separation of Shinto from funerals was a political move to limit the spread of Christianity. All funerary rites were given to the Buddhists. Due to a combination of Buddhist doctrine and its confusion with the Japanese conception of Kegare (穢れ), or “uncleanliness,” those that dealt with dead things (whether those things were human or not) were deemed to be unclean. This is the basis for his friend and his wife's request for him to get a “proper job.”
Repeatedly in the film, we were confronted with the concept of “going home.” The concept of furusato (ふるさと) is a bit tricky for the Western mind to grasp. Pagan attitudes toward the group and the land seem similar to this Japanese concept, somewhat reminiscent of the German heimat. A sort of nationalism without nations and an organic rootedness that can - and typically does - support the individual. Furusato creates a very close knit community. Everyone knows everyone else's business and problems. This can have negative effects as well, as was expressed with Yuriko's plight. Since she had abandoned her child, she could not return home since everyone knew who she was and what she had done. While I agree with the use of furusato to inhibit someone from making such a rash move, it is unfortunate that it seems to leave no room for the concept of atonement. Furusato was shown or alluded to repeatedly, from the premise of the movie (Daigo returns home) to the various animals returning for some purpose (the geese and salmon). The negatives were shown by the father's death and the aforementioned Yuriko's plight. It would be interesting to see how furisato has been impacted by the continuous exposure to Western Individualism.
References:
Ono, Sokyo. Shinto: The Kami Way. Pp108-9. Tuttle Publishing.
Wiki: Dalit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit
Wiki: Burakumin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin
class notes
IMDB: Okuribito: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1069238/