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The Chrysanthemum and the Sword

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I am an oriental who is familiar with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean culture. This really hits the nail. Many people may say that this book is outdated - not so. The fundamental cultural undercurrent of Japan still remains as the book describes. In my opinion, this book holds key to understand motivation and reason in why Japanese do and say things that would be hard to understand by Occidental standard. Also for Chinese and Korean, the idea of 'repaying debt,' and 'duty' may not be specific as Japan and may not have strong vengeful element, but still is very much tied in with idea of filial piety creating more similar result to that of Japanese then that of the first world Western culture in terms of what is proper conduct, who to respect, how to show or not show respect, and saving the face (although some Chinese and Korean may claim that they much are different from Japanese in many respect. I would say by all means it is not identical, but similar from western standard). I have seen many westerners study Zen and Japanese tea ceremony to understand Japanese culture - this will not do. This way will never quite bring genuine understanding of Japanese because they will still be considered as a foreigner thus exception to regular application of Japanese hierarchal rule.

Many readers say that this book is not creditable because Ruth Benedict had not lived in Japan. That is irrelevant. This book cuts through craps and shows you the core of Japanese cultural mechanism.

In 1944, the Allies landed in Normandy, forcing the German army to fight on two fronts; on the Pacific the counteroffensive against Japan gave the Americans one victory after another. The war was almost finished and the new world order was only a matter of time.
The losers, Germany and Japan, not only had to be punished, but these nations needed to be revived and given a fresh start.

In this political situation, the American government decided to get advice not only from the military and politicians, but also from the anthropologists - in an attempt to understand foreign, now subordinate, societies. The Japanese culture, so alien and distant from the American one, which is firmly rooted in Europe, was analyzed by Ruth Benedict, an anthropologist from Columbia University. The goal was to learn of the strengths and weaknesses of the Japanese in order to assume the best strategy towards the end and after the WWII.

Benedict writes with rare objectivity, describing Japanese traditions and customs, the habits, which are obvious in Japan, but weird, extreme or unheard of for an average Western person. She describes the situations, when the Japanese expect politeness and respect, and when they cannot count on any; when they feel shame, confusion and embarrassment; what they demand from their family, friends, co-workers and themselves. She discusses their roots, symbols and ideas on which the society is based (this is not a book about religion or art, so they are only mentioned when necessary).

The fact, that Benedict had never set foot in Japan, was nothing special - it was believed that it is possible for an anthropologist to use means other than personal experience in their work. She interviewed the Japanese immigrants and expatriates, and used written texts - books, newspapers and letters, to recreate the picture of the Japanese society and familiarize the Americans with the Japanese life attitude - to the certain extent. She succeeded in presenting the Japanese as people different, but equally civilized and developed to the Americans, and despite her objectivity she managed to sneak in some personal attitude - for example, although she mentions the defeat of Japan and American victory, she does not mention the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which she did not approve of. Interestingly, she compares the Japanese to teh Americans, which, to non-American reader, is also a good insight into the life of the average American in the 1940s.

"The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" remains the staple for those interested in Japan. It still gives the basis of the knowledge of the Japanese and provides a starting point. Of course, there is no mention (how could there be?) of the economic boom and the technological revolution, of karoshi and sararimen (but how to understand the latter two without any knowledge of bushido and samurai culture?). But nearly every new book, which describes these phenomena, mentions Benedict's work.

Anthropologist Ruth Benedict was asked by the US government to research and compile information about Japan in order to understand the enemy they were fighting and the country they would soon be occupying. She did this surprisingly well considering that she had never set foot in Japan! Instead she conducted her research by interviewing Japanese who were living in the US during WWII and by gathering as much information on Japan as she could find. Having lived in Japan for ten years myself I found her observations to be accurate but also a bit outdated considering that we are now in the 21st century and Japan has become the second largest economy (not military). But Ruth did predict that Japan would refocus it's efforts and become a strong country again. The only criticism that I have personally is that Ruth had a very positive and understandably objective view of Japanese society, a society that I find somewhat childish, ignorant, and racist. But obviously one cannot completely understand a society until they have lived in that society for a while and learned the language so that they can get under the surface. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the origins of Japanese culture. As one reviewer remarked, the US should have done this kind of research before invading Iraq so they could have seen the mess they were getting into. One line from the book that I totally agreed with is that Americans tend to think that deep down inside people around the world are all the same but we are not all the same. Unfortunately (or fortunately) this is very true.

Any westerner who's ever been to Japan may have felt at one moment or another that he or she has landed, not only in a different country, but in quite a different planet. If you're taking a trip to Japan, the cultural tips you find in a quick reference tourist guide might suffice for travel, but if you're planning to live in Japan or study any particular topic of its culture, you'll definitely have to dig way deeper."The Chrysantemum And The Sword" is a classic text of Cultural Anthropology written around the end of WWII, and althought its author, Ruth Benedict, wrote it whithout ever setting foot in Japan, it's remarkable how far she went to understand the underlaying values of a culture like this, at times fascinating, and at times shocking. It was written in 1946, but it's still a book some people in Japanese universities suggest as a reference to understand some key aspects of this amazing culture. I'd also say this book is a must-read for anyone interested in humanity in the middle of war.

Certain chapters in Ruth Benedict's book are easier to read than others. In some chapters, her writing style is terse, heavy, prone to constructions that reek of a style common 50 years ago that no one uses anymore. This occasionally made it difficult getting to the useful information.

Other chapters read in a much lighter, easier to digest fashion. The chapters on obligation ("on") and child rearing were very interesting and easy to read. These were also probably the chapters I found most enlightening for understanding the Japanese character.

I recently began working for a Japanese firm and became very interested in understanding more about the unique Japanese character, and how I could communicate best with my co-workers and perhaps understand them better when they said certain things or acted in certain ways. In this respect, this book has been invaluable, especially when dealing with individuals born from 1940-1970.

This book has helped me understand why the Japanese say or do certain things that seem superfluous or hypocritical to an American. Also, this book has opened me to having true cultural understanding (not "tolerance" which is not the same thing, but truly understanding the roots of culturally distinct behavior and psychology) for the Japanese.

Recommended for anyone working with or living with the Japanese.

Ruth Benedict's work "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" first published in 1946 is well returned to by anyone wanting to look more closely at the very premise of life that distinguishes Japanese and Western thought. Having been written on the heels of WWII, Dr. Benedict's work is almost a treatise seeking to understand the why of that world consuming conflict and ultimate release of unfathomable destruction.
"The study of comparative cultures too cannot flourish when men are so defensive about their own way of life that it appears to them to be by definition the sole solution in the world" (p 15). Dr. Benedict takes the reader back in time to understand the development of Japanese philosophy and how it was reflected in virtually every facet of existence, from passive acceptance of one's station in life to complete willingness to sacrifice ultimately for the sake of virtue.

Readers today would well to take in the lessons found in these pages and consider the application of this same level of study and analysis to conflicts in our own world. Perhaps when all nations can "take a great step toward social change by identifying aggressive warfare as an `error' and a lost cause" (p315) the world itself can face a future of determined rebuilding and resurrection.

After WWII Ruth benedict was sent to Japan to learn and help the US understand the "Japanese mindset". This book is unparalleled in its scope and easy-to-read-ness. It is essential to historians, anthropologists, and the curious. Read it. Read it. Read it

My 13-year-old grandson started talking about Iraq and Bush. I was delighted that he was up to date and very interested and concerned. That got us going back to other wars. I pulled out one of my special favorite books, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture by Ruth Benedict, 1944. "This sort of study is what should have been done for Iraq before we got into such a quagmire" I told him.

The study of Japanese culture was assigned to Benedict during WWII by the Office of War Information. It was done to objectively assess "the enemy's" strengths and weaknesses. It was also done to facilitate Allied occupation after the war ended. Americans were not at all familiar with Japanese thinking. Then and now we tend to assume that all people think and will react as we do.

This is a good and concise overview of what it means to be Japanese, and to think as the Japanese do. (With appropriate caution, of course: the book is over 50 years old). Such a book is important because since Japan is a modern industrialized world power, Americans can tend to forget that there are still cultural and social chasms between our way of thinking and interacting and that of the Japanese.

Understanding various concepts of obligation, debt, face-saving, and the influences of historical events (such as the Meiji reform)are covered here. Benedict is also an engaging writer who makes ample use of stories, anecdotes, and illustrations to make her point.

Cultural anthropologist Benedict began interviewing Japanese living outside Japan in the 1940s to grasp the structure of Japanese cultural thought, behaviors, motivations compared with American ideas. The goal was to benefit Allied Forces fighting Japan during WWII.

With the end of the war, her research focus shifted to the appropriate manner in which to administer reconstruction. In contrast with Italy and Germany where Allied Forces took over and executed reconstruction, in Japan the Allies utilized the intact social infrastructure already extant.

The decision to respect the unique cultural aptitudes and preferences of the indigenous Japanese led to a remarkably smooth post-war transition.

Ruth Benedict explains why what a Westerner would interpret as hypocrisy is essentially an effort of etiquette, to maintain courteous relations so that one may have another opportunity to interact in the future and perhaps repair any damaged feelings in the process.

If one reads The Tale of Genji, then The Tale of Murasaki: A Novel, then Chrysanthemum and Sword in that order, one senses a society structured much as Jane Austen viewed rural England, hierarchical and rigidly informed by social strata The King's Speech.

DVD Departures reveals music and ritual guiding respectful emotional healing in Japanese culture.

The explanation of Japan's perplexing incongruities, incomprehensible behaviors is enlightening, and allows one to inhabit a culture quite different yet equally valid as one's own.

Highly recommended