So far I think that Mr. Tanimoto is the most interesting
character. This situation has shown Mr. Tanimoto to be a man of great
character. He ran into the city to make sure his family and his congregation
were all right. He faced many obstacles to get to his family, and once he had
found them he left them to go help other people. One of the most interesting
things about Mr. Tanimoto was that he was unharmed, and because of this he felt
the need to apologize to all the hurt people he passed, he would say, “Excuse
me for having no burden like yours” (pp. 40). This situation showed Mr.
Tanimoto to be a hero.
In Japan death is a serious
matter. The Japanese are very superstitious about death, and because of this
they have many rituals that must be performed when someone dies. This is true for
both of the major religions in Japan, Buddhism and Shintoism. In Japanese
culture death is viewed as a “pollution” and this “pollution” was thought to be
dangerous to the living (Suzuki 657). For this reason the rituals that they
have are very important. These rituals were done to help the dead move to the
next life, comfort the family, and finally to protect the dead, the family and
the community from evil spirits and the spirit from the recently departed (Suzuki
657-661). One of the rituals that takes place is posting a sign in front of the
house to “inform others of the danger” (Suzuki 657).
Works Cited
https://webspace.yale.edu/anth254/restricted/Suzuki_2003_in-Bryant.pdf
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| Shinto Shrine |
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| Buddhist Temple |
I agree with your first paragraph. I too believe that Mr. Tanimoto is both the most interesting and the most relevant character so far in the book. He has helped many individuals and without him, who knows how many more could have been killed painfully. Both of these pictures are also very intriguing. The first one of the Shinto Shrine is my favorite. It is almost inviting, asking us to enter and to find out more. Great work!
ReplyDeleteI think it must have been hard for them then, when bodies couldn't be recovered or were to hazardous to perform the proper rituals. In my research I came across some of their beliefs about death and it seemed to me that there was also some reverence involved as well. I think it is interesting that you mentioned death as a pollution brought on by dangerous living, I wonder whose dangerous living it was that brought death death to the people who weren't really involved in the events that lead up to the bombing. Just something to think about, good work though.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Shannon about Mr. Tanimoto being the most interesting person that we read about. I liked how you stated what great character he had and also talked about this in my post. I agree that he is a Hero and was upset with himself by not being hurt by the initial blast. I enjoyed reading your paragraph about the idea of death in the Japanese culture. It is amazing how much respect they have for the dead and what great extents they go to honor the dead.
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