In this segment of the film, I watched two demonstrations of reverence that correlate with the Shinto tradition. The first was the respect shown for family. The young boy brings food to his older sister and her friends without looking for reward. This shows the Confucian inspired sense of duty to elders even older siblings. Though he lashes out and she kicks him out, she likewise displays the utmost concern for his well-being. The brother-sister, younger-older relationship seen here emphasizes the Shinto importance of family. The other form of respect was respect towards nature. The peach tree spirits chastise the young boy because his family cut down the trees from the orchard. This a grave sin according to Shinto Ethics. The head spirit dismisses his tears as crying over the loss of peaches rather than the trees. The boy responds passionately saying that anyone can buy a beach but no one can buy an orchard in bloom. He truly appreciates the true intangible gifts of the world. The young boy’s understanding for the sacredness of nature fits with Shinto. In the Shinto tradition, everything is spiritual and there is no distinction between humanity, nature, and kamis. This idea is personified when the dancing spirits turn into peach trees for a split second before they disappear and only the stumps remain. The spirits' behavior represents that they themselves are not perfect but carry a range of emotions like anger, happiness, and compassion. This could relate to the Shinto idea that the Other Worlds where the human spirit can be with Kami is neither utopian or tortuous but a blend like our world is.
I can see that this clip was the most popular of the segments, probably because it can get the closest to describing what shinto really is. Spirits are not always around and surround everything, but there should be mutal respect because there is at the same time (i think lol). Along with the other comments i wrote the spirits of those deceased before their time seem to be in limbo, almost like a purgatory.
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ReplyDeleteThe boy not only learns the sacredness of nature but is also exposed to the idea that cutting down the trees is a sin against a sacred object, a significant part of Shinto ethics. It's clear that the boy feels regret at his family's actions, and would not have committed this sin himself.
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