HARMONY AND COURAGE AS PRINCIPLES FOR SURVIVAL
Mononoke Hime is a powerful tale of the struggle between gods and humans. In pursuit of the cause and the cure of his curse, Ashitaka heads west where he is confronted by the bitter battle between the people of Tatara and the guardian-gods of the Forest of the Shishigami, worsened further by the antagonistic presence of the samurais. He is enchanted with the Mononoke Hime, San, a human raised by Moro, the head of the clan of mountain dogs protecting the forest. Given her upbringing, San has grown to hate humans, and has taken it upon herself to war against them for the sake of the forest's preservation. Ashitaka later meets Eboshi Gozen, the head of the iron-making village of Tatara. Beloved to her people, composed of social outcasts, Eboshi, for her part, is set out to destroy the forest for the necessary mining activities. In all this, Ashitaka is caught between two factions who are essentially fighting for their respective survival. This dilemma evidently points to a central theme in Japanese religion-ultimately, Japanese life, and that is the close relationship binding gods (kami), humans, and nature to one another (Earhart, 1982, p 7). In contrast to monotheistic religions, the Japanese religion does not rank gods, humans,
He replies, "To survive is also courage. In turn, the Japanese believe, every being, including nature, can potentially have kami, in other words, become a god. In the film, harmony is exclusive in each faction; the Tatara people are harmonious only among themselves, and the Mountain Dog and Boar gods in their respective clans. De Mente (1994) had put it, "Generally speaking, individuals had obligations, no rights" (p 46). Anthropologists, de Mente (1994) explained, attributed the need for harmony to the demands of rice cultivation and the rise of clan and village systems (p 46). Personally, one of the most poignant lines in the film was uttered by Jiko Bou. However, there is discord among them, resulting to chaos and violence. He seeks not the victory of one side, but the restoration of harmony, the victory of all. Given that harmony is a cornerstone of the Japanese life, it follows that its preservation and maintenance are matters of great importance. Harmony is an important element in Japanese life (de Mente, 1994, p 2). To capitulate is not an option worth considering (de Mente, 1994, p 222); in fact, when confronted with imminent defeat, such people are further impelled to fight. Individualism is held to be destructive to society and should be abhorred.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
