Contact between Japan and China dates back to around 200 A.D., and the influence of China on Japan is as deep as it is long. From Buddhism to Confucianism and Taoism, continental Asian influences transmitted through or originating in China impacted Japanese art, philosophy, and literature.
However, Japan had a way of adapting rather than merely adopting Chinese influences. Neo-Confucianism in the Tokugawa Era contributed to the development of the “Bushido” code of warriors.
Neo-Confucianism also encouraged scholars to concern themselves with the practical side of human affairs. Commoners even began learning how to read and write through Confucian proverbs and poems translated into Japanese. Despite Japan’s difficult writing system, the literacy rate was about 60% at the end of 19th century. People wrote and hummed famous excerpts of these poems as wells as quotes from Chinese philosophers and theorists for wellbeing.
Proverbs rooted in Chinese philosophy still persist in everyday Japanese life, and the study of famous Chinese poems is still mandatory in contemporary Japanese high school curriculum.
One oft-quoted ancient Chinese philosopher is Lao Tzu, also known as Laozi, who is believed to have lived during the 6th century B.C. He is honored as the reputed author of Tao Te Ching and as the guiding figure and deity in religious Daoism (Taoism).
Beloved for his study of the Way and its virtue, Lao Tzu emphasized simplicity, spontaneity, tranquility, and non-action. One of his most famous phrases is 足るを知る (たるをしる; taru o shiru).
足る means ‘to suffice,’ and 知る means “to know”. The phrase is an excerpt from 「足るを知る者は富む」 (たるをしるものはとむ; taru o shiru mono ha tomu), which translates to “He who is content is rich” or “The wise man knows contentment.”
During this time of uncertainty and anxiety, when our lives are disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and so many challenges persist, may we be reminded of all the blessings that we do have that enrich our souls and minds.
—by Ukita-sensei
