OLD JAPANESE CHRISTMAS AND SAMURAI SANTA

[Brian]

Just want to take this opportunity to wish all the members and lurkers here a very happy Festive Season, and wishing you all well for the comming 2007 from the NMB.

I also want to thank everyone for their participation, without all of you the board would not exist. Don't forget to buy your tsuba raffle tickets before the end of December (http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/raffle.html) if you haven't already. It all goes to improving the board.

 

I will leave you with the following extract taken from http://www.christmasarchives.com/wjapan.html

OLD Japanese CHRISTMAS

AND SAMURAI SANTA

by Mariko Okawa

of the

Felissimo Christmas Museum,

Hakodate Japan

translated by Akio Ohnishi

 

A request to one of Japan's best Christmas historians came up with the following fascinating account of a Christmas unknown to Westerners - and to most Japanese too! Including an amusing account of Santa dressed as a Samurai. This was followed by a further account from Mr Hirokatsu Onishi government official of the prefecture of Gifu which shows mirror customs of European traditions.

 

Francis Xavier was from Portugal in 1549, taught us Christianity about 400 years ago. It was the first experience of this for the Japanese and Christmas became popular throughout Japan from that time. The first recorded Christmas Mass was celebrated at Yamaguchi Church in 1552. Even today's there are 'KAKURE' (secret Christians), who hide that they are Christians, and they still use Latin when they sing Christmas carols. This style of celebrating Christmas has not changed since the custom began 400 years ago.

 

In 1639 National Isolation was imposed upon Japan, and most Christians changed their religion at that time, but some, especially the KAKURE, kept Christmas in secret all through the persecution.

 

In 1854, American navy Commodore Perry opened National Isolation and Japan began to take to Western culture like a dry sponge to water.

 

But Christmas was not well known at that time. In 1875 in Harajo School in the Ginza area of Tokyo, Christmas was celebrated. It was strange and amusing because Santa Claus appeared dressed like a Samurai.

 

In Taisho period (1912-1926) a lot of Western countries began ordering Christmas decorations and toys from Japan in stead of from Germany. Japanese manufacturers made Christmas lights for the tree, and dolls of Santa Claus for ornamentation, some were made of celluloid. And Aluminium artificial Christmas Trees came from Japan also. These Christmas things were getting pretty common and easy to find in Western department stores and toy shops after WWII.

 

A lot of beautiful Christmas customs had come to Japan from America, and in return occupied Japan was exporting christmas decorations, toys and china. During that time Japan was like Santa Claus' Toyland Factory. This continued until Hong Kong and Taiwan became famous for exporting goods.

 

Of course Japan was getting used to Christmas and Christmas customs and Christmas lifestyle and it was it was like the original, early Christian Japanese Christmas, though no longer celebrated by all Japanese as a Christian celebration. For example, sometimes for Christmas Dinner It was popular for each family to cook Hamburgers and Stew, following the example of American style cooking from after the war. By the way, Japanese Christmas Cake was a new experience for the Japanese, and they used to buy buttercream sponge cakes from the shops which served Western people. Until today, the buttercream or fresh cream cake has been the popular Japanese Christmas Cake.

 

Japanese had fast growth economy from 1950 to 1960. By now Japanese people were buying lots of Christmas presents, and had parties, and cooked Christmas Dinner for their children. After a while these children grew up and they talked about their nice memories of Christmas to their children. Thus Christmas was handed down from generation to generation. Recently Christmas illumination is becoming more beautiful and more popular year by year.

 

Now there is hardly a family which does not celebrate Christmas Western style, like American, English, French, German, Scandinavian and so on, which means that Japanese Christmas style is fading out. But it only has real meaning for a few people in Japan. We hope Japanese style Christmas will be popular again some day.

 

MIRROR IMAGE CUSTOMS

 

These old customs whose origins are lost in time have distinct similarities with many of our Western customs - the Namahage is like the Hairy Hoards from Central European regions, and its visit is similar to the visit to Wales of the Mari Lwyd; The Welsh also decorated a Holly Tree in some areas, and the customs of throwing out Beans to release the demons is similar to the European customs of taking down all the Christmas decorations by twelfth night or bad luck will befall. The most interesting feature of this is the fact that originally the date for taking down evergreens was 2nd February, thereby releasing the wood spirits which had sheltered in the house during the winter.

 

Mr Ohnishi reports the following:

 

Santa Claus turned up in Japan in 1875, and the first book of Christmas was published in 1898, was called, 'SANTAKURO' and was a book about Santa Claus and for children.

 

The following account is not directly related to Christmas, but has the similarity with such European Christmas characters as 'Cramps' and 'Knecht Ruprecht'.

 

(Ed note: These are scary characters from Alpine tradition throughout Europe, which nowadays are part of the Santa Claus entourage).

 

"NAMAHAGE" has appeared in the snowy villages every 15th (January?). Namahage visits the houses in the village wearing the mask of a demon and clothes made of straw. He has a box which he rattles and it makes a scary noise. When he visits the houses he says, "Where are your naughty children?"

 

The children are afraid of him. The people living in the houses have to give him food and drink and entertain him, and then say, "My children are nice" to make him go away.

 

Also, "SHI-SHI-MAI" and "SHICHI FUKUGIN" come to the houses on New Years Day. This custom is like old Father Christmas in Britain when people believed that a holy traveller visited the villages on the day of the Winter Solstice.

 

We have another custom like the Christmas Tree custom. People decorate a pine tree in front of their houses on New Year's Day, and long ago some areas had the custom of cutting the pine tree which had to be done on the 13th December.

 

We also decorate a Holly Tree, and put the head of an Eagle on the door on the day of the beginning of Spring which is traditionally 3rd February. On this days we throw beans to let the demons out.

 

Have a good one all.

 

Regards,

Brian

[Pete Klein]

Sancta nox, placida nox (LATIN)

1. Sancta nox, placida nox!

Nusquam est ulla vox;

Par sanctissimum vigilat,

Crispo crine quieti se dat

Puer dulcissimus,

Puer dulcissimus.

 

2. Sancta nox, placida nox!

Certior fit pastor mox

Angelorum alleluia;

Sonat voce clarissima

Iesus salvator adest,

Iesus salvator adest.

 

3. Sancta nox, placida nox!

Nate Dei, suavis vox

Manat ex ore sanctissimo,

Cum is nobis auxilio,

Christe, natalibus,

Christe, natalibus.

 

Now just imagine it with the l's = r's.

 

Happy holidays!

[kusunokimasahige]

Please do NOT forget that the word : Santa Claus is a derivate from the DUTCH Sinterklaas (saint Nicholas) which was a much older fest, and is still celebrated in the Netherlands, Belgium, parts of Germany, and in the overseas territories of the Dutch...

 

Santa visits us on the eve of the 5th of december, looking for naughty children who will accompany him back to spain, having been put in his bag, or chastised with the "roede" whipping device (which is made of wicker)

 

Good Children will get presents.

 

he doesnt look like most American and Japanese people know him and he does not live at the North Pole.

 

He wears a Bisshop's robe and hat, carries a staff, travels on a white horse followed by his blask(Moorish) servants, and lives in Spain accordint to Dutch tradition...

 

Also the Knecht Ruprecht, has little to do with Santa's fairy helpers, but more with the Moorish servant of Sinterklaas: Zwarte Piet(Black Pete)

 

the Dutch/German word "Knecht" means servant.

 

The real character St Nicholas was bisshop of Myra around 400AD and saved children from cannibals.

 

A lot of people in the western world these days do not know where father Christmas came from.......

 

Rest assured, the festival was Dutch in the first place..........

 

KM