My father-in-law passed away in the middle of last month. It was sad to lose a family member, but since I experienced a train of events concerning funerals of the deceased, I think I had an opportunity to think about some Japanese customs.

One of the strange things about Japanese customs is related to funerals. I guess Japanese funeral customs and practices must be so mysterious in the eyes of foreign people because I, who have always been Japanese, think so. Of course there are different cultures in the world, but when compared to Western funeral customs, I think funerals in Japan are unique.

Celebrate in Shrines, Mourn in Temples
In Japan, when a baby is born the family members visit their local Shinto shrine to celebrate. Until recently, most Japanese couples have exchanged their wedding vows in front of shrine. Merchants, businessmen, and their staff visit shrines to pray for their success in business. However, when someone dies, a Buddhist monk comes to chant sutras for the funeral. The deceased receives kaimyo, a Dharma name for becoming a Buddha, and is buried in the family tomb. When I was a child, I was not quite sure which was a shrine and which was a temple. I just knew that you were allowed to clap hands at shrines, but not in temples. However, why do people celebrate in shrines but mourn in temples? I have been wondering that for a long time.

I tried to unravel the mystery and found an explanation about the different traditions. In the first place, the Japanese worshiped multitudinous gods, i.e. forces of nature. Their faith led to Shinto. In the Shinto concept, death, disease, and unhealthy surroundings were what they called kegare, which means pollution and defilement, something to be avoided. Kegare also means loss of life force and when someone fell into the state of kegare, s/he was thought to have committed a crime. Therefore, those who were deemed to be in the state of kegare were segregated from others for oharai or a ritual of purification. On the other hand, when Buddhism was introduced, it revolutionized their view of death. In Buddhism, it is believed that every person is continuously reincarnated as someone or something; one death is just a part of the cycle and is not deemed to be kegare.　What’s more, according to the Buddhism Japan embraced as a religion to worship, anyone can become Buddha and go to heaven.

Strangely enough, those Shinto and Buddhist views, though incompatible with each other, are somewhat mixed and have been coexisting to this day. However, since the concept of kegare become established in Japanese culture and customs, people allegedly came to celebrate in Shinto ways, but mourn for the dead, which is related to kegare, according to Buddhist rites. Of course, this is a common belief and those Japanese who are pious Shintoists, Buddhists, and Christians hold special events according to the institution of their own religion.

Tolerant National Character
Most Japanese people thus hold funeral ceremonies in Buddhist styles. According to Buddhism, those who are in mourning (generally for about 50 days) should not join in auspicious occasions or eat shojin ryori without meat and fish. However, these days, feasts such as sushi and tempura dishes are served after the wake of the deceased. According to the recent thinking, high-quality meals should be served to funeral attendees. When the attendees leave the venue, they receive salt for purification so they throw it at their own bodies before they enter their homes. The salt, however, is used for purification according to Shinto tradition, not Buddhist. Some say we don’t have to throw salt after the funeral because death is not considered to be kegare in Buddhism.

The Japanese have such a unique concept; we go to shrines for auspicious occasions but to temples for funerals and memorial services. There are some rites and rituals at funerals whose origins are unclear whether they are from Shinto or Buddhism. Despite being in mourning, deceased family members do eat meat and fish and never eat shojin ryori. There has always been a convenient interpretation of funerals on a moment-to-moment basis, and all of us accept it without any feeling of strangeness. Though Japanese people seem strict about rules, we have a loose mind, I guess. Maybe we have a tolerant national character. Or, from another point of view, I think the Japanese value celebrating and mourning in a balanced manner.

Reported by Yukari Aoike, Sugahara Institute

By Helen Briggs BBC News 5 February 2014 Last updated at 01:42

About one in five people suffer from acute or chronic pain

Pain sensitivity is controlled by a genetic “dimmer switch”, which can be re-set, UK scientists have said.
Twins sharing 100% of genes have different pain thresholds, which can potentially be altered by lifestyle or medication, say researchers at King’s College, London.
The study could lead to new painkillers or lifestyle interventions, they report in Nature Communications.
One in five of the population suffers from acute or chronic pain.

“Start Quote
“Using drugs or changes in lifestyle we could be able to reset that [pain] thermostat allowing that person in the future to feel less pain”
End Quote Tim Spector Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London
Lead researcher Dr Jordana Bell said the potential to regulate genes involved in pain sensitivity “is very exciting and could lead to a more effective pain relief treatment for patients suffering with chronic pain”.
Sensitivity to pain is complex, with wide individual variation. Previous studies have suggested about half of the influence is explained by genes.
To identify levels of sensitivity to pain, scientists tested 25 pairs of identical twins using a heat probe placed on the arm.
Identical twins share 100% of their genes; therefore any difference between identical twins must be due to their environment or changes affecting the function of their genes.
Study participants were asked to press a button when the heat became painful for them, which allowed the researchers to determine their pain thresholds.
Using DNA sequencing, the researchers examined the whole genetic codes (genomes) of the twins and compared them with 50 unrelated individuals.
The research team found chemical changes within nine genes involved in pain sensitivity that were different in one twin but not in her identical sister.
These were most significant within a known pain sensitivity gene, which is already a target for the development of new painkillers.
Research into the switching on and off of genes, a process known as epigenetic regulation, is a big growth area for the development of new medicines.

‘Landmark’ study
Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, said epigenetic switching is “like a dimmer switch for gene expression”.
“This landmark study shows how identical twins, when combined with the latest technology to look at millions of epigenetic signals, can be used to find the small chemical switches in our genes that make us all unique – and in this case respond to pain differently.”
The chemical changes act like a “thermostat” or “dimmer switch” to set an individual’s pain sensitivity, Prof Spector added.
“Using drugs or changes in lifestyle, we might be able to reset that thermostat, allowing that person in the future to feel less pain,” he told BBC News.
“The epigenetic changes are potentially reversible.”

Original Article: NNC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26034185

by C.B. Liddell
Special To The Japan Times　 Feb 3, 2014

Nambu iron ‘Camomille’ teapot (No. 5, 2009). | COURTESY OF SHIODOME MUSEUM

Nowadays we seldom think about how the weather impacts on our working patterns, but in the past it was obviously a much more important factor. This was especially true in those areas that experienced bitterly cold winters with heavy snow, like the northern Tohoku region, where people spent long hours indoors and developed habits of slow, steady work to keep themselves occupied (and warm).

In 2012, the “Tema Hima” (Effort/Time) exhibition at Tokyo’s 21_21 Design Sight focused on the unique working culture of the region, drawing attention to a wide range of handicrafts, from basket weaving and lacquerware to the preservation of various foodstuffs. These were all activities that, besides producing items of value, also helped to stave off the “cabin fever” that can descend when people are cooped up for too long in the winter months.

These handicrafts even included the casting and finishing of ironware, with one of the region’s most famous products being Nambu Tekki, iron goods from the area around Morioka in Iwate Prefecture. In the Edo Period (1603-1868), this was known as Nambu. The “Tema Hima” exhibition included a few examples, but now “Made in Japan: 400 Years of Nambu Tekki Ironware” at the Shiodome Museum presents a more in-depth look at the ironware, which is famous throughout Japan for its quality and handcrafted excellence.

The industry started up in the early 17th century when the Nambu feudal clan invited Kyoto kettle craftsmen to Morioka. But “industry” — with its connotations of large smelting works and great factories — is perhaps the wrong word. The video that accompanies the exhibition shows that Nambu Tekki is very much part of the Tema Hima culture, with production being a small-scale, craft-sized endeavor, with a multitude of processes that take time and attention, long before the actual casting is done; after which there are a large number of finishing processes.

The show is dominated by tetsubin, kettles that are often used in the tea ceremony. One of the most characteristic designs has a dimpled surface. Of these there are several examples. As the video shows, this design is created by coating the molds with a smooth surface of soft clay, and then adding the dimples manually by gently tapping them in. This is then baked hard, after which an inner mold is inserted and the intervening space filled with molten iron and left to set. The slightest mistake will, of course, ruin the entire time-consuming process, so great diligence is exhibited throughout.

Because of its connection with the tea ceremony, Nambu Tekki has developed a great many other aesthetically pleasing designs. Some kettles are shaped like bells; others have patterns from nature — running horses, a fish leaping through the waves, a squirrel nibbling grapes or various flowers. You can imagine the craftsmen working through the long winter months thinking about these summery motifs with the snow heaped up around their doors.

One of the advantages that small craft-based industries have over mass-production industries is flexibility. They can easily respond to changes in taste without the need for massive retooling and reorganization, and they can also easily experiment in new product lines. Despite their comparative isolation from the metropolitan centers of fashion, the makers of Nambu Tekki have not been slow in this regard. The exhibition also includes some very minimalist designs, as well as a variety of other utensils, such as grills and cooking ware. The natural iron released during the cooking of meat is supposed to enhance nutrition.

The exhibition also features a teahouse by the designer Shigeru Uchida and a table setting using items designed by Sori Yanagi, showing off some of the more contemporary pieces. But, perhaps the most interesting variation on the traditional tea kettles are the teapots produced for the French market.

Unlike the products for the Japanese market, which often have an element of wabi-sabi about them, these are brightly colored in shocking pinks or bright white with gold detailing.

The fact that these items have also found a market overseas also gives them a kudos and an appeal to Japanese audiences, creating the interesting spectacle of a provincial craft industry re-importing the aesthetic it used to export to the sophisticated French market.

Original Article: The Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/02/03/style/japans-iron-age-continues-in-style/

Tuesday, February 4th was “Rishun,” the first day of spring in the lunar calendar. It is supposed to start spring from this day.

Actually, temperature rose high throughout Japan as if to feel it were the beginning of summer over the past weekend.

However, it turned round that a big cold wave covered the nation and it snowed in many places.

The real spring is still quite far away.

Pedestrians walking quickly in the snow at Tokyo Station
＝Photo by Naotsugu Umemura at 17:05 on Feb. 4, 2014 Chiyoda-District Tokyo

Snows on ume blossoms, as if the season went back
＝Photo by Hironori Tsuchie at 17:16 on Feb. 4, 2014 Kairakuen, Mito-city

Sources: Mainichi Shinbum
http://mainichi.jp/graph/2014/02/04/20140204k0000e040240000c/001.html