Today we are talking about an exceptional case, the only book of its kind in my library, the author Alexander Nikolayevich Meshcheryakov. This thing is called "The Book of Japanese Symbols" and I will definitely tell about the books devoted to the history and culture of Japan, which stand on my shelf, Meshcheryakov, and not only him. But the key to them was "The Book of Japanese Symbols". I'm not an expert, I'm just a reader and my interest in Japanese history and culture began precisely with Japanese symbols.
What is so attractive about this book? It is written for the general reader, it does not imply any special knowledge from Japanese studies, from oriental studies, from the history of the newest and most ancient Land of the Rising Sun. But it presupposes a cultural interest, it suggests that it is interesting for a person to understand the essence of another, alien, and other national character. And this Japanese national character best embodies, of course, that the nation regards as its symbols.
There are a lot of symbols. This is something that takes on special significance in literature, art, music, everyday life. Those things, things, plants surrounding the Japanese have been here for many centuries and have acquired some cultural meaning.
That's the approach I must say, very interesting. There are quite a few books devoted to separately mythology, separately of culturology, separately to literature, but in order to do that, under one cover all spheres of knowledge about this ethnos, about another's culture, united around key, very simple and understandable things - this is the first time for me. I understand that there are many dictionaries, reference books, scientific works, but the point is that this book is an extremely attractive reading for a simple reader, just a leisurely curious person, as I am.
There is a certain universe, described through concrete, simple manifestations. But everything is not as simple as it seems. For example, in Japan, and everyone knows this, cherry blossoms are a national holiday when cherry blossoms go Japanese, go on a nature, drink sake or not alcoholic beverages, eat deliciously, make a noise, rejoice, have fun - they celebrate cherry blossoms. But this is not the independence of the state, not some kind of cultural event ... just a decorative cherry blossoms.
And so in every small thing about which we are talking. Whether it's tea and tea ceremony, whether it's bamboo, or carp, it's a wonderful day for boys, when you can see a picture of a carp raised above each house, where there is a son or grandson, a growing man. This is all a mystery behind seven seals for the average reader, not an orientalist or a Japanese expert.
There are very interesting remarks about poetry, literature, culture, and technology. You can read how the Japanese cope with everyday problems, you can read about their passion for miniaturization, a brilliant talent for translating other people's inventions and bringing them to perfection. After all, what Japan is famous for now, as a country, as a culture, is largely borrowed from foreign countries, but transformed into the highest skill. This desire for excellence in every action is also manifested in all special cases.
In the book there are a lot of episodes from the history, old texts are quoted, which, of course, I would never have recognized and seen. And in the "Book of Japanese Symbols" selected the most tasty pieces: fairy tales, legends. There are also some modern works.
In the same book, there is a chapter on brothels in Japan. I must say that there absolutely different attitude to all these issues, to the issues of sex, to the issues of sex for money, absolutely different attitude to the nakedness of the human body. And Europeans, who are children of the Christian civilization, understand and accept this, is not at all easy.
What I like most about Meshcheryakov is a delightful point of view. Not the slightest snobbishness, not the slightest comparison, comparison, as they have, like us, who is better. A huge love for those people, for what it is worth to love in them, what deserves love, to the history that he is engaged in. And this love does not manifest itself in any general places and words, but in concrete knowledge.
Alexander Nikolayevich Meshcheryakov
Of course, Meshcheryakov's erudition is boundless and knowledge of the smallest details, absolutely amazing. Sometimes he describes some details from modern life, from modern Tokyo, from modern manners and life of the Japanese, which are very difficult to get out of mass media publications, from some other popular books.
This book captivates, fills with meaning all that seems decorative-applied, patterned, as, for example, Japanese hieroglyphs, than so love to decorate holidays "in the Japanese style".
You understand that the relationship between cultures is a complex and multifaceted process and there are not only borrowings, improvements or reciprocal influence, but some kind of energy exchange.