Traditional Japan In Spirited Away

Traditional lacquer In granular AwayThe protagonist of the film, Chihiro, has lived a pampered living in the city and is naive and unprepared for adulthood. Her parents are portrayed as greedy and irresponsible in the symbol of the credit card wielding father turning into an overindulgent hog. (Broderick, 2003) The spirit world that she unknowingly enters represents the Taisho period of Nipponese history (around 1912 to 1926), a popular setting in Anime, only of particular individualised significance to Miyazaki. (Yoshioka, 2008) childhood memories chip in influenced his use of this time which does not simply create a feeling of nostalgia, but, as Yoshioka says, merges personal experience into a larger sense of past. (Yoshioka, 2008 p.257)The aspects of traditionalistic Japan displayed in the film vary from the overweening grandeur of the brothel to the simple, up to now quaint wooden houses and shops in the spirit town. The bathhouse unconstipated includes slide paper doors and massive ornate Satsuma-ware vases all representative of a prosperous location in Japan during the 1920s. It serves to act as an opposition to the modern character of Chihiro upon who the traditional aspects of Japanese society are lost. (Denison, 2007) Denison writes that the bathhouse holds valuable lessons for modern (Japanese) society, including, not allowing such a healthy eclectic heritage disappear in a culture obsessed with the furthering of technology as well as keeping the Japanese early days educated about their roots and heritage.Some of the major characters in the film also incorporate aspects of traditional Japanese houselore. Spirits have been featured as characters in numerous ancient Japanese folk tales, generally influenced by the both major religions Shinto and Buddhism. The ancient River Spirit which Chihiro helps to clean appears to have a face which resembles a Japanese Noh theatre mask. Another theatrical mask is also featured on the character of No-Face. The film also alludes to the practicing of religion in Japan and the ignorance of the youth towards it. In a motion-picture show at the beginning of the film Chihiro does not recognise some Shinto shrines and her mother explains their role yet it is evident that she does not consider them important saying some people think little liven up live there. (Spirited Away, 2001) It is evident from Miyazakis films as a whole that the spirituality is a common and often big theme, particularly, but not exclusively, among his films aimed at children.Certain themes recur in Miyazakis films. In Spirited Away many of these appear such as childhood, materialism and most notably environmentalism. The story of the spirit Haku links to the arguments mentioned so removed about the portrayal of tradition. The disappearance of Hakus home the Kohaku River due to materialism has led to his forgetting of the past and even his name alluding to the real possibility of people in Japan being so fo cused on the future they forget elements of their past, in this case an ancient river paved over to build apartments. (Osmond, 2008) Other Miyazaki films have also included the relationship between the spirits or gods and humans, mainly about the difficulty of the two living in harmony. Princess Mononoke (1997), Ponyo (2008) and My Neighbour Totoro (1988) are examples of this with each also carrying the theme of environmentalism.All of the points mentioned so far have reinforced that the world featured within Spirited Away shows a traditional, typically Japanese culture which aims to critique modern Japanese society as well as educate the films unripened target audience about the importance of tradition. Thanks to Disneys worldwide distribution deal with Miyazakis production confederation Studio Ghibli, the market for anime has been expanded so hugely that theres a now global sensation of not only modern and pseudo-futuristic Japan but also heightened understanding of Japanese tr adition fans (are) act with the cultural origins of anime texts. (Cubbison, 2005 p.45) This market has been so developed that anime now seems to cater specifically for the external market within its films. The complex identities of Miyazakis characters, such as Haku or Yubaba in Spirited Away are, match to Denison, created to appeal to a Hollywood-saturated world market. These characters employ a number of traits not inherently Japanese. Also, some aspects of the computer architecture and artwork featured in the film are not typically Japanese but tolerate elements of Western styles. An example of this can be found in the small thatched cottage owned by Zeniba, the kind twin sister of the unpleasant witch Yubaba, the owner of the aforementioned bathhouse.The Anime film pains has varying takes on the issue of tradition, but Miyazaki has taken on the issue whole heartedly in his films. Miyazakis fancy of the identity of the Japanese person, along with his concept of the loss of t raditional culture in the technological Mecca of contemporary Japanese society, has proved significant in the visual appeal of his films as well as their esthetic value. Not only does he reference parts of culture such as art, architecture and religion, but also references traditional theatre and behaviour (such as the removal of shoes before entering a house). Despite the fact that Miyazakis uses some hybridity with other cultures in his portrayal of tradition, the fundamental Japaneseness of Spirited Away is assoil and irrefutable.1030 wordsReferencesBroderick, M. 2003. 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