Abstract
This paper researches Japanese culture, a culture primarily based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as The Buddha, in his work "The Eightfold Path". According to this paper, The Buddha was not Japanese but, probably, Nepalese and while he is believed to have lived from 543 to 483 B.C.E., some hold that he lived a century later.

Contents:
How Buddhism Creates a Unique "Built Environment"
Japanese Ritual is What Transforms 'Nothing' Into 'Something.'
Smaller Artifacts and Buddhism/Spirituality
Symbolic Carvings on Useful Items: Synthesis
Borrowing From Another Asian Culture
The Final Frontier of Spirituality: Metaphysics and Quantum Physics
Synthesis

From the Paper
"Like so much else in Japanese culture, it is not what it seems, but rather a symbolic combination of the mundane (hair ornamentation) with the sublime, or, as Jones puts it, "transforming the ordinary object into something extraordinary. The object's relationship with its surroundings and its own purpose are integral to kazari" (Jones, 2003, p. 4626), a fact that brings this, too, into the metaphysical realm suggested by the brief passage from The Eightfold Path.
The genius of the Japanese is also cited as their ability to incorporate elements from other cultures and make them not only their own, but central to the Japanese way of life. "Most aspects of Japanese culture came at one time from China--the tea ceremony, for example--and ... shows Japan's fascination with China in the 15th and 16th centuries"

Tags:ancient, spirituality, physical, Ashikaga, netsuke, zen, Kaiwai, kimono, Kojiro, Yuichiro

Abstract
This paper examines Yamamoto Tsunetomo's "Hagakure" as a product of the Tokugawa period of Japanese history. The author examines how the "Hagakure" was considered somewhat cultish and antiquated at the time of its writing. He identifies how, as a primary source, it represents an outsider's view of the changes that were taking place in Japan. The author examines the night of the 47 ronin, the modern-day view that historians take of the document, and the initial reaction to the document. In conclusion the author states that "Hagakure" allows us a very close and involved look at the Tokugawa period, from a man who fought his whole life to come to a realization about how one should live in it.

From the Paper
"Tsunetomoa's work is a spectacular window into the thoughts of a man living both a tumultuous life as well as a man living in an unpredictable socio-political climate. Through Hagakure, we are allowed insight into the world in which Tsunetomo lived. Hagakure invites the modern-day reader into a rich tapestry of ideas and philosophy, but it also serves as a reflection of the time in which it was written. Yamamoto Tsunetomoa's work illustrates many social, cultural, and political trends of the time period: it is one mans critical reflection upon several aspects of the Tokugawa period, and as such represents a valuable primary source of Japan in the early 18th century. Hagakure is most definitely a product of the time in which it was written."

Tags:ashikaga, asian, bushido, class, culture, daimyo, death, eastern, edo, five, history, imperial, japan, japanese, kyoto, meditation, mitsuhige, miyamoto, musashi, mysticism, ninja, onin, philosophy, rings, ronin, samurai, seppuku, shogun, society, suicide, tokugawa, uji, warrior