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21ST LIT - review
Architecture (BSA)
Holy Angel University
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Republic of the PhilippinesDepartment of Education Schools Division of Angeles City REGION III – CENTRAL LUZON ML Quezon St., Cor. Doña Aurora St., Lourdes Sur East, Angeles CityANGELES CITY SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL
Critical Analysis on Shimenawa by Naoki Kumagai
Cherrie Mae S. Delfin 11-Anaxagoras November 22, 2022
It was August 1973. Naoko Kumagai composed a short story entitled Shimenawa. Naoko Kumagai has worked in journalism, public relations, screenwriting, and filmmaking. She has earned a screenwriting award from the Canadian Film Centre, been featured in the magazine's Rice Paper and Event, and won the non-fiction contest for Room magazine in 2014. Shimenawa is a special rope tied around an object or space to denote its sanctity or purity. It symbolizes ritual purification and warding off evil spirits as their traditions and belief. Shimenawa came from the word “Shime” which means to hold or embrace, and “nawa” means rope. This knotted rope is said to serve as a barrier between the holy side and the outside world and to keep pollution away from where the kami resides.
This story is from East Asia, Japan. The story is about punishment wherein Jiro, Kazuya, and the Mother of Jiro are the characters in the story. In the first part of the story, "E tadaki mas" was mentioned by Kazuya, Jiro’s uncle. It means giving respect in terms of eating. “E tadaki mas” is often translated as "I humbly receive," or "Thanks for the food". Some even liken it to the religious tradition of saying grace before eating. However, Jiro was not eating appropriately. He mashed the onigiri in his mouth then the fish and rice were untouched. Onigiri is rice balls with a meat or vegetable filling that are typically covered in nori seaweed. They are excellent for a quick and simple snack, similar to sandwiches in the West, and are often found in convenience stores across Japan.
As a result of Jiro’s actions, Kazuya pulled Jiro out of his chair, pushed him to the trunk of an oak, and then wrapped the rope around Jiro. This event shows their family tradition. Wherein they believe that respect is necessary when eating and Jiro ultimately disobeyed the family rules. The scenario where Kazuya punished Jiro is their culture since there's a belief that Shimenawa is the tool for punishment used in Shino rites. Shimenawa is located all around, but they are usually
References:
Banana Writers. Background about Naoko Kumagai, from
bananawriters/japanesedarkstory#:~:text=Naoko%20Kumagai%20has%20a %20background,non%2Dfiction%20contest%20in%202014.
Japan Centre. Description about Onigiri, from
japancentre/en/recipe/14-onigiri-rice-ballsShimenawa
Toyo Manabu (2016 July 12). Description of Shimenawa, from
nippon/en/views/b05204/
Japan Experience (2015 December 07). Location of Shimenawa, from
japan-experience/plan-your-trip/to-know/understanding-japan/shimenawa
Mami Suzuki (2016 September 20). Meaning of E tadaki mas, from
tofugu/japanese/itadakimasu-meaning/
21ST LIT - review
Course: Architecture (BSA)
University: Holy Angel University
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