Japanese Genealogy



A group of islands in the Northern Pacific Ocean and part of the Asian continent is the nation of Japan. It is a very old and traditional society that dates back centuries.

Native Japanese people have been raised to think of themselves as part of a group, and their group is always dealing with other groups. The other groups being their community, school, work, regions and islands. They are extremely sensitive to what others might think of them. They are not ones to gossip about other people. The Japanese always think as part of a group, to be ostracized is one of the worst things to happen to an individual.

At work, all the employees work as a group for the betterment of the company or business they work for. They traditionally remain working for the same company their whole life. Being isolated on their islands for centuries the Japanese have always kept outsiders or foreigners at a distance. The Japanese are very private people, to the point of being shy and introverted. Their demonstration of respect is the traditional Japanese bowing at the waist. The lower the bow the more respect.

Most of Japan’s history has been governed by an autocratic hierarchy. Switching to a democracy has taken time since 1945. Having always had an emperor as the superior being and now he is not has been hard for Japanese society to adjust. They are use to instinctively obeying a higher authority.

The Japanese have more interest in human feelings and emotions than scientific or logical concerns. Yet, because of a high population and very little land, they have needed to develop small ‘everything’ for their homeland. There have never been plentiful natural resources, only the hard-working and diligent Japanese people.

Education has always been important. The education system is to make the students adapt well in organizational structure such as companies, institutions, and governmental offices as a part of the organization.

The language of Japanese has regional divisions and many dialects, important in understanding Japanese genealogy. The Japanese make up 98.5 percent of the population in Japan’s total of about 128 million. They have remained a culturally homogeneous with small populations of foreign workers. At less than 1 percent each are the Korean and Chinese ethnic groups in Japan. The written language of Japanese is made up of characters or drawing, very similar to the Chinese writing.

Within the Japanese ethnic culture there are native groups. The main one is Yamato. Some of the minor ethnic groups include the Ainu, Ryukyuan and Burakumin. Family life has remained a strong social element for the Japanese and especially respect for the elderly.

The two major religions of the Japanese is Buddhism and Shintoism. Chinese Confucianism has also influenced Japanese beliefs over the years, worth noting in Japanese genealogy.

Much of Japanese music, art, literature, architecture reflect the Japanese’s love of nature. Much of their artwork exhibits the sea, plants, trees and creatures of nature.

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