The origin of Japanese culture and, the world view as its logical conclusion.
	Hiromasa Noguti. Mail-address cotosiro@js6.so-net.ne.jp. September 13, 2003. This was renewed in March 27, 2004. Since this English edition was the unsatisfactory translation and performance, this was rewritten now. January 17, 2005. This was revised a little in April 15, 2008.
	4. The Jomon people's world view. 4-2. The religion for Jomon people.
	By the way, the Jomon people's religion is the polytheism to be based on the animism. And, it is said that the people in those days had held the religious ceremony with using the clay dolls and so on as the ritual utensil, corresponding to the timetable of a year to spend. It is said the clay dolls having the shape of woman are the symbol of the good harvest and reproduction. And, the good harvest and reproduction always were the serious matter of concern for Jomon people. Therefore, it has to think the clay dolls like that often were used in the prayer about the hunting's and agriculture's or other's going well. Then, concerning the funeral, it is said the bones of mankind often are excavated out of the shell mound. In other words, the shell mound also was the important place for the prayer, not the simple dumping ground. If it considers the Ainu's religious viewpoint, it can understand easily the religious meaning of shell mound. (Notice Ainu belongs to the old type Mongoloid same as the Jomon people. ). Thereupon, it thinks about the Ainu's religious viewpoint and worldview for some time. The Ainu is the old type Mongoloid to live in Japanese Island, and also is the descendant of the Jomon people. And, it can think we are inheriting the Jomon culture and also the genes of Jomon people, whether the inherited blood is many or not, if it considers the feature of our brain and our history. Therefore, it is that we need to know the Ainu's religious viewpoint and world view for understanding oneself. However, it seems the Jomon people had very active outgoing character. In other words, it seems the Jomon people are slightly different at the temperament from the Ainu who stopped the progress of civilization. This is the problem to treat carefully. In passing, the reason why as a time, a community stops the evolution of civilization is examined in other opportunity. By the way, as it stated before, the Ainu's worldview is based on the animism fundamentally. In other words, the Nature for them is the appearance of the gods and goddesses. Even if it says it is the gods and goddesses itself, it never be exaggeration. Many of the gods and goddesses are born out of the land of the gods and goddesses(spiritual world), trying to give Ainu the benefits. So, the people worshiped and greeted the gods and goddesses with the gratitude. It seems that in the old times, the contact between the Ainu and the gods and goddesses was the daily occurrences. Therefore, their culture and norms almost were formed with the manners and ceremony, that is, the way to get along with the gods and goddesses(the Nature) fundamentally. In passing, in this case, the Nature includes the human being. For Ainu, the words were the means of contact not only in between the human being but also in between them and the gods and goddesses. Therefore, it seems the lie was the most detestable act in their society. It is because the words were the means necessary to make the gods and goddesses materialize. They must have believed the words to be holy. And, it seems Jomon people also had the same thought as Ainu fundamentally. So, I named Jomon people's understanding of words " the Thought of Tak", that is, "the Thought of Coto-siro". Therefore, it is supposed the verbal promise in those days was the more important contract to obey honestly than the written contract though it doesn't know whether in those days there was a written contract. Probably, their contract like that was the contract made between a heart and a heart, not between an organization and an organization. In that reason, it seems such verbal promise could keep the effectiveness. Anyhow, it is certain the ancient people's good faith to the verbal promise is the virtue apt to be pushed to the bottom of the heart at the present civilization. However, the world Ainu images never be the simple world composed of the gods and goddesses. It is because they hold the ceremony named "Kamuy-nomi". The "Kamuy nomi" is the ceremony to make a soul(god or goddess) having lost the body in this world go back to the land of the gods and goddesses(spiritual world). In other words, it gets the souls of the broken tools, the dead persons and animals, and so on to go back to the spiritual world in the words of gratitude. If so, it isn't so hard to suppose the shell mound in the Jomon period also was the place for this ceremony. In passing, it is supposed a "Hari-kuyou"(a memorial service for needle) to be seen in present Japan is the trace of the ceremony like this. For the Ainu people, the world is composed of two world, that is, this world making the gods and goddesses active and the land of the gods and goddesses(spiritual world). And, the "i-tak" meaning the "words" in the Ainu's language includes the meaning that a someone's calling the name of the god or goddess gives the birth to the god or goddess. In other words, it means it makes the concept of something materialize to this world by the words. But, the materialization of concept like that isn't the simple mirror of the Idea World. The concept like that necessarily is a soul of something, materializes as the phenomenon, because of the "i-tak" someone utters. Not until the gods and goddesses are summoned to this world by someone, it can make one's own divine nature materialize. It can say the above is the fundamental thought extracted out of Ainu's worldview. Thereupon, recollect the characteristic and relationship of the "Kan-musubi" and "Takami-musubi". And, compare it to the Ainu's worldview. It isn't so hard to imagine these two gods to be the logical conclusion from the Ainu's worldview. Of course, these gods aren't the gods Ainu believes. However, if it considers the Ainu's worldview philosophically while comparing this worldview with the Jomon people's worldview, these gods look like, to be born out of the Ainu's worldview. Anyhow, since Ainu's worldview is similar to Jomon people's worldview, it isn't so hard to suppose these gods are the worshipped gods since the Jomon period. Those two gods are the cause of the gods and goddesses, are the gods embodying the most abstract concept. If the Jomon culture was at the peak of prosperity from the middle term of the Jomon period to the latter term of the Jomon period, as it thought, it can't but think those gods were born in that period. It is that these two gods are the philosophical crystal embodying the Jomon people's worldview. All the things of this world are the gods and goddesses if it considers the Jomon people's worldview logically. In other words, it can think the land of the gods and goddesses, as a matter of fact, is the chaotic world having not only the beauty and the justice but also the ugliness and the evil. Moreover, it can get the conclusion that the spirit of the dead without the "Kamuy nomi", the spirit of the dead having the curse of something are staying at this world. Because it is certain the world(heaven and hell) for the dead doesn't exist at the world of Jomon people, if it analyses the Jomon people's worldview logically. If so, it can't but think this world not only is the den of creature but also is the den for the ghosts and of the vengeful gods and goddesses. Needless to say, this is the logical conclusion from Jomon people's worldview persistently. It isn't Jomon people necessarily were thinking so. In Japanese history, the Heian period was the most horrible times, in that the many ghosts, hungry devils and monsters, and so on roamed on the streets while spreading the fog of curse here and there. In those days, it is said the political fights often happened between the nobles, and so on with the hideous sight. And, the muggers and robbers, the killers and kidnappers, and also the horrible poverty, and so on often were giving the people terrible pain. The dead from hunger were left on the streets without the burial here and there. On the other hand, the nobles were enjoying the terrifically extravagant life without the concern about the people's discontent. It was natural that the vengeful ghosts and the spirits of the dead without the burial kept on increasing, scattering the horrible curse here and there in those days. In passing, the present Japanese situation are about to be similar to the detestable situations like that seen at Heian period as if it is the schedule someone intended. Give yourself the care not to be possessed to such curse please! This is my advice. By the way, all the gods and goddesses materialize as the phenomenon, coming to this world from the land of the gods and goddesses when it is summoned by words, if it follows the Jomon people's world view. If so, even if it is the other peoples or the enemy, and the evil, the ugliness, and so on, it reaches the conclusion these all exist as the god or goddess at the land of the gods and goddesses. In that meaning, it can think that "the concepts having a soul", that is, the gods and goddesses have the equality and freedom without being restricted by anything at each divine nature. It is that the gods and goddesses like that appear as the phenomenon, coming to this world, obeying one's own divine nature persistently. However, for such materialization of the gods and goddesses, it needed the place they can be active, and also the existence leading them to the condition like that with words.
NEXT PAGE			It seems the Jomon people in those days had known such logical conclusion though it doesn't know the extent of understanding. And, it seems the Jomon people's recognition like that found out "Kan-musubi"(the object for cognition) and "Takami-musubi"(cognition-subject). It is that the gods and goddesses materialized at this world because of the relationship of those two gods. And, the materializing gods and goddesses were this world itself. Needless to say, the world like that often gives us the benefits. In other words, it seems the Jomon people in those days understood the world(the Nature and human being ) favorably in the active attitude, thinking that the appeal in the words moves the world. The certain opinion says the Jomon people went to Chile of the South American continent, crossing the Pacific. And, the Micronesian and so on to belong to the old type Mongoloid are the habitant of the Pacific islands. If so, the opinions like that may be proper because Jomon people also belong to the old type Mongoloid.
Cotosiro