For my Shinto Blog I watched the YouTube clips on "The Peach Orchard." The dream begins with a young boy bringing a gift to his sister and her friends - who seemed to be having some sort of tea party. He notices that one of the girls is missing. His sister denies it, but he sees her. The young boy follows the girl into the woods. He chases her but is interrupted by a large group of costumed people- the Kami. These people explain that they are the Kami and they will no longer visit his house because his family cut down the peach orchard that used to be there. They scold the young boy for crying that the peach grove is gone- "Because he likes peaches!" they laugh.
The young boy responds, "No! Peaches can be bought. But where can you buy a peach orchard in full bloom?" This silences the personified Kami. They decide to let the boy see the orchard one last time. They do this through a long song and dance. They reveal the grove and the young boy chases the girl into it- then just as fast as the grove appeared. It's gone.
This relates to Shinto in its emphasis on nature and the power of nature. The boy is stopped directly in his tracks the power and size of the Kami as the peach orchard. Shinto is very detailed in its creation myth on emphasis on Japan and its culture and nature- this also seen in the clip. Also, even the idea of a personified humanistic depiction of a natural force (like a peach grove) is very Shinto- This relates that Kami and people and nature are not separate. The Kami communicate how upset they are that the peach orchard was cut down and the boy also shares how upset he is. The peach grove is more than just a place to get peaches - it is beauty it is the Kami.
I thought you did a good job on your analysis. I like how you picked out nature as one of the themes, and related it to Shinto principles. I also found that kami was represented in the clip I did. I think that the importance/power of the kami is an important theme for Shinto myth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of "The Peach Orchard" as I did the same movie clip. I beleive that nature and maintaining its beauty is very important in the Shinto religion. I believe that Kami believes in forgiveness and can truely see when something happens outside of ones control. (Which is why I believe Kami forgave the little boy; he was an innocent bystander.)
ReplyDeleteI too agree with the above posts. In my opinion nature is an important part of the Shinto religion. I watched the "Weeping Demon" clip and one of its important Shinto values dealt with nature and its beauty. Kami is also very important in the Shinto religion. It is very important to be thankful of the blessings of Kami.
ReplyDelete