Discussion:
Japanese Oedipus；Concealed phallus, or “no phallus”
To summarize
what I have discussed so far, secretiveness and non-expression could characterize
the Japanese mentality, and they seem to stem from their temperament of bashfulness,
shyness and interpersonal sensitivity. It might not be too much off the mark to
say that recent study in biological psychiatry demonstrates that Japanese
anxiety-ridden and neo-phobic (avoidance of novel stimulus) temperament is
explained genetically, especially in an exaggerated population of those who
possess short allele of serotonin transporter gene* and decreased dopamine
receptor frequency**among Japanese people.
I then
demonstrated that these Japanese characteristics find their sublimated
expression in the area of culture and art, where virtue and aesthetic value are
sought into what is hidden and obscure.
Some Japanese outbound psychoanalytic
notions, such as Ajasé complex of Kosawa, amaé of Takeo Doi, and taboo of ‘don’t
look’ of Kitayama, all feature these Japanese mentality. In the concept of Ajasé,
it is not Oedipal and punitive influence, but maternal forgiveness which is
found to create guilt in human mind. In Taboo of don’t look, what is prohibited
is not to challenge the power or authority, but to uncover the ugliness and
weakness in real human beings：a taboo to be broken in time, as Kitayama
aptly put it. In Doi’s notion of amaé it is this pre-oedipal relationship with
the mother that Doi would call Amaé relationship passive object love.
These notions, together with the tendency of
secretiveness and non-expression make it appear that Japanese mentality is
rather foreign to the oedipal confrontation. Japanese do not express their
power and capacity, but conceal them. By doing so, they can avoid being
conspicuous. Concealment of one’s capacity might help avoid envious feeling in
others, thus reducing the possibility of clash between powers.
The issue
of Oedipus, the theme of our symposium selected by the organizers, can be summarized
into the following question;
Where is
the phallus and how is it handled in a given culture ?
I would venture to say that in Japanese culture, one’s phallus is concealed and hidden, but without an implication of its absence. It is of significance that in Shunga (erotic Ukiyoé, distributed underground among Japanese population in Edo era, mainly for adult-entertainment purpose), man’s genital organs are exposed and exaggerated in their size, just like haura which was showy and colorful, but hidden underneath the cloths shown in public.
I would venture to say that in Japanese culture, one’s phallus is concealed and hidden, but without an implication of its absence. It is of significance that in Shunga (erotic Ukiyoé, distributed underground among Japanese population in Edo era, mainly for adult-entertainment purpose), man’s genital organs are exposed and exaggerated in their size, just like haura which was showy and colorful, but hidden underneath the cloths shown in public.
In this
world, possession or non-possession of power, especially in its utmost form of
nuclear weapon, is keenly questioned and scrutinized, and some countries strive
to achieve their power to possess it. Perhaps, and I would propose this,
Japanese way regarding possession of power is to leave it ambiguous.
