Information Education Bulletin No. 21, October 4, 1945 Page: 3 of 14
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child. The mid-wife, as the professional expert involved in the .
child's birth, is also invited. Each guest except the mid-wife brings
a gift of kimono material for the infant as well as rice and wine--
this in exchange for the feast food and wine to be consumed at the
party.
The actual ceremony of naming may be done in a number of W ys.
is for the guests present to write names on slips °f paper and Place
these in a bowl. The mid-wife, with the aid of sacred wine and a
Buddhist rosary, selects one slip and reads the name on it, after
which the child is passed from guest to guest as each takes a drin
and pronounces the name thus selected. In this way the new child
acquires a name while the local community becomes aware of
One
a new member.
The birth of the child, if a first child, especially a first son,
gives the new wife added status in the eyes of her husband’s family at
and also makes her now a full-fledged member of her husband s community•
In rural areas, after the birth of a child a woman may give up some.01
her maidenly reserve, begin to smoke and drink a little and engage in
occasional broad banter.
The next stage in a child's life is a more religious one. At 31
days if a boy, 32 if a girl, a child is taken to the local village
Shinto shrine for a ceremonial introduction to the patron deities to
the village. This ceremony, known as hiaki, is performed by 80
Shinto priest. Hiaki marks also the lifting of a number of tabus. The
child may now be carried across water, and the mother may now agai
sleep with her husband.
For about a year the new child, especially if a boy, is the favored
one in the family. At any time he may drink milk from his mother’s
breast and whatever he cries for will be given him. At the same timed y
however he is rigidly trained in cleanliness. Together with his mother
he has a daily deep bath in very hot water. The strong emphasis on the
daily bath among Japanese is best understood by considering the genera
emphasis of Shinto on ritual cleanliness. Furthermore, with the rul
that no shoes may be worn inside the house and the necessity of keeping
the floor mats clean, the child is trained at an early stage not to wet
or dirty either himself or the mats. In spite of personal cleanliness
and cleanliness within the Japanese home, the exterior in many cases
lacks any semblance of a sanitary condition. We all have seen the
the Japanese urinating and deficating in public.
2. Formal education. At about the age of 3 or 4 a youngster be-
comes part of a small age group and begins the slow process of learning
to get along with other children. Even in these early years a boy
will receive special educational influences different from those o.
his sister. On a walk to some beauty spot a mother may tell her young
daughter to walk behind her brother because she is the lady while the
boy is the gentleman. A first son as he grows up will be given pre-
ferred treatment over his younger brothers.
Formal education begins at the age of 6. To begin with, the official
Shinto priest of the local shrine performs a ritual and hands out Child
first book of ethics and patriotism. After the shrine service the child
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27th Infantry Division. Information Education Bulletin No. 21, October 4, 1945, text, October 4, 1945; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1679699/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation.