Orientalism In East Asia

In the ancient time, all human beings were born with an equal right without any distinction between each other. However, since the word “Orient” was recorded in the Western history book, it suddenly divided the world into two groups: West and East. The word “Orientalism” has been widely discussed in the Western academic literature and the media sources since the middle of the eighteenth century. The concept of the Orient does not indicate to a geographic area but often described as a group of people who live far away from Europe in East Asia which scarcely known by the European. The West has their own set of values and finds it difficult to understand the behavior of others, in this case, the Orient. Many European scholars could not identify

He also argued that scholarly writing from America and Europe presented inaccurate, misleading and stereotyped cultural representations of the East. Said believed these biased perceptions hindered a true understanding of Middle Eastern and East Asian culture. The Westerner tried to cross the line between what they know and what they have never seen it before (University of Cambridge, n.d.). The distinction erupts the word ‘Orientalism’ and separates human into two groups. Today the effect of Orientalism can be identified in any society as it continues to shape attitudes, images, and knowledge. This paper will give the explanation of the concept of Orientalism and a deep understanding of the West’s beliefs and views on the East Asia and Japan in particular regarding the effects of Orientalism on today’s society. The study will be narrow down to Japan by using “47 Ronin” as a case

This film was inspired by a real-life group of 47 masterless samurais in the eighteenth century who avenged the death of their lord and restored their honor, with the concept of Chushingura. The time plot based on the Ako Incident (1701-1703), during the ruling of the fifth Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709). Carl Rinsch, a director of this movie, received tons of negative feedback from many critics that the movie was unable to balance between classic Eastern tale and the more Western touches (Monji, n.d.). The similarity between the movie and real story is lord of Ako named Asano Naganori was assigned to hold a welcoming ceremony for the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. In the ceremony, Asano was slandered by the arrogant official named Kira Yoshinaka until he lost his temper, drew the sword, and attacked Kira. This was a grave breach of protocol and Asano was ordered to commit suicide (seppuku ritual) at once. His body was buried in a temple outside Edo and his estate was confiscated (Cavendish, 2002). Asano’s retainers became the ronin, a samurai without lord or master. However, the true story of the 47 Ronin has become the legend in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, dignity, and honor that people should preserve in their daily