The Sound Of Waves 'By Ibuse Masuji Carp'

In the Japanese culture, nature is one of the biggest factors that takes place in both their religions and in their lives. It’s even mentioned heavily in both, Mishima's The Sound of Waves, and the short story by Ibuse Masuji “Carp”. What makes nature such a key factor is that it can symbolize multiple attributes without reason. Within Japanese literature and culture nature is the reason for people to appreciate the small things in life and the reminder to celebrate the resources it provides. It also heightens a greater respect for what they have being that it is a small island surrounded by the pacific ocean in East Asia.

For starters one of the greatest reasons why I believe water is such a big factor

It started out with this guy and his friend, but then the friend has to go so he decides to give his friend this Carp as a gift to remember him by. At first the fish didn't mean much to him, he just threw the fish in a bucket with water, then later on put the fish into a pond of a close friend. He then eventually went back for the fish because it gained sentimental value once he realized his friend has died. So even in Japanese literature they would use fish and other animals to show the signs of how the people of the culture genuinely react to situations that may occur. In this case because of his friend’s death the author used the fish as a pawn in the story to show how even the smallest gifts in Japanese culture may imprint a greater value to them (Ibuse

Steinberg Rafael states, “Japanese have an ancient tea ceremony named sad which translates to the way of the tea, traces back to the 700’s, the ceremony includes precise etiquette, elegant movement and smoothness in the way the tea is poured, prepared and drank.” In the home of a Japanese native the typical drink offered to his guests as a sign of hospitality is a cup of tea, but the only difference compared to the American way of serving a drink is that when they pour your glass of tea, they don’t fill it to the top of the rim of the glass, but instead they fill it up half way to avoid their company possibly spilling or accidentally splashing the drink on themselves or