'flying' as a Japanese tradition??

natalia · 4 Dec 2008

I am a student, writing my dissertation on Miyazaki's anime film Laputa - Castle in the Sky and i am looking at how Japanese culture has been influenced by 'flight'.
Flying features a lot in many anime films and i am hoping that you can excuse my ignorance on the subject so far and perhaps let me know if there are any books i can use to help me understand how flying features in any Japanese culture as a tradition.. if at all??

From my research so far, I can't see too much information on this so am really hoping someone might know something to point me in the right direction pretty please!

Any information will help

thank you!! x

nice gaijin · 4 Dec 2008

You're writing a dissertation on the concept of flight in Japanese culture because you've seen things flying in animation? Is there any solid basis for such a hypothesis? And do you actually mean dissertation, as in graduate/doctorate thesis?

Goodness. And please refrain from posting the same thing in multiple threads.

natalia · 4 Dec 2008

I'm writing about flying in Japanese animation because it is not something that has really been explored thoroughly yet and i thought it would be interesting to find some links rooted in early cultural traditions....
Yes i do mean dissertation. I have 2 dissertations as i am doing a joint degree and this is one of them.

i didnt think i was posting the same thing more than once as i was asking about different aspects within each message. none asked the same thing. apologies if i hadn't made that clear.
i was just hoping someone might be able to help that was all..?

Emoni · 4 Dec 2008

Jez... from someone who is working 8 hours + a day reading books and studying like a madman to put together a research proposal, I sure hope this isn't serious.

Wait, maybe I should...

natalia · 4 Dec 2008

it is serious... and this is doing nothing to help me stop panicing that i picked a way too difficult area thats almost impossible.
but nevertheless i plan to power through.

Malamis · 4 Dec 2008

A quick glance at the work of the wikifiddlers reveals that Miyazaki was personally enamoured with the concept and execution of flight, and peripherally that his films were tremendously successful.

Cynicism dictates that any following cinematographic trend must therefore have been so inspired, just to jump on the bandwagon.
But then that is wikipedia, and you should never trust anything you read on t'internet.

Emoni · 4 Dec 2008

natalia said:
it is serious... and this is doing nothing to help me stop panicing that i picked a way too difficult area thats almost impossible.
but nevertheless i plan to power through.

I'm not even sure WHAT you picked to be honest. Are you tracing this back to some point in history? Are you connecting this to other aspects ideas and thoughts of flight? What angle are you taking this from, history, anthro... engineering?

This seems completely off the wall, and asking about a dissertation about animated flying on an internet forum and then complaining when we raise an eyebrow... maybe you better do a bit more explaining to use on what exact you are doing, why, and what importance and value this has. I think most of us, including I (someone who is by no means an expert and is struggling for a simple research proposal) are completely perplexed by this.

grapefruit · 4 Dec 2008

Emoni said:
I'm not even sure WHAT you picked to be honest. Are you tracing this back to some point in history? Are you connecting this to other aspects ideas and thoughts of flight? What angle are you taking this from, history, anthro... engineering?
This seems completely off the wall, and asking about a dissertation about animated flying on an internet forum and then complaining when we raise an eyebrow... maybe you better do a bit more explaining to use on what exact you are doing, why, and what importance and value this has. I think most of us, including I (someone who is by no means an expert and is struggling for a simple research proposal) are completely perplexed by this.

I agree.

Anyway, I remember seeing something about how Miyazaki got interested in airplanes or that sort at Jiburi Museum in Tokyo many years ago.

natalia · 4 Dec 2008

thanks

for the record, i didn't complain.. i'm unsure where you got that from.
the comment about 'panicing' was a mere light-hearted comment.
im kind of getting that this is more a place for people to just pick apart others quotes than to really get any information.
I have never used forums before, i was recommended by a friend... obviously i got the wrong end of the stick.

for those who have made helpful comments, thank you very much x

Mycernius · 5 Dec 2008

I don't know about the Japanese per se, but Laputa is a Miyazaki film and he loves flight. You find references to flight in his Ghibli films.
In Naussica most of the cation takes place in the air. You have seen Laputa, so you know about the flying in that film. In Kiki's Delivery Service the main character is a witch who only really good at flying. In My Neighbour Totoro, Tototro take the children flying on a magical spinning top, becoming part of the wind (Lovely film and well worth watching). Porco Rosso is about a pilots in pre-war Italy. In Spirited away, Haku, is a dragon with the ability to fly and Yu Baaba changes into a bird during the day. That it repeated in Howl's Moving Castle as a way that Howl scout the world around him.

I can't think of any direct flight in Princess Monoke and I haven't seen Ponyo on a Cliff, so whether flight occurs in that I do not know.

He also made a video for a song called On Your Mark. That also features flight within the short video.

His interest in flight may be due to his uncle. who was a director of Miyazaki Airplanes. They made rudders for the Zero fighter.

Red5 · 5 Dec 2008

natalia said:
for the record, i didn't complain.. i'm unsure where you got that from.
the comment about 'panicing' was a mere light-hearted comment.
im kind of getting that this is more a place for people to just pick apart others quotes than to really get any information.
I have never used forums before, i was recommended by a friend... obviously i got the wrong end of the stick.
for those who have made helpful comments, thank you very much x

I don't no exactly what do you want , but if you really want any help ,
maybe this link will help you .

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Emoni · 5 Dec 2008

natalia said:
for the record, i didn't complain.. i'm unsure where you got that from.
the comment about 'panicing' was a mere light-hearted comment.
im kind of getting that this is more a place for people to just pick apart others quotes than to really get any information.
I have never used forums before, i was recommended by a friend... obviously i got the wrong end of the stick.
for those who have made helpful comments, thank you very much x

You're following up the denial of my claim that you were complaining with a complaint?

Look Natalia. Actually my post was far more aimed at helping you than you might at first think it to be. You clearly are not sure where to start, and you are clearly NOT experienced with research or formulating anything near a dissertation. Heck, most people aren't, but when you aren't sure keep your attitude in check.

Most importantly, please read again these questions of mine.

"What angle are you taking this from, history, anthro... engineering?

"maybe you better do a bit more explaining to use on what exact you are doing, why, and what importance and value this has."

These two sentences are ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL if you want to have any decent dissertation put together. "Japan and flying stuff in anime" is not a legitimate topic unless you explain why, how it connects, in what way you will be analyzing the material, what periods and such.

I would have been glad to help further, but with no information, unwarranted behavior on your part, and my own research proposal to work on, I'll end with the questions I put above. If you can answer them in over 15 paragraphs, then you might have a dissertation.

... and if you think people on here are unhelpful and critical wait till you get to defend your dissertation! Good luck.

Hiroyuki Nagashima · 6 Dec 2008

Did natalia leave here?
Is it already unnecessary though I thought that I write some hints?

Uji Shūi Monogatari
Uji Shūi Monogatari - Wikipedia

窶ｰFﾅｽﾂ｡ﾂ拾ﾋ?｢窶｢ﾂｨﾅ津ｪﾂﾅｽﾂｵﾅ?ﾂｪﾅｽlﾋ彙ﾂﾅ椎ｸ窶敕ｱﾋ?｡ﾅｽg窶吮?ｰ窶督ｾﾆ知ﾅｽ窶
Seven volumes 4 episodes
A story of a samurai jumping off the stage of Kiyomizu-dera Temple of Kyoto.

"窶弖窶ｹﾃｧ"Tengu
Tengu - Wikipedia

http://golf.mo-blog.jp/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/16/img_2249.jpg

Huge kite

Alma · 6 Dec 2008

Mycernius said:
I don't know about the Japanese per se, but Laputa is a Miyazaki film and he loves flight. You find references to flight in his Ghibli films.
In Naussica most of the cation takes place in the air. You have seen Laputa, so you know about the flying in that film. In Kiki's Delivery Service the main character is a witch who only really good at flying. In My Neighbour Totoro, Tototro take the children flying on a magical spinning top, becoming part of the wind (Lovely film and well worth watching). Porco Rosso is about a pilots in pre-war Italy. In Spirited away, Haku, is a dragon with the ability to fly and Yu Baaba changes into a bird during the day. That it repeated in Howl's Moving Castle as a way that Howl scout the world around him.
I can't think of any direct flight in Princess Monoke and I haven't seen Ponyo on a Cliff, so whether flight occurs in that I do not know.
He also made a video for a song called On Your Mark. That also features flight within the short video.
His interest in flight may be due to his uncle. who was a director of Miyazaki Airplanes. They made rudders for the Zero fighter.

there is also Nausicaa, who is flying on her thingy, and actually there is a lot of flying in movie altogether.
also, bit in Gedo senki, but I am not sure if that counts.
and cannot remember any flights from Ponyo... but I guess Natalie knows all this already... so I am not helping...

Hiroyuki Nagashima · 6 Dec 2008

It is famous that Hayao Miyazaki's clan was managing the company related to
munitions.
I saw the TV program that he spoke that.
As for Hayao Miyazaki, he likes both a tank and a battleship as well as an airplane.
I read the book which he wrote in old days.
"Hayao Miyazaki's Daydream Data Notes"
Hayao Miyazaki's Daydream Data Notes - Wikipedia

Amazon product ASIN 4499226775

Mikawa Ossan · 6 Dec 2008

Flying in Japanese history.....

Well, there is the story "Saiyuki" which actually comes from China in which I think the protagonist can fly on a cloud. (Dragonball was partly based on this story.)

Also, kites have been around in Japan for years, and I think they were even used to try to ward off foreign ships for a time.

There is also a story of a princess who came from the moonﾂ named Kaguya Hime.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I hope it plants a seed that can be of help!

Mycernius · 6 Dec 2008

Mikawa Ossan said:
Flying in Japanese history.....
Well, there is the story "Saiyuki" which actually comes from China in which I think the protagonist can fly on a cloud. (Dragonball was partly based on this story.)

I used to watch that when I was a kid. Translated as "Monkey" for English viewers.

'flying' as a Japanese tradition??

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