Tags
daughter, Hanasaku Iroha, Inn, Kissuiso, matriarch, Modernity, mother, Ohana, Okami, Shijima, Tradition
Tradition and modernity are always regarded as binary oppositions. Tradition is defined as “the thing in the past” and modernity is always the contemporary.
There is no doubt that in modern cultural movements there is a measure of opposition to authority and a spirit opposition to tradition. However, these seemingly dichotomous terms simultaneously travel in space and time, for tradition is a living repetition that manages to advocate a fresh truth, and true modernity is a positive acknowledgement of one’s time.
As one of my favourite slice-of-life anime, Hanasaku Iroha illustrates how tradition and modernity aren’t exclusive of each other. Usually, if we’re thinking about “change” the notion of new and old are always considered in antonymic fashion. For instance, it’s noticeable that Okami embodies traditional aspects—old-aged, conventional Kimono, and smoke pipes. On the other hand, Setsuki signifies modernity—young woman, up-to-date clothing, and cigarettes. Indeed, we could categorize these qualities in contrasting ways, but nevertheless, these dissimilarities weren’t sufficient enough to support the notion of tradition and modernity as two opposing elements—for modernity is just the restructuring of “something in the past,” what’s old today was once new before and what’s new today will be old tomorrow.
Furthermore, modernity is a keen sense of originality of a particular culture in a specific moment of space and time. This contemporary uniqueness is only significant in its relationship to the originality of past cultures. We can visualize this ideology as Setsuki being the “new Okami,” and Ohana being the “new Setsuki.” Okami was never an ideal mother to Setsuki—she hated her—and surely had shortcomings as a parent especially in supporting her children emotionally, however it’s undeniable that she’s a good provider—considering that Kissuiso is matriarchal household. Okami-san worked as the manager of the inn and at the same time tried to push the role of being a mother.
Likewise with Setsuki, the difficulty of being an ideal parent is something that she “inherited” from her mom. If she sees Okami as a manager, then Ohana sees her more of a woman than a mother. That’s because just like Okami, work gets in the way for her to become an effective mother to her kid, plus her role as a mother is being burdened by her relationships. Sure, Ohana doesn’t see Setsuki as an employer, but the perspective that she is less of a mother, tells us that Setsuki is also an “Okami” to her daughter—though she’s a much bubbly and cool mom.
Lastly, one of the usual key differentiators of modernity to traditional is the aspect of evolution, wherein something, though not necessarily, improved from what it was. I noticed that Setsuki-Ohana mother-daughter relationship is better than Okami-Setsuki mother-daughter relationship because at least we can see that Setsuki tries to communicate with Ohana. She also saw herself to her daughter when Ohana poured out her sentiments about holding back all of her complaints. So unlike Okami, instead of honouring her job more than her daughter, Setsuki highly considered Ohana’s feelings and went to Kissuiso to grant her child’s request.
In understanding tradition and modernity, one must never see these as contradicting ideologies but rather some sort of a linkage. We may picture these two as intersecting binary components. As shown by the ladies of Shijima, tradition is inherited by modernity.
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Side Notes:
ghostlightning said:
I must admit that I am confounded by the identification of what is contemporary and thereforw modern in this show. Is Setsuko indeed contemporary? Is shemodern only in relation to okami? But it cannot be that Ohana is the contemporary.
What is described also by these labels are piwer relationships and the loci of such powers. Ohana has no political power, but like any youth and or cultural movement in history she is disruptive and influential in her way. Is this what is contemporary? Is this what is modern?
I am more than tempted to invoke Hegelian Dielectics but I find that analysis to be trite and too easy and/or forced. Hegel isn’t q friend of mine and I’ve oversimplified so many things using his method. So for now i shall leave it open. What and who is the contemporary in this narrative?
Snippett said:
I believed Setsuki is contemporary in relative to Okami because we’ve seen improvements as a parent. She seemed to know more her child and she could see herself from Ohana. The act of voluntariness to comply (choosing her daughter over work) and willingness to change (wanting Ohana to avoid the same feeling or hatred that she has towards her mom) justify that some mishap had been resolved. But of course of not entirely, because Setsuki and Okami clearly have a common denominator which is the tendency to choose work over family.
However in relative to Ohana, I’d say that Setsuki is a mixed of traditional and modern parent. Traditional in a sense that her upbringing still resonates with her parenting—being workaholic and on top of that prioritizing work over Ohana in most occasions. At the same time, she’s contemporary because she chose “the spirit of the people”—Ohana’s and Kissuiso’s desire for her to reconsider re-writing her review of the inn, wherein unlike Okami who just grew old and didn’t really change her ways—being less affectionate and portraying that she’s prioritizing the inn more. But in fairness we can see Okami changing some of her traditional ways, e.g. she a “transformation button” the one that I mention on your post. However, in relative to Setsuki I think she’s more of a traditional.
As for Ohana, I believed she holds the most political power except to Okami and Kissuiso itself. Her “bonboroni principle” unconsciously influences everyone, but the problem is she hasn’t fully “sparkled” yet.
feal87 said:
Unfortunately in all ages the young will call the old “too traditional”, only to be called that way as well as soon as they get old from the new generation.
More than the concepts of traditional and modern it is just a concept of present and past. Each person with few exceptions is rather linked to the age he’s born into and with difficulty adapt to some new concepts, especially when going over 45-50 years.
This gap is what we call traditional or modern depending on who we are referring to.
This is very linked to what you said “As shown by the ladies of Shijima, tradition is the inherited by modernity.”. Tradition is just the old way of thinking, Modernity is just an evolution of tradition and will inevitably become tradition sooner or later.
Snippett said:
Indeed, we’re inclined to think that tradition is the thing in the past. However, I believed that tradition is not just a subset of this ideology, because modernity itself can be already embedded in tradition without us realizing it. The most relatable example is clothing. We all know that skinny jeans and high waistlines are retro-styles but right now and once again they’re the “it” thing of the present.
Pretty much just like Okami, although slowly, she’s changing some of her old ways. For instance, she let the Young Master invest on the film which surprised everyone, but still she remained grounded from being the manager of the inn. As for Ohana, learning how to earn money, manage the inn, and deal with customers is like embracing her tradition. So she’s reliving her family’s heritage, but at the same time she’s still regarded as a Tokyo girl.
Yi said:
I’m not caught up with this anime at all, but I do remember this theme of tradition and modernity coming into play earlier in the series. There was this woman who came to try to give a new spin to the inn (with things including China dresses and such). There’s a little bit of new school thoughts versus the traditional flavors. It’s a fascinating theme to explore, and I can’t wait to get to see more of Ohana’s mother, and the clash of parenting.
Snippett said:
Yes, that China dresses… that’s a good example. Thanks for bringing that up… I completely forgot that one. What’s fascinating in that episode was how the traditional Kimonos brought out the true essence of Kissuiso in contemporary time, and how regular customer were still attached to that retro feel. So in that, traditional became modernity instrument to improve.
Yeah, pay attention to Ohana’s mom, I think you’ll like her because she’s so cool but at the same time she’s so hot. I also enjoyed the parenting scenes because they’re not overplayed and the characters were so fun to watch at.
Leap250 said:
Hmm, when you put it that way, Ohana becomes the embodiment of modernity and tradition (or so I believe) She is a city girl, who has now been introduced to traditional ways, all the while carrying within her the modernity she grew up in.
Also, I love how you pointed out the pipe (Okami) and the cigaratte (Setsuko) ^_^
Snippett said:
Agreed, that’s a very good point. Tokyo being the embodiment of all things modern plus it has Ko, while Kissuiso represents the quiet and contemporary way of living. I believed in the early episodes Ohana struggled to adapt with the Kissuiso’s lifestyle, but slowly, she started to embrace the traditional. Also, what interests me with Kissuiso and Tokyo is why Ohana doesn’t want to go back to Tokyo. For me it feels like she’s using Kissuiso to hide herself from the issues that she left behind in Tokyo.
Thanks. I think that’s really a clever way to symbolize traditional and modernity.
SabishiiMiruku said:
I knew it was a good idea to subscribe!
*Oh just a small note, I think Ohana’s mom is called “Satsuki”
I actually never really paid too much attention to the details about contemporary versus tradition. Now that you mention it, it seems extremely obvious and in fact, is one of the classic clashes in a story. However, I think I failed to notice that because of either I’m too absorbed by HanaIro’s imagery or I’m just too focused on Nakochi… I think it’s the latter, but still. The new vs old aspect cannot be ignored.
In a way, I actually like how you made the “Okami-Satsuki” and the “Satsuki-Ohana” relationships. The relationships parallel each other, with the only differences from the new vs old conflict. I can’t believe I didn’t notice these finer points of HanaIro!
Guess maturity is still quite a long way for a Grade 11-12 high school kid :(
Snippett said:
We’re pretty much the same. I was so captivated with the images, nice animation, and not to mention, Nakochi and Setsuki, that’s why it took me 15 episodes before I was able to blog about this again. Also, I believed you’d still have plenty of themes that you can explore in HanaIro. Let me know if you’re going to write a post and I’ll try to give you my impressions just in case you need a different perspective. ^^
Well, you’re much better than me… When I was your age I didn’t have my own blog, so don’t be too harsh on yourself and cheer-up Sabishi-tan~ ^^
SabishiiMiruku said:
Lulz late reply~~
Good!~~ I knew we would be on the same page :D
With HanaIro’s premise and setting, I think it’s actually open to a wide variety of themes, hence there’s 24 episodes.
Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be blogging about HanaIro, or at least, not on RabbitPoets because HN Elly is already covering it. However, I will think about doing a post on my own blog, that is, if I find the time slot to do it ^^
Aw thanks Snippy! LOL Having your own blog nowadays is easy, but getting readers is hard. That’s why I write for RabbitPoets aside from my own blog because it’s easier to work with something that’s already been built up.
Speaking of my own blog…I think I’ve taken a long enough break from posting things. Time to start posting on it again tonight :D
Hahah~~~Thanks Snippy! I guess I’ll go watch some Nichijou to laff some more :D
Snippett said:
No problem and good luck on writing a post!
Btw, I’m not following Nichijou but I heard that it’s really funny. ^^
SabishiiMiruku said:
It is~~!!!
inushinde said:
Satsuki and Sui are polar opposites, mostly because of how Sui raised Satsuki and how her tight leash eventually snapped, yet tradition eventually giving birth to modernity raises the ensuing brood to balance the finer points of each. And I think that’s what HanaIro’s getting at when it isn’t focusing on mermaids and festing it up with the side characters.
By Satsuki essentially leaving Ohana to fend for herself (and her), she unintentionally ingrained in Ohana a sense of respect for tradition, yet a craving for modernity that comes from being around it so much.
Snippett said:
Inu-chan you’re so serious, mermaids and “festing it” are essential to enjoy this show. ^^
Anyway, I agree though, HanaIro tries to show us the intertwining aspects and balance of modernity and tradition. What I noticed with Ohana though she’s an instrument that balances those aspects. She’s also like a loop that brings Setsuko back to Okami, and Okami to Setsuko. So definitely agree with Ohana embodying modernity and tradition.
But I’m wondering, just in case she fully chooses to live in Kissuiso, what aspect she will signify.
inushinde said:
She’ll probably keep the tradition around for principle, but won’t shy away from letting modernity creep in to improve things. Sui isn’t bad about that, she just knows that she isn’t capable of making proper decisions in regard to it, so it’ll likely be up to Ohana to pick up the slack from the impotent Enishi.
Snippett said:
What I’m thinking is Ohana is so good in inheriting the “traditional” Shijima trait which is being workaholic. But at the same since she loves exploring, modernity will also come into play.
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hoshiko said:
Occasionally, what was once considered old has become today’s new. There’s a loop going around what’s traditional and what’s modern. At least, I think there is.
I like how you used the ladies of Shijima to describe the elements of traditions and modernity in HanaIro. Once again, there’s a loop here. Okami being traditional. Satsuki being modern. Ohana being modern/traditional.
Snippett said:
Yes, I totally agreed with you. Ohana definitely signifies a loop. I just didn’t include that to give readers something to think about. Thanks for reading and sharing your analysis. ^^
tsurugiarashix said:
More of a full circle to me.
Some “traditional” habits that you learn from your parents you never break out from. Even in the “modern” sense I do see some of my mothers notations out “split a pole” when walking together baseless, I still self-consciously do not do it often when I am walking or speaking with someone close to me. Likewise, the two seem to counterbalance the other and like you said; “What is new today is old tomorrow”, but also those old practices in turn are what influence new ones. Hence the full circle.
Might be out of way and out of my place to say this, but naturally it is unheard of (in some societies anyway) to mix family in part with business or rather they see their family as another limb to the company. This in itself is also a contrast to the traditional vs modern ideal, since now it is more commonplace (for different families that is) to work alongside each other in a family run business/company to save resources/expenditures and live together.
As for Ohana coming from the city (symbol of modern times) to the countryside (that which is regarded for traditional values) she is flourishing in both worlds richly I think.
….Did not mean to go that far with the idea, lol. Another exceptional post as always.
Snippett said:
Full circle or loop, indeed. That’s exactly what I wanted to read from the commenters. Not only Ohana signifies traditional/modernity, she’s also bridging the gap between Okami and Setsuki. In some way tradition and modernity in HanaIro might seemed like counterbalance but I would like to think of it has harmony in complementariness. That’s because one doesn’t necessarily contradicts the other, but rather help to fill in whatever the other is missing. For instance, Ohana didn’t really need to change, but instead she just only needs to adapt, and likewise with Nako.
That’s interesting; it’s like commodification of family members to turn them into business. I think it’s an embodiment of traditional/modern in a sense that you’re living with the tradition to survive the presence and bring you into modernity.
Please don’t worry about that. I enjoy reading comments that stretches or goes beyond the topic because I’m also learning something new. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. ^^
Nopy said:
It’s true that the modern inherits its traits from the traditional, and I think that’s what happend with Ohana’s mom and grandma. I think both of them tried to be good mothers, but just weren’t exactly sure how to go about it.
Snippett said:
I believed both are good mothers, it’s just that they’re not “ideal” because they prioritize work more than their children. But that’s what Setsuki and Okami is learning, how to become a ‘real’ mother.
Overlord-G said:
Yup. Satsuki and Okami are spongebobs and there’s a high chance that Ohana may also become a Spongebob as well.
Now for my current thoughts on the show:
Nako is still my #1 and episode 18 intensified her awesomeness.
-Grumpy Mcpooppants…I mean Minko may not be an entertainer, but her love issues have surprisingly become more entertaining than Ohana’s…not that I ever cared about Ohana’s love life to begin with.
-I was very worried that Yuina was going to become more “normal” after that huge blow to her ego a while back, but nope, Yuina is too proud to let her adoring fans down. Take THAT tomphile.
-Ohana’s Ohana. She’s cool when she isn’t thinking about Ko-chan.
Everyone else, except Tohru is fine by me. why not Tohru? Because Tohru’s just there. He doesn’t really do much other than be witless love triangle bait.
Snippett said:
Spongebobs? I didn’t get the pun… :(
I guess for me I liked all of them, but I have certain degrees of fandom for each of them. However, if I have to choose my top three favourites, I would say Nakochi, Yuina and Setsuki. ^^
Overlord-G said:
-Spongebob is known for being a workaholic who thinks about work more than breathing.
Satsuki is both a wise and experienced woman who’s one flaw is proper parenting. Oh and she’s one sly she-devil when she needs to be.
You already know how much I praise both Nakochi and Yuina so I need not repeat myself.
Ephemeral Dreamer said:
Hmm. A lot of the commentators here have made good points, but I suppose I’ll add that perhaps that modernity is an evolved version of tradition? It seems to me that modernity borrows much of tradition’s traits and changes them to fit that of the current era or the current culture. That sounds like evolution, does it not? I could be over thinking it, but at the moment, my mind is not yet fully gathered up after a long hiatus from writing and reading… Plus I need to catch up on plenty of shows, such as Hanasaku Iroha.
Snippett said:
I totally agree with you. Modernity certainly stemmed out from tradition. I believed there would be no notion of modernity if traditional didn’t exists–an evolution indeed!
Anyway, good luck on blogging, and make sure to catch up because there’s really lots of noteworthy series this season. ^^
Starburst-chan said:
The theme of tradition and modernity also comes into play in the running of the inn itself – with Takako and Enishi representing modernity and Okami representing tradition. This is probably a factor to why Okami decided that she will discontinue the legacy of Kissuiso. But as you said, the two are intersecting binary components – a fusion of the two would be best – integrating the new with the old.
I never realized that the relationship between Okami and Satsuki was similar to the one between Satsuki and Ohana. Ironic how Satsuki hated her mother but ended up becoming her – the only difference being that Okami embraces tradition and Satsuki modernity. Will Ohana be the same?
Really great post, really got me thinking!
*writes down ideas for future HanaIro posts*
Snippett said:
I’m not sure if she’ll end up just like Setsuki and Okami. Ohana tends to be so workaholic, and she’s also willing to have a one sided-crush on Ko, so based on the pattern and cycle, then there’s a chance that she might end up just like them, however as a much better version of her mom and grandma, just like how Setsuki is. Btw, this is just an attempt guess.
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