The Aesthetic Conscience and the Concept of Honor : Cultural Sociology of Noblesse oblige

2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 17530366
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: Kyoto Tachibana University
• Principal Investigator: OHNO Michikuni Kyoto Tachibana University, Cultural Policy, Professor (20067862)
• Project Period (FY): 2005 – 2006
• Keywords: Honor / Aesthetic Conscience / Norm / Noblesse oblige / Cultural Sociology

Research Abstract

This project attempts to examine a relation between the aesthetic conscience and the concept of honor and to elucidate a relation between Expression and Norm in general, Noblesse oblige (People of high birth or social position should behave nobly toward others) in particular. Our research results are as follows.
1. We examined a relation between the aesthetic conscience and the concept of honor, by discussing the concept of expressive action and sociological ideas of honor (Weber, Simmel, Durkheim, Goffman and Berger).
2. We elucidated the expressive activity and subjective ethics in the Bushido Ethics, which represents a Japanese type of Noblesse oblige, by examining Yamamoto Tunetomo's Hagakure, Nitobe Inazo's Bushido and Mishima Yukio's Yukio Mishima on Hagakure on the one hand, and the sociological significance of Nobless oblige, by discussing Pareto's concept of Elite and Ortega's Aristocratic theory of Mass Society on the other hand.
3. We fore grounded the radical aspects of Noblesse, oblige, by scrutinizing historical and sociological texts about the hara-kiri, and interviews and documents about the tokkotai (kamikaze).
4. We elucidated the actual forms of Noblesse oblige, by interviewing 21 Japanese leading figures and 9 Russian leading figures in variables fields, such as economic, political, cultural and religious fields.