THE FIRST INTERPRETATIONS OF THE GIRI TO THE WEST

Abstract

This paper aim to present briefly two interpretations for the giri, the Japanese sense of duty. The first is based on the work of Ruth Benedict (1887-1948), The Chrysanthemum and the Sword (1946) which through an anthropological approach to the pursuit of a cultural pattern of the Japanese society, she deconstructs the term giri to understand it more clearly and scientific accuracy. The second is made from the work Bushido ”“ The Soul of Japan (1900) of Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933) which allows us interpreting the concept of giri as the Japanese version of Kant's Categorical Imperative. In both readings there is the problem of filling the West of words to express the moral right of the Japanese, but also have different approaches on the same concept enabling a deeper study of Japanese morality in modern times. We chose to present only the readings aimed at Western audiences, showing how much there is to search in this field of knowledge.