I decided to look up Shinto in my 1976 edition of the Britanica and came across an interesting few sentences that appear to relate directly to YKK:
http://ykk.misago.org/Afternoon2002/79
This is the last frame of chapter 93, "Flower of Humanity". Kokone listens to the recording and gets the "rabbit ears" nimbus (halo). She says, in reference to robots, "We are born of the assembly of those experiences that humans savor. We are humanity's children"
The quote from the Britanica is:
"In Shinto it is commonly said that "Man is Kami's child." First, this means that man was given his life by kami and that his nature is therefore sacred. Second, it means that daily life is made possible by kami, and accordingly the personality and life of man are worthy of respect.... "
Here is the Britanica's explanation of kami:
"At the core of Shinto are beliefs in the mysterious power (musubi, creating and harmonizing power) of kami and in the way or will (makoto, truth or truthfulness) of kami. the nature of kami cannot be fully explained in words because kami transcends the cognitive faculty of man. Devoted followers, however, are able to understand kami through faith and usually recognize various kami in polytheistic form."
I suspect that the parallel between these two phrases is clear to anyone with a background in Shinto and in general I think I understand what is implied: As men are to the gods, so robots are to men. However, I suspect that there might be more specific meanings that I am unaware of.
I am wondering if the misago, the water god, the mushroom thingy that guards Alpha's special water, and perhaps other things in YKK may have Shinto parallels also. Is there an english version of "The big book of Shinto Kamis"? - Or maybe "Shinto myths for gaijin"? (:-).
- Rick King
Friday, April 22, 2005
Howdy,
While I think you have a point with the idea of man creating robots as an act of God-like creation, that is not novel just to Shinto, and is a common theme throughout most cultures. It is an important theme in YKK, but I wouldn't hinge it off of Shinto, per se.
However, there are several references to Shinto in YKK.
New Year's is an important time in Shinto, and at the stroke of midnite, many people in Japan visit a local shrine to pray for good luck. So it's significant both that Alpha goes out to meet the first sun of the new year, and that she complains that she enter the new year in the bath.
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume1/127
The way the water god is worshipped is similar to Shinto.
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume3/90
Alpha prays to a submerged shrine.
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume8/4
Takahiro meets Alpha at a little country shrine.
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume9/22
But overall, I wouldn't go hunting for too much Shinto influence. In Japan, Shinto is handled less as a religion, an more as a shared cultural activity.
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Saturday, April 23, 2005
> The quote from the Britannica is:
> "In Shinto it is commonly said that "Man is Kami's child."
Some cult Shinto priests say so but no, it is not commonly said. Britannica's article is biased.
And yes, there might be more specific meanings that we are unaware of. I have been wondering what Kokone means by "humanity's children".
- kGo
Monday, May 2, 2005
> She says, in reference to robots, "We are born of the assembly of those experiences that humans savor. We are humanity's children"
Yes, this is true. Ashinano touches on spirituality a lot, and YKK at its core is a lot about that. It wouldn't surprise me to find that he is a deeply spiritual person. What is difficult for many people to recognise is that the relationship between God and Man is the same between Man and Robot. Man will create Robots in order to better understand Man through many and varied experiences. Do we use Robots as "sex slaves"? Do we use robots for "good"? Do we use robots for "evil?" It depends on the creator, but either way, we gain a better understanding of ourselves through our interaction/observation with them. Now, substitute Man with God, and Robot with Man, and you understand the relationship that is difficult to believe.
> Devoted followers, however, are able to understand kami through faith and usually recognize various kami in polytheistic form.
Yes. God can only be discovered through understanding and recognising it when it appears to you more strongly that usual. A strongly spiritual person will have less of a problem, of course. Let's just say, miracles happen every day - but a miracle that happens every day is no longer by definition a miracle. The trick is to let it flow through you, and be aware of it when you see it.
> And yes, there might be more specific meanings that we are unaware of. I have been wondering what Kokone means by "humanity's children".
She means that Robots are humanity's best effort at passing on what they knew spiritually, with the recognition that they, themselves, were failing as a whole. There is a possibility humanity in the YKK world could recover, of course, but the robots are a failsafe to ensure that the people that created them did exist at one point in time... a parallel can be drawn in today's world easily.
For really eye-opening reading, I suggest reading "Conversations with God". If it rings true for you, then the above will make sense.
- PC
Sunday, May 8, 2005
Kokone's statement is the culmination of a journey that she began when we first meet her.
Before she met Alpha, Kokone felt that she, as a robot, was an artificial human--a cheap plastic imitation. She never imagined that she could ever be as "real" or "alive" as a human. People told her that she seemed very human, but that was only confirmation that she wasn't truly human. (In much the same way that being complimented on how well you speak a language is indication that aren't as fluent as a native speaker.)
Meeting Alpha was a revelation for her. Alpha doesn't really distinguish between robots and humans; to her, the two are just different types of people. For the first time in her life, she saw the possibility that she might be capable of being a complete person in and of herself.
The back-cover 4-panel bonus in volume 2 [v2,InsideBackCover] shows Kokone in this phase of her life, asking Shiba-chan to teach her how to sneeze. She's very much the stereotypical Pinocchio character.
Then she visits Alpha for the second time, and her entire world is turned upside down. The song that she sang with Alpha in "Waves" [v3,p19] opened her eyes to a part of her that she hadn't realized existed. As she writes in her letter to Alpha [v3,p44], "I found that I need not act in the least human to let my spirit soar."
From this point on, she begins searching for information on the nature and origins of robots. She stops trying to be more human, and starts trying to find out what it means to be robotic.
Six years later, she arrives at her conclusion: "We are humanity's children".
She means this literally. Robots as a species are the child of the human species. They are not tools, or servants, or slaves, but the children that we leave to carry our legacy into the future. Kokone and her sisters will learn from and honor humanity, their parent, and they will remember us when we are gone--but they will also find their own path.
Alpha, of course, knew all this instinctively from the start. Kokone tends to overthink things where Alpha just lives from the heart. (I'm much more like Kokone--one reason I like her character so much. :>)
Kokone's journey is one of my favorite parts of YKK. Japanese SF is filled with cute robotic girls who want to be human. One who is not only content to be who she is, but wouldn't become human even if she had the choice, is very refreshing.
- dn
Monday, May 9, 2005
Hmm, I think Kokone means "human beings" by "humanity's children". I guess she is saying "Robots are human beings. I found we are no different from other people, Alpha."
Alpha might say "I know" [v9, p105].
- kGo
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
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