Japanese: 石に立つ矢

Translation: (the arrow) {that} (stands) (in) (stone)

Meaning: Through hard work/ belief in oneself you can make an arrow pierce stone.

Origin: Comes from an ancient Chinese legend where the hero pierces a rock with an arrow, with the lesson that nothing is impossible if you believe. 

Informant: MK

Zoom

11/8/2020

Informant Data: MK is a “23 who was born in San Francisco, but grew up in Japan. He went to 

An international school in Japan and speaks Japanese and English fluently. I know MK because he plays on the

Dartmouth Rugby team, and I have known him since the start of last year.

Contextual Data: When MK was younger, he played “shounen yakyuu” youth baseball,  a very popular sport for kids in Japan. Practices were every weekday for 2-3 hours. MK heard this quote a lot at his practices, because it is very applicable to the grind of learning and mastering a sport, and ties into the intensity of the culture surrounding life and hard work in JapanThe coaches were passionate about coaching, and a big part of That comes from Japanese culture and working on team building and character development. Furthermore, shounen yakyuu culture also placed an important emphasis on hard work and dedication to the game to instill values such as hard work and discipline. Finally, shounen yakyuu is also a good social outlet for youth because they get the opportunity to bond with their team in an environment outside of school.

Social Context: All over the world youth partake in a variety of different extracurricular activities, however, the way that this is manifested varies from country to country. In the United States, for example, it is much more common to see kids do an eclectic mix of 3-5 activities such as a sport, playing an instrument, or doing a visual art, and while this allows the children to become well rounded, they do not become as skillful at any one particular thing. Children in Japan on the other hand generally only have one activity extracurricular activity that they pursue, and they work on perfecting it over long periods of time through rigorous devotion to their craft.

Cultural Context: Japanese culture places an emphasis on working on one’s self in both a physical and mental way. While MK’s main experience with this phrase was with sports, he says that these days, it would be more likely to be heard in an academic context. The quote is like a reflection of Japanese society’s view of hard work. The phrase itself is very short and direct and is almost like a representation of how Japan views achievement and self-actualization: just putting your head down and getting it done. This view of hard work and dedication is present from youth in activities such as academics and school sports, all the way up to adulthood, when it is present in company culture, evidenced by salarymen working very long overtime hours.  

Gautham Sivadasan 19

3007 Mill Gate Lane

Hanover NH 03755

Dartmouth College

Russ 13

20F