Yamato (大和, “great harmony”) + damashii ( (魂 “spirit; soul”).
This term, often translated as “Japanese Spirit,” appeared in the 11th Century classic Tale of Genji to refer to a uniquely Japanese cultivated virtue.
The term was appropriated by Japanese nationalists during the 20th Century to imply a more bellicose meaning – ‘the brave, daring, and indomitable spirit of Japanese people’.
So interesting, how these beliefs are taken and used in negative ways. Do you think this happened in Germany also? And did it happen us us somehow? Holly
Absolutely, it happened in Nazi Germany with *Aryan* pride. USA was interesting – on the one hand, after the trauma of WWI, there was a desire to keep out of world affairs. BUT, on the other hand, the USA had imperialistic ambitions in Latin America & the Pacific. I think the *Yamato spirit* wasn’t too different from the American *Pioneer*spirit: The message: “We’re strong. Don’t mess with us.”