Harmony and Modesty

Harmony (和)

"Harmony " is a basic value defined as the ability of people to cooperate and work together .

Japan is a country whose traditions developed out of an agricultural society where people were forced to work closely together on a limited amount of land .

In order to maintain this type of society, the needs of the village were more important than the needs of the individual.

That is why, a society developed in Japan where value is placed on understanding those with whom one must interact and on taking action in groups. That is the definition of wa or harmony .

Modesty (謙譲と謙遜)

When using wa as the basis for a relationship, things will not go smoothly if both parties egotistically emphasize their own capabilities. A Japanese person would in fact downplay his own capabilities while paying respect to the other person and build the relationship in that way. This concept of putting oneself below another and not presuming to show one's capabilities is called kenjo.

When someone says, " I'm totally ignorant about this ," you can't take it at face value. In Japan , the greater the capabilities of a person, the more modestly he will state those capabilities, and the more such a person will be respected .

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