Japan may change temple map icon to avoid Nazi confusion

[webfact]

Japan may change temple map icon to avoid Nazi confusion
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

TOKYO (AP) — As Japan gears up to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and caters to a surging influx of foreign visitors, the country faces a cultural dilemma: Should it stop identifying Buddhist temples on maps with the traditional "manji" symbol that is often confused with a Nazi swastika?

The symbol, from ancient Sanskrit, means happiness and prosperity. It has been used for centuries by Hindus and Buddhists, and has turned up in archaeological digs in Europe. But many Western tourists associate it with anti-Semitism and the Holocaust because the emblem was adopted by Nazi Germany to try to enhance a sense of ancient lineage.

The swastika in Japan — which usually points counter-clockwise, the reverse of the Nazi symbol — has been used for centuries in Buddhist decorations and to denote Buddhist temples on maps.

At Sensoji Temple, a top tourist destination in Tokyo, a big gold "manji" emblem appears on a pair of lotus-shaped bronze ornaments, while smaller, more subtle ones decorate roof tiles. It's even an official emblem for Hirosaki, a city in northern Japan.

In a report released last month, a government panel at the Geospatial Information Authority proposed a three-tiered pagoda symbol to replace the swastika. It is one of 18 suggested icons for landmarks like hospitals and convenience stores for foreign-language maps, part of a broader push to create user-friendly maps for the growing number of foreign tourists, which jumped more than 40 percent last year to a record 19.7 million.

A final decision is expected in late March following a period of seeking public comment.

Japan's main Buddhist group is nonchalant because the change doesn't affect domestic maps and therefore likely won't alter perceptions at home.

"We are aware that some people say the 'manji' symbol could remind them of the 'hakenkreuz' symbol, which was created much later in history," said Ryoka Nishino, a spokesman for Japan Buddhist Federation, referring to the "hooked cross" term often used to denote the Nazi emblem.

"Even though we have more foreign visitors, our symbol that decorates each temple will stay," he said.

Public opinion seems divided on Twitter and other social networks.

Supporters for the change say it would help avoid confusion among tourists, while opponents say there is no need to change the ancient sign just to cater to foreigners. Instead, they say, the symbol should be kept as a way to teach people about the ancient history behind it. Others point out that the "manji" symbol turns the opposite way from the Nazi symbol, so it is different.

The objective is to make symbols easier to understand, said geospatial authority mapping officer Takayuki Nakamura.

"A good symbol on the map should be able to tell a visitor what it is at the first glance," he said. "The question is whether one can easily tell it's a temple by looking at the current symbol."

The recommendation was based on survey results collected from more than 1,000 foreigners, including embassy officials, exchange students as well as tourists.

Other symbols that would be altered for foreign maps include the one for a hotel, which currently looks like the symbol for helipads, and a saluting policeman would replace the current giant X sign supposedly representing a pair of clubs for police station.

The maps would add a new symbol for convenience stores, which are ubiquitous in Japan — a sandwich and water bottle.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-02-05

[Enoon]

Probably a good idea to do this as:

"part of a broader push to create user-friendly maps for the growing number of foreign tourists, which jumped more than 40 percent last year to a record 19.7 million."

"Japan's main Buddhist group is nonchalant because the change doesn't affect domestic maps and therefore likely won't alter perceptions at home."

and then move on without to much "sensationalism".

Sensationalism that, my cynical view tells me, the article sought to trade on.

(They got me)

[sanukjim]

The bent arms are reversed and different.

[Norvid 1950]

It reminds me of Leon Trostky diktat (it says: Bolshevik's freedom. - of speech)

[Dumbastheycome]

Why? Leave older history to prevail. If there are questions then let it be known that the Nazi abused a symbol....not let that abuse originality !

Once again a subtle influence is being applied for the sake of being applied. Oy Vey!

[smotherb]

It reeks of trying to avoid offending the ignorant. Anyone who doesn't know the Nazis usurped an ancient religious symbol, ought to learn.

[Credo]

It reeks of trying to avoid offending the ignorant. Anyone who doesn't know the Nazis usurped an ancient religious symbol, ought to learn.

I don't think it has to do with ignorance. The symbol has negative emotion attached to it.

The Japanese wish to show the location of their temples. Best to do that in a neutral manner.

[billd766]

It reeks of trying to avoid offending the ignorant. Anyone who doesn't know the Nazis usurped an ancient religious symbol, ought to learn.

I don't think it has to do with ignorance. The symbol has negative emotion attached to it.

The Japanese wish to show the location of their temples. Best to do that in a neutral manner.

Actually the symbol is NOT that of the swastika.

That symbol is a Buddhist symbol whereas the swastika is reversed and is much different.

If visitors object then the Japanese can gently explain the difference using pictures and perhaps the people who complain will learn something new.

[Credo]

It reeks of trying to avoid offending the ignorant. Anyone who doesn't know the Nazis usurped an ancient religious symbol, ought to learn.

I don't think it has to do with ignorance. The symbol has negative emotion attached to it.

The Japanese wish to show the location of their temples. Best to do that in a neutral manner.

Actually the symbol is NOT that of the swastika.

That symbol is a Buddhist symbol whereas the swastika is reversed and is much different.

If visitors object then the Japanese can gently explain the difference using pictures and perhaps the people who complain will learn something new.

I know the difference and I know the history of the symbols.

It's distracting to some and is best not used.

[Maestro]

This appears to be he Japanese map icon for temples being talked about in the OP:

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_map_symbols

[arunsakda]

If they want to use a Pagoda symbol on promotional maps produced for international visitors I think that is fine.

The manji has nothing to do Naziism. Manji is the name of a 1964 movie based on a Tanizaki novel that has been remade many times. Best not to kowtow to ignorance. Reminds one of the so-called "niggardly" controversies in the US.

It is all over domestic maps, online maps, signs, graves, what are they going to do go around scraping symbols off the stelae in half the temples in Japan?

I think it would be better preparation for Tokyo to remind the many restaurants that follow thinly veiled or explicit "Japanese only" policies that that's not really keeping with the times and "we dont have an English menu" is no excuse. Not all foreigners speak English by the way.

[smotherb]

It reeks of trying to avoid offending the ignorant. Anyone who doesn't know the Nazis usurped an ancient religious symbol, ought to learn.

I don't think it has to do with ignorance. The symbol has negative emotion attached to it.

The Japanese wish to show the location of their temples. Best to do that in a neutral manner.

The decision, of course, is for the Japanese. However, it seems the only negative emotion attached is by those who do not know the Buddhist Swastika and erroneously see it only as the Nazi Hakenkreuz. I would rely more on the sanctity of the symbol to the Japanese people than on the negative emotion of the ignorant.

Your argument of negative emotion has been commonly put forth for years when addressing political correctness—so there is a school of thought that agrees with you. I do not attend that school.

I once had a professor who insisted we use gender neutral words in all our writing. She went so far as to require only feminine pronouns be used in non-specific gender references—somehow I failed to see the gender neutrality in that.

I appeased her by writing a treatise on “personkind” instead of mankind, where I discussed the gender differences of “hupersons” instead of humans. In it I referred to both God and Dr. Robert Max Jackson, a noted gender expert and visiting professor at our university, as “she.”

In the paper I stated gender-equality would be better served by showing how much of our scripted media was written by women. I suggested females use “she” and males use “he” when referring to non-specific genders in their writing. The professor became irate at the affront to her gender-neutrality penchant and took my paper to the Dean to complain.

The Dean, a woman, liked the satirical vein of my paper and my gender-specific pronoun suggestion became school policy.

[Jingthing]

I'd say leave it and include a sidebar explaining what the symbol means in their culture.

Sorted.

In Thailand, we've got three levels of the swastika.

The Buddhist one shouldn't offend anyone.

The German Nazi one used for fashion or to provoke based on ignorance. Potentially offensive. It certainly can look shocking sometimes.

The German Nazi one used by people who are into Hitler. More likely to be old Germans in Naklua than Thais. Obviously offensive.

[smotherb]

It reeks of trying to avoid offending the ignorant. Anyone who doesn't know the Nazis usurped an ancient religious symbol, ought to learn.

I don't think it has to do with ignorance. The symbol has negative emotion attached to it.

The Japanese wish to show the location of their temples. Best to do that in a neutral manner.

Actually the symbol is NOT that of the swastika.

That symbol is a Buddhist symbol whereas the swastika is reversed and is much different.

If visitors object then the Japanese can gently explain the difference using pictures and perhaps the people who complain will learn something new.

No, not actually. Swastika is an ancient Sanskrit word (Svastika) which means good fortune or prosperity and its left-facing crooked cross symbol was adopted by Buddhism in the 6th century BC--which is why this is 2559 in Thailand and the Buddhist calendar. The Nazi symbol is the Hakenkreuze, which is right-facing and canted at 45 degrees, was designed by the Nazis in 1920's.

[cooked]

It reeks of trying to avoid offending the ignorant. Anyone who doesn't know the Nazis usurped an ancient religious symbol, ought to learn.

I don't think it has to do with ignorance. The symbol has negative emotion attached to it.

The Japanese wish to show the location of their temples. Best to do that in a neutral manner.

Actually the symbol is NOT that of the swastika.

That symbol is a Buddhist symbol whereas the swastika is reversed and is much different.

If visitors object then the Japanese can gently explain the difference using pictures and perhaps the people who complain will learn something new.

No, not actually. Swastika is an ancient Sanskrit word (Svastika) which means good fortune or prosperity and its left-facing crooked cross symbol was adopted by Buddhism in the 6th century BC--which is why this is 2559 in Thailand and the Buddhist calendar. The Nazi symbol is the Hakenkreuze, which is right-facing and canted at 45 degrees, was designed by the Nazis in 1920's.

think about the Thai expression Sawasdika and do some ggogling.

[billd766]

It reeks of trying to avoid offending the ignorant. Anyone who doesn't know the Nazis usurped an ancient religious symbol, ought to learn.

I don't think it has to do with ignorance. The symbol has negative emotion attached to it.

The Japanese wish to show the location of their temples. Best to do that in a neutral manner.

Actually the symbol is NOT that of the swastika.

That symbol is a Buddhist symbol whereas the swastika is reversed and is much different.

If visitors object then the Japanese can gently explain the difference using pictures and perhaps the people who complain will learn something new.

No, not actually. Swastika is an ancient Sanskrit word (Svastika) which means good fortune or prosperity and its left-facing crooked cross symbol was adopted by Buddhism in the 6th century BC--which is why this is 2559 in Thailand and the Buddhist calendar. The Nazi symbol is the Hakenkreuze, which is right-facing and canted at 45 degrees, was designed by the Nazis in 1920's.

I got it wrong again. My apologies.