[OT] [OA] Japanese Traditions Questions

[Lord Pendragon]

I am pretty sure that most people know that medieval Europe didn't really feature big pantheons of gods, though.

Touche.

But I doubt that most campaigns based in Asia limit themselves to Buddha or the Shinto gods either...

 

[Turgenev]

Things are never given in sets of four or nine. These are the two unluckiest numbers in Japanese superstition, "four" being pronounced the same as "death" and "nine" being pronounced the same as "pain".

I was about to say that you are confusing this with Chinese, but a quick check with my Japanese-English dictionary proves that it would have been I who would have been mistaken.

In Cantonese, the number four is unlucky because it sounds too much like the word "to die". The number eight is consider very lucky because it sounds like the word "get rich". Two and eight are also good because they sound like "easy to get rich", but five and eight are not good because they sound like "not get rich".

Cheers,
Tim

 

[Turgenev]

I am pretty sure that most people know that medieval Europe didn't really feature big pantheons of gods, though.

It didn't? Oh ya, that's right. They were called Saints instead.

Cheers,
Tim

 

[Zander]

Things are never given in sets of four or nine. These are the two unluckiest numbers in Japanese superstition, "four" being pronounced the same as "death"...

Factoid: In some Japanese hospitals, there's no room number 4 for this reason.

I've been to a Vietnamese wedding. At the reception, the bride and groom changed their clothes several times appearing in both western and Chinese dress. The hosts gave the guests (yes, that way around) money in red envelopes. Apparently, red is considered a lucky colour in Chinese/SE Asian culture.

 

[Henry]

In fact, I remember readin a magazine article a couple years ago talking about design concerns with instrumentation on the International Space Station, because some Asian cultures consider red to be a color of health and prosperity...


...which is what a red warning light does NOT represent.

 

[barsoomcore]

Keeping in mind that it IS a comic book, you could do worse than use "Lone Wolf and Cub" as a source of ideas and information.

The story explores myriad facets of Edo society and has tons of ideas on how customs and practices might impact stories and adventures. There's lots of little societies and groups with their own attitudes, and you do get to see a lot of day-to-day life in Edo Japan.

Now, it's a comic book, but still -- if someone wanted to know about day-to-day life in modern America, "The Amazing Spider-Man" actually wouldn't be all that bad a reference, either.

The "Lone Wolf and Cub" books are getting re-released in very attractive new printings and you should be able to find them in comic shops and bookstores.

 

[drakhe]

As posted before the GURPS material is very extensive. Another source you might want to check for a Japanese background is Sengoku.

Sengoku (Gold Rush Games)

 

[Graf]

I'm curious. If people generally never try to be true to reality in the "European" part of their world, why do they do so for the "Asian" parts (or "Arabian", anywhere else?)

What "people" are we talking about?

[Gez got some neat bits from Rokugan, etc. and he's looking for more stuff in a similar vein. He didn't mention being true to reality, so you aren't talking about him... right?]

As for being true to history.... there are lotsof true-to-history types floating around who focus on Europe. (Ken Hite the RPG designer comes to mind). We get a lot of pretty detailed discussions of Europe stuff here (IMHO but I don't really follow those threads).

Are you curious about why people post broad questions about things they're less familiar with?

 

[hong]

What "people" are we talking about?

Me, for starters.

As for being true to history.... there are lotsof true-to-history types floating around who focus on Europe. (Ken Hite the RPG designer comes to mind).

Ken Hite doesn't do d20, last I checked.

We get a lot of pretty detailed discussions of Europe stuff here (IMHO but I don't really follow those threads).

This here UNSenet board is a very skewed representation of the D&D gamers.

Are you curious about why people post broad questions about things they're less familiar with?

No, I'm curious about why there seem to be a fascination with the humdrum details about peripheral parts of a campaign, when these things never seem to matter for the core parts.

Personally, I think Barsoomcore's suggestion of Lone Wolf and Cub is probably the best one I've seen so far. In a fantasy game, the best sources of inspiration would be other fantasy or folkloric material. Just as the basic D&D game isn't based on historical nitty-gritty, D&D in foreign lands shouldn't be based on foreign historical nitty-gritty. Doing that just leads to incongruities.

 

[johnsemlak]

Factoid: In some Japanese hospitals, there's no room number 4 for this reason.

I've been to a Vietnamese wedding. At the reception, the bride and groom changed their clothes several times appearing in both western and Chinese dress. The hosts gave the guests (yes, that way around) money in red envelopes. Apparently, red is considered a lucky colour in Chinese/SE Asian culture.

The rule about 'four' meaning death also applies in Korea. Hospitals never have a forth floor.

It may be totally different in China and Southeast Asia, but I am quite sure in many north Asian countries, Korea included, Red is not a 'lucky color'. I taught in Korea and writing students names in Red was an absolute no-no.

I'm not sure if it's a matter of being lucky or unlucky, but I think the color has strong connotations. However, perhaps someone with more knowledge on the matter can offer more detail.