European reception of Japanese philosophy (on the example of cinema materials of the second half of the XX century – the beginning of the XXI century)

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to identify the features of the European reception of Japanese philosophy in feature films, to identify characteristic plot complexes and principles of representation. The methodological basis of the re- search is a cultural approach that made it possible to use the phenomenological, hermeneutic, semiotic methods, which allow to reveal the basic principles of the Japan‘s image explication through philosophical practices, which is reflected in European cinema. The scientific novelty of the study is to increase the heuristic potential of the image of Japan in European popular culture. Findings. European perception of Japanese philosophy, which is depicted in feature films, is interpreted through two main themes: samurai and monastic service. The general principles of extrapolating the images of a samurai and a monk are the idealization and romanticisation of the characters, the disclosure of the basic principles of the worldview, the relation of European stereotypes and the realities of the Japanese tradition.