History of the Bow

The Japanese tradition of bowing as a sign of greeting and farewell is traced to around the period 500 to 800 AD and is associated with religious practices of Buddhism.  It is considered in current times as a symbol of respect, greeting, invitation to interact, or sign of welcome.

The formalities of bowing were associated with the samurai class--a privileged and upper class of society.  During the Kamakura period (1192-1333) in Japanese history bowing was codified including depth of the bow and appropriate usage. In the Muromachi period 1336-1573 the bow became refined and standardized and proper technique and usage were identified with social standing.  These various periods were delineated by the "shogun" dynasties and they rose and were then replaced.

As politics changed from the dominance of the samurai class and the shogunate, the practice of bowing also disappeared.  It reappeared again with the rise of the business class whose financial power placed them higher in society and thus the bow came back into practice to show this class distinction.  To this day, the bow is now a part of the modern Japanese culture among all people, and thus the etiquette of bowing is part of the education of all children.

In the Suzuki environment where we value respect and cultivate confidence and a noble heart, the bow is our open invitation to begin a lesson or a performance with a greeting that is respectful to the audience or to the teacher.  We stand tall and make eye contact as a manner to connect to our "sensei", parent, or fellow classmates. We end the lesson or the performance with another bow so that we may thank the listeners for their attentiveness to our performance and also to close a lesson where attentiveness to the teacher is concluded. Showing a complete bow, moving slowly and with dignity, and making eye contact are qualities that will surely impress others that the student is well educated according to this long held Japanese tradition.  (https://japanbased.com/japanese-bowing)

Many thanks to Annette Lee for inspiring this article at the MA Suzuki Festival!

Sachiko Isihara