KATA – The Key to Understanding & Dealing With the Japanese, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente.

May 7, 2004 -- Culturally Programmed "Molds" Made the Japanese What They Are. Japanologist Boyé Lafayette De Mente has gone farther than anyone else in glomming onto and explaining why the Japanese think and behave the way they do. He says that the Japanese are products of a "molding process" that created their traditional mind-set and controlled every aspect of their lives, from their most mundane actions to their most esoteric arts.
    
De Mente identifies this cultural programming as kata (kah-tah), which means "form" and "way of doing things," and points out that there was (and still is to a great extent) a kata for everything the Japanese do.
    
In KATA – The Kew to Understanding & Dealing With the Japanese (his 31st book on Japan), De Mente lists some of the kata that have traditionally controlled the lives of the Japanese: aruki-kata (ah-ruu-kee-kah-tah), "way of walking," hanashi-kata (hah-nah-she-kah-tah), "way of talking," tabe-kata (tah-bay-kah-tah), "way of eating," yomi-kata (yoh-me-kah-tah), "way of reading," kaki-kata (kah-kee-kah-tah), "way of writing," etc.
    
These kata, he says, were not just arbitrary guidelines. They were socially and ethically mandatory, and one could not "be Japanese" without conforming to them.
    
In this book, De Mente explains the origins of the kata and how they continue today to influence the attitudes and behavior of the Japanese, with particular emphasis on their role in the business world.
    
Dr. Tae-Chang Kim, President of the Institute for the Integrated Study of Future Generations, in Kyoto, says of the book:
    
"Among the numerous books by foreigners on the intricate Japanese mindscapes and businessscapes, this is undoubtedly the most provocative and eye-opening; it is rich in exploratory insight and provocative wisdom."
    
Published by the Tuttle imprint of the Periplus-Berkeley Group in Singapore, KATA – The Key to Understanding & Dealing With the Japanese, is available worldwide from Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, numerous other web sites, and major bookstores.

By Richard Crownover




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