The art of bow

Living and working in Tokyo for a Japanese company, I am used to see bow every day.
But I was curious to know when and why this “culture” was born.

So I searched a little bit and I found out, as I wrote in my first post, that etiquette in Japan was coded by Ogasawara clan, in order to beat enemies.

The bow  (お辞儀 ojigi) is a technique used with this propose.

If you think about it, the posture of the bow (stretched arms, joined feet and glace down) is a submissive one.

In fact, you lose contact with your enemy and you expose to him neck and back for just a couple of seconds, as long as the bow must last, as a proof of your pacific intentions.

Nowadays, the bow is used as a greeting, an apology, to introduce oneself, to thank someone, to congratulate, in sport, in religion, etc.

The depth of the bow, calculate in grade, vary with the position of the person.

An older person or a person with a higher status will make a less deep bow.

If you are a tourist in Japan, a gesture similar to a nod with the head will be enough to know.

This gesture is used to excuse oneself or to thanks someone.

But if you intend to live in Japan longer, you will be in need to know the other type of bow as well.

1)    Eshaku (会釈), 15 degrees.

     This bow is used to greeting co-workers or costumers.

It is used to thanks and to apology in an informal way.

2)    Keirei (敬礼), 30 degrees.

This bow is used for greeting companies’ boss and for people higher in status or in age, and to ask for a favor.

It is used to thanks and to apology in a formal way.

 

3)    Saikeirei (最敬礼), 45 degrees.

This bow is used just when you meet important people and when you want to apology or thank someone with great emphasis.

4)    Dogeza (土下座)

In this case, you seat on you knee and put gracefully your hand and face on the floor in front of your knee.

Nowadays, people perform this type of bow just in martial art or to excuse for some really big problem they caused.

While to greetings friends and to be polite to clerks a 15 degrees bow or a nod is all you need, in other situations it may be difficult to understand if you are in a higher position.

A 30 degrees bow will be your better choice.