Takotsubo and Sasara
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Commentary on Masao Maruyama's "Takotsubo and Sasara".
Maruyama Masao is known for his use of the metaphors "octopus pot" and "sasara" in his analysis of Japanese thought and political culture. These concepts are frequently cited as describing the organizational structure and tendencies of thought in Japanese society. 1. octopus-type society.
The term "takotsubo" refers to a situation in which individual disciplines and organizations are closed, each existing as a small, independent unit. Characteristics include the following
→ High level of expertise in their respective fields, but lack of cooperation with other fields.
Little interaction with the outside world.
→ Complete inside and rarely interact with the outside world, resulting in a narrow view of the world.
Strongly vertically structured
→ Thick walls between departments in government offices, companies, etc., make it difficult for information and opinions to cross over.
This structure is often found in the Japanese bureaucracy, academia, and corporate culture. Although advanced knowledge is accumulated within individual "takotsubo," mutual cooperation is weak, and flexible development as a whole may be hindered.
2. Sasara-type society.
The term "sasara" refers to a structure in which the individual elements are separated yet flexibly intertwined to form a unified whole, like a bundle of thin bamboo or wooden poles (a "bamboo bamboo whisk").
Each element is flexibly connected.
→ Each one is independent, but they can easily be linked together as needed.
fluid relationship
highly adaptable
→ Flexibility to respond to change, which can easily lead to the development of society and organizations.
This "sasara-type" concept is said to be close to the Western model of free academic development and a more open, networked society.
3. claim of Masao Maruyama.
Maruyama pointed out that Japanese society has historically had a strong "takotsubo-type" tendency, and analyzed how this has affected the state of Japanese thought and politics. In particular, he raised the issue of the high degree of closure of individual areas of specialization, which makes it difficult to generate big-picture perspectives and cross-cutting discussions.
From his perspective, it is essential for Japan's modernization to incorporate "sasara-type" elements, whereby diverse disciplines interrelate with each other to enable a more creative and open society.
4. application to modern times.
This concept can be applied to today's Japanese society. For example:
[* Stove-piped structure of administrative agencies → Lack of inter-ministerial coordination makes it difficult to formulate cross-sectoral policies.
Segmentation of disciplines → While each specialized field is developing, there is little movement to combine knowledge from different fields.
Rigidity of corporate organization → Strong independence of each department makes it difficult for cross-divisional innovation to take place.
At the same time, advances in IT and open innovation have led to an increasing number of attempts to take advantage of "sasara-type" networks. Examples include collaboration among different industries, the use of open data, and community-led projects.
5. Summary.
Masao Maruyama's metaphor of "Takotsubo and Sasara" aptly describes the characteristics of organization and thinking in Japanese society. Applying his analysis to the present day provides a hint for considering the transition to a more flexible and open society, overcoming the adverse effects of stove-piped structures.
This concept has important implications for our time, as it can be applied to discussions in academia, politics, business, and even digital democracy.
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