Senpai and kohai

Senpai (先輩< span class="t_nihongo_norom" style="display:none">, '' Senpai''^? literally "former companion", also written as sempai) and kōhai (後輩, ''kōhai''^? literally «afterwards partner») are terms from the Japanese language that describe a relationship informal interpersonal relationship that is present in organizations, associations, clubs, companies and schools in Japan.

The senpai-kōhai relationship is properly interdependent, since a senpai needs a kōhai and vice versa, establishing a bond that is It is determined by the date of entry into the organization. The concept is based on Japanese philosophy and has permeated its society.

Concept

Senpai refers to the most experienced member, hierarchy, level and age in the organization who offers his assistance, friendship and advice to the newcomer or inexperienced member, known as kōhai , who must demonstrate gratitude, respect and, sometimes, personal loyalty. The senpai simultaneously acts as a friend. This relationship is similar to the interpersonal relationship that exists in Western culture between a tutor and his ward, but with the difference that in Japan the senpai and the kōhai They must necessarily work in the same organization.

The origin of the relationship dates back to the teachings of Confucianism, a set of moral and ethical doctrines that came to Japan from Ancient China and have transcended various aspects of Japanese philosophy. The senpai-kōhai relationship is a type of vertical hierarchy (like the father-son relationship) that emphasizes respect for authority, the chain of command and elders, eliminating any type of internal competitiveness and reinforcing the unity of the organization.

Over time this mechanism has allowed the transfer of experience and wisdom, as well as the expansion of knowledge in order to keep the art of teaching alive. It also allows the development of beneficial experiences between both components, since the kōhai is benefited by the wisdom of the senpai, and the senpai learns new experiences. of the kōhai, as it develops their sense of responsibility.

History

The senpai-kōhai system has existed since early Japanese history, but three elements have had a significant impact: Confucianism, the traditional Japanese family system, and ancient civil law.

Confucianism arrived from China between the 6th and 9th centuries, but the derived line of thought that had a profound social change within Japan was Neo-Confucianism, which became the official doctrine during the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867). The precept of loyalty and filial piety as «tribute» (朝貢, chōkō^?< /span>) was the one that dominated the Japanese at that time, since the respect for elders and reverence for ancestors that Chinese Confucianism taught was well received by the native Japanese, and these influences have transcended to the present in daily life. Also, like other Chinese cultural influences, the Japanese selectively adapted the meaning of "loyalty" in Confucianism as loyalty to their lord or loyalty to the emperor.

The concept of ie (家, 'ie'^?) or family system, also governed by Confucian codes of conduct, had a influence on the establishment of the senpai-kōhai relationship. In this system the father, as the male head, had absolute power in the family and the eldest male son was the one who inherited the family property. The father has the power because he is the one who has received an education and possesses superior ethical wisdom. Since paying obeisance to superiors was considered a virtue in Japanese society, the wife and children had to obey it. In addition to the hereditary system, only the eldest male son could receive the possessions of his father, neither the eldest daughter nor the youngest sons received anything from her father.

The last factor that influenced the senpai-kōhai system was the ancient civil law that governed the Empire of Japan from 1898, which strengthened the rules of seniority privilege and reinforced the traditional family system, giving clear definitions of hierarchical values within the family. This was known as koshusei (戸主制, 'koshusei'^? literally «head of household system») in which the head of the household The house had the right to rule its family and the eldest son would inherit that position. These statutes were abolished in 1947, after Japan's surrender after World War II, however, the ideals were maintained during the following years as a psychological influence on the Japanese way of thinking.

Presence

One of the places where the senpai-kōhai relationship is applied to its greatest extent in Japan is at school. For example, in middle schools and high schools (especially in school clubs), third-year students, who are the oldest, demonstrate great power as senpai. It is common in school sports clubs for newly admitted kōhai to do basic tasks such as collecting balls, cleaning the playing field, taking care of the equipment and even washing the clothes of the senior members, as well as They must also bow or salute before the senpai when he congratulates them, although sometimes the senpai can punish and treat his kōhai severely. >.

The main reason for these humble actions is that a club member can only become a good player if he assumes a submissive, obedient position and following the orders of his coach or captain, turning him into a humble, responsible and responsible citizen in the future. cooperative. Relationships in Japanese schools also have a greater emphasis on the age than on the student's abilities, in fact, the rules of hierarchy by seniority between a senpai and a kōhai They are analogous to the teacher-student relationship, where the teacher must be respected for his or her age and experience, and must never be questioned.

At university, however, there are notable changes in the relationship since there is a variety of ages among classmates, so the senpai-kōhai system is not strong and is only frames in giving respect and maintaining courteous language to the old members. However, in the teaching environment there is a vertical hierarchy between different teachers based on their academic rank and experience, so seniority hierarchy rules prevail among teachers, rather than students.

Another sector of Japanese society where the system governs is in companies. The social environment in Japanese companies is governed by two standards: the seniority system and the permanent employment system. The employee's status, salary, and position depend greatly on seniority, and veteran employees are generally in higher positions and receive a higher salary than their subordinates. Furthermore, until recently, when the employee obtained his position, they never cared about him since the employment was guaranteed for life. The senpai-kōhai relationship is a cornerstone in human relationships within In the business world, for example, in work meetings the lowest-ranking employee must sit in the seat closest to the door, and is known as shimoza (下座, 'shimoza' ^? literally "lower seat"), while the highest-ranking employee (sometimes the boss) is the one who sits next to an important guest in a position call kamiza (上座, 'kamiza'^? literally «superior seat» or «seat of honor»). During meetings, most employees do not express an opinion and limit themselves to listening to and supporting their superiors, although they can express opinions only with the prior consent of the highest-ranking and most influential employees in the company.

Outside Japan, the relationship between the senpai and his kōhai is framed only within the teaching of martial arts. The technical knowledge and ethical and moral standards of Japanese martial arts are encompassed in a concept called budō (武道, 'budō'^?) and governs both traditional martial arts (jūjutsu, kenjutsu, iaidō, etc.) and modern martial arts (judo, karate, kendo, aikido, etc.). In modern martial arts, hierarchization by seniority and experience is applied with greater distinction through the use of ranks through colored belts that are worn at the waist and indicate their rank. The ranges that exist in martial arts are the kyū (級< span class="t_nihongo_norom" style="display:none">, 'kyū& #39;^?), which is used for lower ranks, and the dan (段, 'dan'^?), to differentiate ranks within the black belt grade, which is the highest within the martial arts.

Likewise, those who are in kyū or dan grades are the senpai of those who have kyū or lower dan, which would be their kōhai. A code of conduct must prevail between the two where the kōhai must demonstrate respect and diligence before his senpai, in a similar way as with his teacher (sensei), since the senpai will be the one who teaches the budō with clear points, patience and dedication, so that the kōhai follows a path of wisdom, justice, truth and commitment, and thus achieve advancement as a member of the organization.

Language

The rules of hierarchy by seniority are reflected in various grammatical rules within the Japanese language. Always when a person speaks to his superior with respect he uses honorific language or keigo (敬語 , 'keigo'^?), which is divided into three categories:

• Sonkeigo (معد, 'Sonkeigo'^?): is respectful language. It is used to denote respect to the superior with whom and who is speaking, including his actions, objects, features and people related to that superior.
• Kenjōgo ( , 'Kenjōgo'^?): is the humble language. The difference it has with Sonkeigois that instead of raising the person to be respected, in the kenjōgo the speaker shows respect by falling down or humiliating. The action of the speaker is somehow related to the person who must give respect.
• Teineigo (日本語, 'Teineigo'^?): is the polite language. It differs from the other two in which only the speaker is showing respect to his interlocutor and not to the person he is talking about. The use of verbs of his (being) and oral terminations - Masu. are a clear example of Teineigo.

In both sonkeigo and kenjōgo there are a set of particular expressions (verbs, nouns or special prefixes) to express the type of language: for example, the The verb "to do" in ordinary Japanese is said suru, but in sonkeigo it is nasaru and in kenjōgo it is said < i>itasu.

Another rule used in the hierarchical relationship is the use of honorific treatment suffixes. When a senpai speaks to his kōhai, he treats him with the suffix -kun after his surname or given name, regardless of whether the senpai i>kōhai is male or female. When a kōhai speaks to his senpai, he uses the suffix -senpai or -san after his surname or First name; It is too unusual and strange for a kōhai to refer to his senpai with the suffix -sama, which indicates the highest degree of respect before the interlocutor. The reason for using the suffixes -kun, -senpai or -san is that, although in a senpai-kōhai relationship is framed in respect, it is intended to imply that there is also a relationship of friendship and trust between the two. Also senpai can be used as a pronoun.

Problems

Although the senpai-kōhai relationship is deeply rooted in Japanese society, in recent years there have been changes in school and business organizations. The kōhai no longer show as much respect towards their senpai for their experience, the relationship has become more superficial, the age factor has begun to lose its importance, in addition to that the composition of the student body has diversified with Japanese who lived abroad for a large part of their lives and who have returned to Japan, or with foreign students, whose mentality is not rooted in the Japanese hierarchical system.

The collapse of the seniority hierarchy system in companies is a much more serious issue. The collapse of Japan's bubble economy in the early 1990s caused high unemployment, including the layoff of high-ranking employees. From then on, companies began to consider the skills of the employee in the first instance, instead of their age or time in the company, which is why many long-term employees lost their jobs because they were unable to meet expectations. Gradually, many companies have had to restructure their promotion and salary system, which has generated a loss in the influence of the seniority hierarchy within Japanese society.

In popular culture

Cultural references to the senpai-kōhai relationship are present in Japanese artistic productions such as novels, television series (such as doramas) and with greater international projection in manga and anime.

Outside Japan, in the American novel Rising Sun written by Michael Crichton in 1992 and which recounts the murder of an American woman in a Japanese company In Los Angeles, the main characters of the story, Captain John Connor and Lieutenant Peter J. Smith, maintain a senpai-kōhai relationship since Captain Connor lived in Japan for a time and assimilated habits of Japanese society, and during the investigation he treats Lieutenant Smith as his "Japanese-style" subordinate. It was adapted as a film in 1993, with actors Sean Connery (John Connor) and Wesley Snipes (Peter J. Smith) as the protagonists.