Ashitaka’s Shrine

Study | For decades now, there’s been an argument about the reason for the manga Big Eyes. People who study the case have been divided:
a) One party says that notable looks stem from Osamu Tezuka’s adoption of large, expressive eyes from Disney cartoons, such as Bambi.
b) Others say it derives from “a national psychological identity crisis that makes Japan project a Western, Caucasian image on itself”.
c)It may have begun on the days Japan opened up to the West in the 19th century.
d)Or the people’s fetishization of cuteness (see kawaii).
While these attempts are not entirely historically incorrect, they are incomplete and on an unstable foundation.

They overlook a deeper, older idea — one that predates modern Japan, modern art, and even modern psychology. The roots of this visual language can be traced back to ancient ethical philosophy, particularly traditions that linked physical appearance with inner virtue.