Do you know the traditional and formal way that Japanese people use to apologize and ask for forgiveness? In this article, we will talk about the most polite, humble, and formal way to apologize in Japanese, called dogeza.
Dogeza [土下座] is an element of traditional Japanese etiquette that involves kneeling directly on the ground and bowing to prostrate yourself while touching your head to the ground. The word literally means to sit on the floor.
The dogeza is used to show deference to a person of higher status, such as a deep apology or to express the desire for favor from the said person.
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When do the Japanese use Dogeza?
In Japanese social consciousness, the act of sitting on the floor and prostrating oneself is an unusual deference used only when someone deviates significantly from daily behavior. Normally, one asks for forgiveness only by bowing.
The dogeza is used in extreme cases, when for example, a politician commits some theft and apologizes in public. It is a complete bow, a total bending so traditional that few use it nowadays.
Let's say a person committed a crime and wishes to seek forgiveness. Performing a dogeza does not simply mean asking for forgiveness; it is a way of imploring for it, lowering oneself, and showing complete shame.
The Story of Dogeza
One of the earliest records of dogeza can be found in a famous ancient Chinese record of encounters with the Japanese called gishiwajinden [魏志倭人伝], believed to be an ancient Japanese custom.
It was mentioned that the plebeians of ancient Yamataikoku, when encountering nobles along the road, fell prostrate on the spot, clapping their hands as in prayer. The haniwa from the Kofun period can also be seen prostrating in dogeza.
At the beginning of the modern period, popularly known as the procession of the daimyō, it is believed that it was mandatory for the commoners present to perform dogeza, but this is incorrect. It was normal for common people to perform dogeza in modern times when being interviewed by superiors.
Even now, as a method of self-protection and apology in which image damage is overlooked, his idea of feeling shame remains firmly rooted.