The Secrets of the Ojigi, The Act of Expressing with the Bowing

Ojigi is the act of bowing or lowering the head and upper back, typically used as a greeting, bow, apology, or gratitude in social and religious situations.

Historically, the ojigi was closely linked to samurai culture. During the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333) there was a growth in the figures of samurai warriors, which led to a series of codes of conduct and etiquette manuals that contained the correct way to interrelate between samurai. The word ojigi (お辞儀) comes from its homophone お時宜, which means to do something at the right or opportune moment, and was not limited to the act of bowing until the Edo period (1603 to 1868), when the samurai etiquette of ojigi became extended to the entire population. It is believed that it could originate from the arrival of Buddhism in Japan during the 5th century, but there are no final data on it.

Today the ojigi is based on the etiquette of the Ogasawara school, an ancient samurai clan founded over 800 years ago.

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In modern Japan, bowing is a fundamental part of Japan’s most representative social etiquette, emphasizing respect and social position. From casual greetings, business meetings, to funerals, the ojigi is a fundamental part of interpersonal interaction and the ability to perform it correctly is an expected quality in adults. For this reason, even though we Japanese began to perform the ojigi from a very young age, many companies in Japan offer special training for their employees to learn how to perform the expected ojigi in business meetings.

Most Frequent Modes

In general, the ojigi falls into two broad categories, the zarei (座礼), or bowing while kneeling, and the ritsurei (立礼), standing bow.

In both cases, the bow is expected to be performed at the waist while keeping the back straight. Not doing it or showing signs of trying to do it correctly denotes disinterest, lack of sincerity and respect. Each of these has different subcategories depending on the angle of inclination and the position of the hands, which may depend on social status, situation and context.

In the business world it is common to find 3 subcategories, although obviously there are more. The most common are eshaku , keirei , and saikeirei . It is not so important which one you choose, but it is very important to perform it perfectly. They have in common to keep the back very straight and the lower part of the body (below the waist) must remain straight, perfectly vertical and still.

At the same time, the breath must go in sync with the bow, this is known as reisansoku (礼三息). The act of lowering the body should last for the inhalation time, keep leaning perfectly still during the exhalation time, and then rise up during the second inhalation.

Eshaku (会釈), is generally considered the most casual, with an incline of about 15 degrees. The eyes should point to the ground about 3 meters from where you are standing. It is a greeting that is normally done in business between people of the same rank or when so much formality is no longer necessary, for example when you meet them on the street.

Keirei (敬礼) is the most common variation in the business world. It offers a more formal posture and impression than the eshaku but less so than the saikeirei. Normally it has a 30 degree inclination, with its gaze set 1 meter from your position. Normally used to greet clients, arrive at a meeting or thank your superior.

Saikeirei (最敬礼), literally means the gesture of greatest respect. Normally used when meeting a person of very high status, when apologizing or very big favors are requested. It has an inclination of 45 to 70 degrees, and it must be performed for a relatively long time, since it is usually used in very serious situations where one must show respect and sincerity.

As for the hands, men should keep their hands naturally by the sides of their legs, and women should place one on top of the other in the center near the body in front of them, just below the abdomen.

Zarei is usually more common in traditional situations, originally performed on tatami, so its modern use is less and less. It is common to see it during the tea ceremony, during kendo and traditional dances.

Similar to ritsurei in business, there are 3 most common modes.

Senrei (浅礼), which is the most casual mode, used as a greeting in informal situations, with a slight inclination of about 30 degrees. During the bend the hands should slide naturally up the legs towards the knees. In the tilt position, only the tips of your fingers should touch the floor. Men keep their hands in front of their knees, and women place them together in the center.

Futsurei (普通礼), is the most common style in formal situations and traditional activities. The body must be inclined until the face is about 30 cm away from the ground. The hands should be placed in front of the body, touching the floor with the palms while forming a triangle under the face, the tips of the fingers of the different hands should barely touch each other.

Saikeirei , the most formal, where one must lean in until your chest presses against your legs, the hands must slide until they are about 7 cm away from the knees. In the final position, the face should be about 5 cm away from the ground. The palms of the hands should touch the ground, forming a triangle directly below the face, with the fingertips of the different hands just touching. Like the standing version, this position should be held longer to show sincerity and respect. The entire act should take about 10 seconds to complete.

In very particular cases, traditional events, visits to sanctuaries and temples, etc., there are different rules that, although similar to the previous ones, may vary. Today we are not going to cover all these variations, but if you manage to perfect the ones that we mentioned, you will probably be able to integrate them into your catalog in a very short time.