My friend: "Those are Buddhist Temples."
Let's play "How many swastikas can you spot?" I counted 11.
This is a real conversation I had when I came to Japan which lead to my discovery of the storied history of the swastika. While it is used in many ancient and modern civilizations the world over, the swastika is primarily associated with the Nazi party of Germany, and in the U.S. it is rather taboo. But the symbol is used on Japanese maps to denote a Buddhist temple, and is even found on the official flag of Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture, just across the Tsugaru strait from Hakodate, Hokkaido, where I first asked this question.
However, I am surprised by how little the general public knows about its greater meanings. Behold the fruits of my last 5 minutes' labor on Wikipedia:
The history of the swastika is complex and full of misconceptions. From ancient India to many Native American tribes, from theories about it appearing in the visual cortex during state of altered consciousness to Carl Sagan's theories that it represents a comet that could be seen across the world...suffice it to say that its origins and evolution cannot be explained easily. The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good" or "higher self", "asti" meaning "to be" and "ka" as a suffix. The most common interpretations are "to be good" or "being with the higher self." In Buddhism, the word evolved to represent eternity and as a symbol for the religion itself. Just let it be known that the swastika does not simply equal fascism, but still I wouldn't wear it on your sleeve.
My discovery of the history and meanings of the swastika beyond the American notion is just one example of the way my year in Japan has broadened my sense of world history and made me aware of my own limited knowledge and ethnocentrism.
This revelation also reminds me of the quotation by John Muir that is printed on the back of a t-shirt I have from the Macalester College Environmental Studies Department:
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."
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