In the English language we used to talk about being“heirs of the ages。”Two wars and a vast economic crisis have diminished somewhat the self-confidence it used to be speak but this shift has certainly not increased our sense of indebtedness to the past。O-riental nations turn the coin to the other side：they are debtors to the ages。Much of what Westerners name ancestor worship is not truly worship and not wholly directed to-ward ancestors：it is a ritual avowal of man's great indebtedness to all that has gone be-fore。Moreover，he is indebted not only to the past；every day-by-day contact with other people increases his indebtedness in the present。From this debt his daily decisions and actions must spring。It is the fundamental starting point。Because Westerners pay such extremely slight attention to their debt to the world and what it has given them in care，education，well-being or even in the mere fact of their ever having been born at all，the Japanese feel that our motivations are inadequate。Virtuous men do not say，as they do in America，that they owe nothing to any man。They do not discount the past。Right-eousness in Japan depends upon recognition of one's place in the great network of mutual indebtedness that embraces both one's forebears and one's contemporaries。
It is simple to put in words this contrast between East and West but it is difficult to appreciate what a difference it makes in living。Until we understand it in Japan we shall not be able to plumb either the extreme sacrifice of self with which we became familiar during the war or the quick resentments which Japanese are capable of in situations where we think resentments are not called for。To be a debtor can make a man extremely quick to take offense and the Japanese prove it。It also puts upon him great responsibilities。
Both the Chinese and the Japanese have many words meaning“obligations。”The words are not synonyms and their specific meanings have no literal translation into Eng-lish because the ideas they express are alien to us。The word for“obligations”which covers a person's indebtedness from greatest to least is on。In Japanese usage it is trans-lated into English by a whole series of words from“obligations”and“loyalty”to“kind-ness”and“love，”but these words distort its meaning。If it really meant love or even obligation the Japanese would certainly be able to speak of on to their children，but that is an impossible usage of the word。Nor does it mean loyalty，which is expressed by oth-er Japanese words，which are in no way synonymous with on。On is in all its uses a load，an indebtedness，a burden，which one carries as best one may。A man receives on from a superior and the act of accepting an on from any man not definitely one's supe-rior or at least one's equal gives one an uncomfortable sense of inferiority。When they say，“I wear an on to him”they are saying，“I carry a load of obligations to him，”and they call this creditor，this benefactor，their“on man。”
“Remembering one's on”may be a pure outpouring of reciprocal devotion。A little story in a Japanese second-grade school reader entitled“Don't forget the on”uses the word in this sense。It is a story for little children in their ethics classes。
Hachi is a cute dog。As soon as he was born he was taken away by a stranger and was loved like a child of the house。For that reason，even his weak body became healthy and when his master went to his work every morning，he would accompany him（master）to the street car station and in the evening around the time when he（master）came home，he went again up to the station to meet him。
In due time，the master passed away。Hachi，whether he knew of this or not，kept looking for his master every day。Going to the usual station he would look to see if his master was in the crowd of people who came out whenever the street car arrived。
In this way days and months passed by。One year passed，two years passed，three years passed，even when ten years had passed，the aged Hachi's figure can be seen every day in front of the station，still looking for his master。
The moral of this little tale is loyalty which is only another name for love。A son who cares deeply for his mother can speak of not forgetting the on he has received from his mother and mean that he has for her Hachi's single-minded devotion to his master。The term，however，refers specifically not to his love，but to all that his mother did for him as a baby，her sacrifices when he was a boy，all that she has done to further his in-terests as a man，all that he owes her from the mere fact that she exists。It implies a re-turn upon this indebtedness and therefore it means love。But the primary meaning is the debt，whereas we think of love as something freely given unfettered by obligation。
On is always used in this sense of limitless devotion when it is used of one's first and greatest indebtedness，one's“Imperial on。”This is one's debt to the Emperor，which one should receive with unfathomable gratitude。It would be impossible，they feel，to be glad of one's country，of one's life，of one's great and small concerns without thinking also of receiving these benefits。In all Japanese history this ultimate person a-mong living men to whom one was indebted was the highest superior within one's hori-zon。It has been at different periods the local seigneur，the feudal lord，and the Sho-gun。Today it is the Emperor。Which superior it was is not nearly so significant as the centuries-long primacy in Japanese habit of“remembering the on。”Modern Japan has used every means to center this sentiment upon the Emperor。Every partiality they have for their own way of living increases each man's Imperial on；every cigarette distributed to the Army on the front lines in the Emperor's name during the war underscored the on each soldier wore for him；every sip of sake doled out to them before going into battle was a further Imperial on。Every kamikaze pilot of a suicide plane was，they said，repa-ying his Imperial on；all the troops who，they claimed，died to a man defending some island of the Pacific were said to be discharging their limitless on to the Emperor。
A man wears an on also to lesser people than the Emperor。There is of course the on one has received from one's parents。This is the basis of the famous Oriental filial pi-ety which places parents in such a strategic position of authority over their children。It is phrased in terms of the debt their children who must work hard at obedience rather than as in Germany-another nation where parents have authority over their children-where the parents must work hard to exact and enforce this obedience。The Japanese are very realistic in their version of Oriental filial piety and they have a saying about on one re-ceives from parents which can be freely translated“Only after a person is himself a par-ent does he know how indebted he is to his own parents。”That is，the parental on is the actual daily care and trouble to which fathers and mothers are put。The Japanese limita-tion of ancestor veneration to recent and remembered forebears brings this emphasis on actual dependency in childhood very much to the fore in their thinking，and of course it is a very obvious truism in any culture that every man and woman was once a helpless infant who would not have survived without parental care；for years until he was an adult he was provided with a home and food and clothing。Japanese feel strongly that Ameri-cans minimize all this，and that，as one writer says，“In the United States remembering on to parents is hardly more than being good to your father and mother。”No person can leave on to his children，of course，but devoted care of one's parents when one was one-self helpless。One makes part payment on on to one's own parents by giving equally good or better rearing to one's children。The obligations one has to one's children are merely subsumed under“on to one's parents。”
One has particular on too to one's teacher and to one's master。They have both helped bring one along the way and one wears an on to them which may at some future time make it necessary to accede to some request of theirs when they are in trouble or to give preference，perhaps to a young relative of theirs，after they are dead。One should lessen the debt。It increases rather than decreases with the years。It accumulates a kind of interest。It is a heavy burden and“the power of the on”is regarded as always rightly overriding one's mere personal preferences。