Being that they are equals...they should have had the same degree of a bow, or there abouts. When you go deep it is not just a show of respect, but is a show of being less superior. This is my understanding of the bow in Japan.
I'm not wrong Dogbert, why are you not suppose to make eye contact when bowing? I mean I'm being me and not PC when I'm stating this...but there is a reason. Do you know why?
Japanese culture dictates as little eye contact as possible. In fact, you're only suppose to have eye contact at most 25% of the time. Bowing, your eyes are suppose to be cast downward with your hands at your sides unless you are shaking hands as there are two variations for it.
You are confusing the show of respect and superiority. The Deeper and Longer the Bow, the stronger the emotion. It does not mean superiority unless you are someone of a lesser class.
What you're thinking of at a 15 degree angle is a informal bow. While an informal bow is alright for regular people, you do NOT give a informal bow to the Emperor. It's a sign of disrespect. Obama took the middle ground and gave a formal bow. He could of gone the extreme route with the very bow with the kneeling. However, Obama did not do that because he was not groveling.
The problem in this thread is ignorant people like Frank and Patek who could not get their way out of a paper bag, not even going into the topic of realizing the tradition of bowing. If I did not bring up this up, the majority of the people bitching would still be bitching about the bow in general taking place instead of the stance.
Your understanding is wrong I assume or you're assuming a different sort of bow. You are suppose to have your eyes cast downward. It is tradition overall.
As for Obama, he also threw in a variation of the bow with shaking hands. So it was a mix of a formal bow and a bow while shaking hands.
Bowing is a extremely complex thing considering the different cultures have different variations. Obama did a fine job, and this is coming from a Liberal who is disagreeing with much of his policy. In fact, today, I had debated about why we should leave Afghanistan.
I find it shameful that many of my fellow Americans give more time on this board to this issue than the issue of say, PTSD that is currently plaguing the Military. Or the fact that U.S. Army suicides are at all time high.
I did locate this, Dogbert, that seems to back up my position.
This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference to a superior.
How low will he go? Obama gives Japan's Emperor Akihito a wow bow (Updated with video, pic) | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times
The eye contact during a bow is a sign of distrust