Pub Date : 2023-09-19DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.79-104
Matthew Mitchell
In this article I discuss the continuity and changes of displays of temple and shrine treasures (kaichō) in the Meiji and Taisho periods. I estimate the number and features of kaichō in these periods primarily using articles in the Yomiuri shinbun and Shinano mainichi shinbun newspapers. I discuss the ways that these displays intersected with aspects of the Meiji period, including changing laws and the expansion of a convenient transportation network. The newspaper articles are also an excellent source of information regarding the practice of these displays, including the functions of confraternities, continued attraction of sideshows (misemono), and use of these displays to pray for victory in Japan’s modern wars and the repose of its war dead.
{"title":"Opening the Curtains on Popular Practice: <em>Kaichō</em> in the Meiji and Taisho Periods","authors":"Matthew Mitchell","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.79-104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.79-104","url":null,"abstract":"In this article I discuss the continuity and changes of displays of temple and shrine treasures (<em>kaichō</em>) in the Meiji and Taisho periods. I estimate the number and features of <em>kaichō</em> in these periods primarily using articles in the <em>Yomiuri shinbun</em> and <em>Shinano mainichi shinbun</em> newspapers. I discuss the ways that these displays intersected with aspects of the Meiji period, including changing laws and the expansion of a convenient transportation network. The newspaper articles are also an excellent source of information regarding the practice of these displays, including the functions of confraternities, continued attraction of sideshows (<em>misemono</em>), and use of these displays to pray for victory in Japan’s modern wars and the repose of its war dead.","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135016266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-19DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.112-114
Thomas Newhall
{"title":"Review of: Paul Groner, <em>Precepts, Ordinations, and Practice in Medieval Japanese Tendai</em>","authors":"Thomas Newhall","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.112-114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.112-114","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135060245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-19DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.1-47
Marta Sanvido
Buddhist scriptures depict the female body according to two contrasting models. On the one hand, female flesh is the epitome of defilement that hinders proper salvation. Yet, on the other hand, the gestational body is employed as a metaphor and a model to depict the highest spiritual perfection of the Buddhist clergy. By investigating these two seemingly incompatible approaches, this article shows how these contrasting models coexisted within the same doctrinal framework in early modern Sōtō Zen secret sources. In particular, it explores a Sōtō Zen secret document from the early modern period entitled Ise niji kirigami, which provides the doctrinal foundation for salvific rituals directed to women who died during parturition. The peculiarity of this document is the combination of conceptualizations typically associated with female pollution with a wide range of theorizations mainly derived from esoteric discourse on the kami, the Lotus Sūtra, and Zen koan interpretations. Therefore, through the investigation of the affinities with koan exegesis, Buddhist scriptures, and kami-related theories, this article aims to broaden our understanding of the tools used by early modern Zen monks to theorize the female body and contribute to the ongoing debate on the representation of the female spiritual and corporeal condition in Buddhist sources.
{"title":"On the Verge of Damnation and Buddhahood: Motherhood, Female Corporeality, and Koan Exegesis","authors":"Marta Sanvido","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.1-47","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.1-47","url":null,"abstract":"Buddhist scriptures depict the female body according to two contrasting models. On the one hand, female flesh is the epitome of defilement that hinders proper salvation. Yet, on the other hand, the gestational body is employed as a metaphor and a model to depict the highest spiritual perfection of the Buddhist clergy. By investigating these two seemingly incompatible approaches, this article shows how these contrasting models coexisted within the same doctrinal framework in early modern Sōtō Zen secret sources. In particular, it explores a Sōtō Zen secret document from the early modern period entitled <em>Ise niji kirigami</em>, which provides the doctrinal foundation for salvific rituals directed to women who died during parturition. The peculiarity of this document is the combination of conceptualizations typically associated with female pollution with a wide range of theorizations mainly derived from esoteric discourse on the kami, the <em>Lotus Sūtra</em>, and Zen koan interpretations. Therefore, through the investigation of the affinities with koan exegesis, Buddhist scriptures, and kami-related theories, this article aims to broaden our understanding of the tools used by early modern Zen monks to theorize the female body and contribute to the ongoing debate on the representation of the female spiritual and corporeal condition in Buddhist sources.","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135016261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-19DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.49-77
Jeff Schroeder
When Jōdo Shin Buddhist leaders gathered for a conference in early 1941 to formulate their sect’s wartime response, they did so at the bidding of their sect’s kanchō, or administrative head. To explain organizational dynamics that contributed to patterns of war support by Japanese Buddhists, this article details the state’s imposition of a kanchō system of governance on Buddhist organizations from 1884 to 1945. While Buddhist organizations had leeway in determining the selection process, term length, and specific powers of their kanchō, in all cases extraordinary authority was concentrated in a single individual. This article details how the kanchō system was implemented in major Zen, Jōdo Shin, Jōdo, Shingon, Nichiren, and Tendai organizations; examines the pro-war activities of kanchō prior to and during the Fifteen Years’ War period (1931–1945); and uses the case of the 1941 Shin Doctrinal Studies Conference to illustrate how the autocratic kanchō organizational structure amplified a sect’s most pro-war voices.
{"title":"Japanese Buddhist War Support and the <em>Kanchō</em> System","authors":"Jeff Schroeder","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.49-77","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.49-77","url":null,"abstract":"When Jōdo Shin Buddhist leaders gathered for a conference in early 1941 to formulate their sect’s wartime response, they did so at the bidding of their sect’s <em>kanchō</em>, or administrative head. To explain organizational dynamics that contributed to patterns of war support by Japanese Buddhists, this article details the state’s imposition of a <em>kanchō</em> system of governance on Buddhist organizations from 1884 to 1945. While Buddhist organizations had leeway in determining the selection process, term length, and specific powers of their <em>kanchō</em>, in all cases extraordinary authority was concentrated in a single individual. This article details how the <em>kanchō</em> system was implemented in major Zen, Jōdo Shin, Jōdo, Shingon, Nichiren, and Tendai organizations; examines the pro-war activities of <em>kanchō</em> prior to and during the Fifteen Years’ War period (1931–1945); and uses the case of the 1941 Shin Doctrinal Studies Conference to illustrate how the autocratic <em>kanchō</em> organizational structure amplified a sect’s most pro-war voices.","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135016265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-19DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.105-111
Ioannis Gaitanidis
{"title":"Review of: Timothy O. Benedict, <em>Spiritual Ends: Religion and the Heart of Dying in Japan</em>","authors":"Ioannis Gaitanidis","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.105-111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.50.1.2023.105-111","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135016107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-11-14DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.45-88
Y. Chan
The use of relics and gorintō (five-element pagodas) as objects placed in Buddhist statues gained currency in the late twelfth century. This article examines the deposits (nōnyūhin) placed by Fujiwara no Kanezane (1149–1207) in 1189 within the statue of Fukūkenjaku Kannon in the Nan’endō at Kōfukuji in Nara, one of the earliest examples to contain both relics and gorintō. The article unravels the intricate relationship between the contents of the inserted objects, the meaning of the statue, and the motives behind the placing of the deposits. On the one hand, the deposits in this statue were carefully selected to manifest Kanezane’s conception of the sacred. On the other, they were intended to evoke a response from Fukūkenjaku Kannon to generate rebirth in Amida’s pure land. The relic deposit was enshrined because of its connection to Pure Land rebirth and was to transform the statue into a shōjinbutsu (living buddha) that assumed an array of meanings: an icon containing relics, a nexus for salvation, and a miraculous manifestation of the deity. It is also suggested that Pure Land belief was a driving force behind the increase in using relics as nōnyūhin in the late twelfth century.
{"title":"Revealing the Miraculous: Objects Placed inside the Statue of the Kōfukuji Nan’endō Fukūkenjaku Kannon","authors":"Y. Chan","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.45-88","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.45-88","url":null,"abstract":"The use of relics and gorintō (five-element pagodas) as objects placed in Buddhist statues gained currency in the late twelfth century. This article examines the deposits (nōnyūhin) placed by Fujiwara no Kanezane (1149–1207) in 1189 within the statue of Fukūkenjaku Kannon in the Nan’endō at Kōfukuji in Nara, one of the earliest examples to contain both relics and gorintō. The article unravels the intricate relationship between the contents of the inserted objects, the meaning of the statue, and the motives behind the placing of the deposits. On the one hand, the deposits in this statue were carefully selected to manifest Kanezane’s conception of the sacred. On the other, they were intended to evoke a response from Fukūkenjaku Kannon to generate rebirth in Amida’s pure land. The relic deposit was enshrined because of its connection to Pure Land rebirth and was to transform the statue into a shōjinbutsu (living buddha) that assumed an array of meanings: an icon containing relics, a nexus for salvation, and a miraculous manifestation of the deity. It is also suggested that Pure Land belief was a driving force behind the increase in using relics as nōnyūhin in the late twelfth century.","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48365333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-11-14DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.89-113
C. Kleine
This article asks how the Buddhist paradigm of the interdependence between the Buddha’s law and the ruler’s law was modified over the centuries and reinterpreted by nineteenth-century authors in the face of rapid political, social, and epistemic changes. An analysis of relevant texts reveals continuities as well as discontinuities. While the paradigm’s basic function of guaranteeing autonomy and protection to Buddhist institutions remained largely unchanged, remarkable transformations in the argumentation are evident. Despite, or because of, the precarious position of Buddhism in the early Meiji period, Buddhist authors from this era choose an apologetic strategy. With some slight differences, they emphasize almost exclusively the intramundane benefits of Buddhism and thus defend themselves against the accusation that Buddhism is solely relevant to otherworldly matters. The most radical innovation, however, is the assertion that all secular norms and rules of governance are ultimately Buddhist in origin.
{"title":"Rethinking the Interdependence of Buddhism and the State in Late Edo and Meiji Japan","authors":"C. Kleine","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.89-113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.89-113","url":null,"abstract":"This article asks how the Buddhist paradigm of the interdependence between the Buddha’s law and the ruler’s law was modified over the centuries and reinterpreted by nineteenth-century authors in the face of rapid political, social, and epistemic changes. An analysis of relevant texts reveals continuities as well as discontinuities. While the paradigm’s basic function of guaranteeing autonomy and protection to Buddhist institutions remained largely unchanged, remarkable transformations in the argumentation are evident. Despite, or because of, the precarious position of Buddhism in the early Meiji period, Buddhist authors from this era choose an apologetic strategy. With some slight differences, they emphasize almost exclusively the intramundane benefits of Buddhism and thus defend themselves against the accusation that Buddhism is solely relevant to otherworldly matters. The most radical innovation, however, is the assertion that all secular norms and rules of governance are ultimately Buddhist in origin.","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45691051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-11-14DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.21-44
Barbara Greene
Since its premiere, the 2011 anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica has been widely regarded by both critics and consumers as a groundbreaking work. While contemporary otaku culture typically eschews the notion of a grand narrative, this does not mean that otaku lack a longing for the transcendent, which is often projected onto a young girl whose limitless potential triggers an intense reaction with otaku who have an affinity for the fictional over the mundane. However, Madoka Magica harkens back to an even older model of the transcendent. Within the series, through powers gained from multiple, self-sacrificial incarnations, the lead character Madoka is able to break free from her reality and into a paradise in which her fellow magical girls can attain absolute peace. This article explores the ways in which the discourse of Pure Land Buddhism have been integrated into Madoka Magica and, thereby, offers otaku a postmodern Pure Land.
{"title":"Reconstructing the Grand Narrative: The Pure Land of Madoka Magica","authors":"Barbara Greene","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.21-44","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.21-44","url":null,"abstract":"Since its premiere, the 2011 anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica has been widely regarded by both critics and consumers as a groundbreaking work. While contemporary otaku culture typically eschews the notion of a grand narrative, this does not mean that otaku lack a longing for the transcendent, which is often projected onto a young girl whose limitless potential triggers an intense reaction with otaku who have an affinity for the fictional over the mundane. However, Madoka Magica harkens back to an even older model of the transcendent. Within the series, through powers gained from multiple, self-sacrificial incarnations, the lead character Madoka is able to break free from her reality and into a paradise in which her fellow magical girls can attain absolute peace. This article explores the ways in which the discourse of Pure Land Buddhism have been integrated into Madoka Magica and, thereby, offers otaku a postmodern Pure Land.","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41412745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-11-14DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.115-146
Mark R. Mullins, J. Thomas, M. Mcmullen
{"title":"Review Discussion: Religion, Politics, and the Law in Postwar Japan","authors":"Mark R. Mullins, J. Thomas, M. Mcmullen","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.115-146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.115-146","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41742316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-11-14DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.147-150
Rossa Ó Muireartaigh
{"title":"Review of: John C. Maraldo, The Saga of Zen History & the Power of Legend","authors":"Rossa Ó Muireartaigh","doi":"10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.147-150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.49.1.2022.147-150","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44102,"journal":{"name":"JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48489193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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