K. M. University, India Christianity in the Land of Santhals: a study of Resistance and Acceptance in Historical Perspective(03U)

Mimura, Yasuomi

Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Japan

Ritual Studies in Shinto(08U)

*chairperson

Organized panel
Mimura, Yasuomi

Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Japan

On the Significance of Ecstatic Movements in "Kagura"(08U)

"Kagura" has been defined as "Being before and with gods," which relates to the soothing of gods. But, through close observations of kagura in the Chugoku region, we realize that the "soothing gods" theory cannot fully explain many ecstatic movements of performers. Iwata Masaru once studied Hiba-kojin-kagura in the Bingo area, and suggested that ecstatic movements are not fully explained by the soothing-gods theory. The presenter, through observations of the shogun-mai of Aki-junijingi, came to the same conclusion as Iwata's. The ecstatic movements of kagura in the Chugoku region should be interpreted as "driving-out the evil spirits" rather than "soothing-gods." What's more, the presenter, after studying the "Yamano-kami festival" in the Suo area, found that primordial movements in trance of "Yama-no-kami" is closely related to dealings with dead souls. Thus, the presenter gives reconsideration on the ecstatic movements of various kinds of kagura in the Chugoku region, and clarifies that they are primordially related to the "driving-out the dead souls."

Organized panel, Japanese
Minesaki, Hiroko

Ochanomizu University, Egypt

Gender Norms and Islam: Focusing on Fatwa in Contemporary Egypt(04O)

This paper deals with Egyptian Gender norms and Islamic Legal Culture in Egypt. Fatwa (a jurist's view or judgment) of contemporary Egypt is used as my main data. Fatwa has played a role of adjective law in application of Shari'a. The Personal Status Law of Egypt is based on Shari'a. Simultaneously, Shari'a is the religious law and norms of daily life. So the gender norm of Shari'a entered even into the details of life, and provides that way of Muslim life. The gender norms of Shari'a go into details. As a result, people think that a sexual matter is a public matter, and it is put under control of family and community. Especially, control of young women is made severe. Egyptians obey their legal culture of Shari'a, based on the name of God. I try to make clear how Islamic discourses influence women's daily life and their decision making.

Organized panel, English
Minowa, Kenryo

Aichi-gakuin University, Japan

The Characters of the Eight Lectures at the Hosshoji Temple(09U)

The Eight Lectures at Hosshoji Temple (Hosshoji Mihako) was a part of the famous ceremonial service called sango and this was the most authoritative ceremony in the Kamakura Period. At the Mihako, the Lotus Sutra was preached and broad dogmatic themes were argued in this ceremony. The first theme was delivered from a quotation from the Lotus Sutra, and the second was concerned with dogmatic understandings of Buddhist studies. The theme was selected considering the lecturer's profession. For example, if the lecturer belonged to Tendai, the argument was concerned with the Tendai Doctrine and if he belonged to Hosso, Hosso doctrine was the subject of interest. It seemed that the content of the argument was to pursue the contradiction between the sutras and the commentaries which lecturer's sect depended on. We can say that the arguments done to surpass the contradictions were based on the Mahayana doctrine. There seemed to be a rule that they should avoid Hinayana Buddhist texts.

Organized panel, Japanese
Miranda, Evelyn A.

University of the Philippines-Diliman, Philippines

Indigenization of Christianity in the Philippines: The Case of the "Turumba" in Pakil Town of Laguna Province(14E)

This study is part of a broader research on the local history of Laguna which will focus on the indigenization of Christianity in Pakil, Laguna: The Case of the Virgin of Turumba. At present, the feast day of the Virgin of Turumba has gathered a big crowd in the town of Pakil. People from all walks of life coming from nearby provinces and as far as Metro Manila participate in the celebration of the Feast of the Virgin of Turumba thereby making this annual affair a very important historical and ongoing commemorative event in practically the entire Laguna province (see map). Specifically, the study will discuss the elements of native culture which were combined with the doctrines/rituals of Christianity during the Spanish period. It will also look into the impact of the "Turumba" on the socio-economic life of the Municipality of Pakil."Turumba" has enriched the cultural, spiritual as well as the material aspects of life of the Christian Filipinos particularly the people of Pakil. The miracles of the Virgin of Turumba also strengthened their Christian religious life.

Organized panel, English
Mitomo, Kenyo

Rissho University, Japan

The Spread of Buddhism and its Harmonious Nature(07M)

King Ashoka (268 B.C.) sent Buddhist envoys to various areas including Syria, Egypt, and Greece in hopes of building peaceful societies based upon laws and not ruled by might. It was not military coercion, but Buddhism's peaceful and lofty ideals that influenced neighboring nations. This session hopes to offer clues toward solutions to our societies' infatuation with impelling cultures and the unstoppable chain reaction of violence by examining what Buddhist concepts were involved and in what process Buddhism managed to assimilate with local cultures and religions in its spread through India, the Islamic world, Tibet, China, and Japan.

Organized panel, * Session Abstract, Japanese
Mitomo, Ryojun

Rissho University, Japan

A Comparison Between the Dharma and the Laws of Society(07M)

The dharma of Buddhism includes Sakyamuni's teachings and the universal law of causation. The teachings are not static and depend on the time frame, society, culture, environment, and the listener's level of understanding. The teachings must also demonstrate their universal rationality. Universal rationality persuades people to adopt the realization of para-hita, or "serving others". That which is not deceptive is not construed as truth in Buddhism; only that which benefits others can be so assumed. Para-hita, however, conflicts with the laws of society. Genjo-sanzo illegally departed his country, as did Ganjin Wajo who is responsible for transmitting the vinayas to Japan. As such, these men risked breaking the laws of their country to live for the sake of truth. I intend to focus on the subject of relegating civil laws and rules for the advancement of para-hita by introducing such cases including that of Ninsho Ryokan of the Kamakura Period.

Organized panel, Japanese
Mitrofanova, Anastasia Vladimirovna

Diplomatic Academy, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia

Fundamentalism And Politicization Of Religion In Russian Orthodoxy(17Q)

Orthodox Christianity as a political religion should be distinguished from religious fundamentalism. Unlike fundamentalism, political religion aims not at revitalization of the past but at addressing the most vital issues of modernity. Fundamentalists can be non-political: they tend to isolate themselves in small enclaves within modern societies. Political religion of Orthodox Christianity easily changes the corpus of sacred texts while for fundamentalists all the texts are already written and interpreted. Political Orthodoxy easily borrows ideas, methods and symbols from the other religions and secular ideologies. From the fundamentalist viewpoint, all versions of political Orthodoxy (Pan-Slavism and Eurasianism) should be defined as heretical. Pan-Slavism is heretical because it views Orthodoxy as a kind of Slavic tribal religion and by doing this strips Orthodoxy of its universalism. The heretical nature of Eurasianism (from the fundamentalist viewpoint) is based on the fact that any difference between Orthodoxy and non-Orthodoxy disappears.

Organized panel, English
Mitsuhashi, Tadashi

Meisei University, Japan

Ancient Emperorship and the Formation of a Medieval Shinto-based Vision of the Tenno(09P)

The establishment of emperorship dates back to after the 7th century, during which the term "Tenno" and the country name "Japan" first came into usage. This period also saw the establishment of the mythology of "Tenson Kourin" (descent from the heavens of the imperial ancestral deity) as reflected in the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, and the creation of the idea of the Tenno as a living kami (arahitogami) ruling over Japan. However, in reality, this Shinto-based vision of the Tenno did not wield absolute authority, nor was it perpetuated or developed by imperial decree. Rather, the idea of the Tenno as a descendant of deities, and the notion that he was one with Ise Jingu, cannot be found in Heian period ceremonial. I claim that this mythological view of the Tenno did not come about as a result of state imposition, nor did it emerge out of the imperial ceremonial administration. Instead, it arose among the priests of Ise Jingu and Buddhist monks who worshipped the shrine. In other words, I want to argue that the vision of the Tenno as the core of Japan was developed as a Shinto view of emperorship unrelated to the exercise of political power or the political considerations of its time.

Organized panel, Japanese
Mitsuhashi, Tadashi

Meisei University, Japan

Shinto Perspectives on Emperorship(09P)

Since ancient times the Tenno (emperor) has been at the center of Japan. This panel explores the spiritual dimensions of the emperor's position in Japan, along with his political and social roles. We will focus on Shinto (especially Ise Jingu), a vital topic when discussing the institution of the Tenno. From our respective specialties in history and anthropology, papers will address the following topics: differences between perspectives on the Tenno as developed in ancient times and in the middle ages; views of emperorship as reflected in medieval Buddhist/Shinto ceremonial practice; the relationship between the Nikko Toshogu shrine and Ise Jingu under the Tokugawa shogunate; the transformation after the end of the Second World War of the relationship between the Tenno and Ise Jingu that had existed during the Meiji period. In this way, in addition to discussing the process of the creation and transformation of images of the Tenno through history, we wish to draw attention to the historical continuities in the spiritual/religious dimensions of Japanese emperorship, as well as to Shinto as a characteristic cultural phenomenon of Japanese society.

Organized panel, * Session Abstract, Japanese
Mitsutani, Margaret

Kyoritsu Women's University, Japan

Myth and the Work of Tawada Yoko(04W)

In the work of Tawada Yoko, myth often functions as a force that disrupts the complacency of modern life. Opium for Metamorphosis(2001), originally written in German, can be read as Tawada's take on Ovid's Metamorphosis. The 22 nymphs and goddesses who float in and out of its pages, however, are not merely modern versions of their Greek and Roman counterparts. For example, Adirane, who in the myth provides Theseus with thread to guide him out of the labryinth, here creates a network of alleys that refuse to accept the names city planners try to force on them, while Leda, seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan, is herself transformed into an aging swam who views the State as ouf Father who art in Heaven. Narrated by a writer who discovers that her body is capable of producing opium, these stories defamiliarize Greek myth in playful yet disturbing ways, casting new light on gender and the body, politics, art, and of course, addiction.

Organized panel, English
Miwa, Zeho

Minobusan University, Japan

The Influence of Nichiren's Works in The Modern Japan(08L)

To believers of Buddhism, the Buddhist sutras take on a narrative aspect. In this case, the narrative has a religious effect, providing principles of explanation for phenomena occurring in the real world and a system of explaining through a plot that provides a standard direction to the life of the believer. Phenomena occurring in the real world are not explained as fortuitous, but are located in real time out of necessity. This characteristic can be classified into two categories, "significance as a standard" and "significance as a tool of healing." In this paper, I'll deliberate on how Nichiren's works influence Modern Japanese intellectual history and demonstrate the particularity of narrative included in Nichiren's works.

Organized panel, Japanese
Miyagi, Yoichiro

Kogakkan University, Japan

Japanese Buddhist Activities and Social Welfare after the War(07P)

*roundtable

Roundtable session, Japanese
Miyai, Rika

Saitama Institute of Technology, Japan

On the Jinzanglun, a Buddhist Encyclopedia from the Latter Half of the Period of the Northern Dynasties in China(09O)

The Jinzanglun was compiled by Daoji during the Northern Qi and the Northern Zhou periods in China. It is a Buddhist encyclopedia that classifies the Buddhist Canon into various categories. The Jinzanglun became well known not only in China, but also in Japan, and was widely respected. Some tales found in the Konjyakumonogatarishu are based on the Jinzanglun. However, the Jinzanglun was considered lost for a long time in China and Japan. Recently, some volumes of it were discovered in Japan. A careful study of these volumes and a comparison with other Buddhist encyclopedias such as the Jinluyixiang, the Fayuanzhulin, and the Zhujinyaoji will help to reconstruct the Jinzanglun. The Jinzanglun is a very valuable resource for studies on the Buddhism of the later years of the Northern Dynasties, a period which has remained relatively understudied. An analysis of the Jinzanglun will also be helpful in clarifying the compilation process of Buddhist encyclopedias.

Organized panel, Japanese
Miyake, Hitoshi

Kokugakuin University, Japan

Religious Studies Research on Religious Traditions in Japan – Research on Folk Religion(02A)

Until now, religious traditions in Japan have, for the most part, been discussed from the position of established religions such as Shinto, Buddhism, and Taoism. Yet, it is the Japanese people who have either directly or in a synchronized form, integrated these foreign religions into their own life style to meet their religious needs. This is the approach used in the research of folk religions; to analyze Japanese religious traditions through the perspective and religious life style of the people. Folk religion includes Shinto, which is rooted in natural religion, Buddhism, which is a founded religion, China's Taoism, Confucianism, syncretistic religions, which is an amalgamation of these religions mentioned above, and also includes new religions established in Japan such as Shugendo, Onmyodo, and other new religions that are still in its groundbreaking years. Through religious leaders within the community, these religions have been advocated to respond to the needs of the people and have been incorporated into their life style. In this presentation, after introducing the central studies made in the field of Folk Religion along with my own perspectives, I would like to examine the notion of life and death in Japanese folk religion using three paintings as the basis of my thoughts.

Organized panel, English
Miyake, Hitoshi

Kokugakuin University, Japan

Shugendo and Mountain Beliefs and Practices in Japan(07C)

A belief in the sacredness of mountains is found all over the world. In Japan, shrine Shinto was nurtured on the belief that spirits residing in mountains could be petitioned by those living at their foot for rich harvests. With the arrival of Buddhism and Taoism, which placed great value on ascetic training in the mountains, more and more priests went there for practice, which gave eventual rise to what might be called "mountain Buddhism." Shugendo formed around the thirteenth century, centered on priests from the esoteric Tendai and Shingon schools who went to the mountains to gain the spiritual power that was the pivot of their magico-religious activities. Shugendo represents a combination of native beliefs (proto-Shinto), Buddhism, Taoism and Yin-Yang divinatory practices (Onmyodo) and it was an important current in medieval religion. Christian missionaries who lived in Japan in the sixteenth century described it in their reports to Europe. During the Edo period (1603-1867), Shugendo adherents (shugenja) were required by government policy to settle in villages throughout the country and to centre their activities there. Shugendo was banned in 1872 by the Meiji government as part of their policy to separate Buddhism and Shinto. However after the Second World War, religious organizations were given the freedom to operate independently. Female practitioners have greatly increased in number in recent years. This panel, conducted under the auspices of the Nihon Sangaku Shugen Gakkai (Association for the Study of Japanese Mountain Religion), aims to present a comprehensive view of Shugendo and mountain religion, the core of folk religion in Japan, with reports by representatives of the Association and foreign researchers.

Organized panel, * Session Abstract, Japanese
Miyake, Hitoshi

Kokugakuin University, Japan

Shugendo and Mountain Beliefs and Practices(07C)

In July 2004, the sacred mountains and pilgrimage routes of the Kii peninsula centering on Yoshino, Kumano and Mt Koya were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Yoshino-Kumano region is the birthplace of Shugendo, and Kumano Shugendo in particular was the core of medieval Shugendo. Mt Koya was an important ritual site for esoteric practitioners and shugenja also appeared from the Shingon tradition that flourished there. I will centre my presentation on mountain beliefs and practices at Yoshino, Kumano and Mt Koya as they existed before the rise of Shugendo and then examine the Shugendo which made this region its practice site. As Kumano Shugendo spread throughout Japan, a temple organization developed centered on the Kyoto temple Shogoin, and a loose organization of practitioners, called the Tozan Shodaisendatsu-shu, developed based in a number of large temples in the Kinki region. I will also touch briefly on the Honzan-ha and Tozan-ha Shugendo groupings of the Tokugawa period.

Organized panel, Japanese
Miyake, Hitoshi

Kokugakuin University, Japan

(08C)

Organized panel, Japanese

Miyamoto, Kesao

Musashi University, Japan

Shugendo Ritual in Local Areas(07C)

Unlike during the medieval period, when religious authority took precedence over secular authority, during the Tokugawa period, the Shogunate (the secular authority) engulfed religious authority and used religion for political purposes, making it a tool for the domination of the populace through policies such as the temple-registration system and the hierarchical system of main and branch temples forced upon the various sects and schools. Under these conditions, undertakings by shugenja became multifaceted; their religious activities were regulated not only by their own abilities but also by local politics, the strength of other religious, non-Shugendo groups, and by the beliefs of the populace. This paper considers similarities and differences between eastern and western Japan through an examination of Shugendo ritual and village events.

Organized panel
Miyamoto, Youtaro

Kansai University, Japan

Religion of Korean Residents in Japan: From the Standpoint of Postcolonialism(01F)

Korean Residents in Japan (zainichi), the largest minority group in Japan, have been forced to live "identity/non-identity" of zainichi, which is persistently invented by discrimination in the midst of a contradictory dynamics of assimilation and exclusion. Such a "disease of identity" can be seen, for instance, in the fact that more than 90% of zainichi are using Japanese names in public instead of Korean names. In spite of this fact (or because of it?), "Korean nationality" still holds its symbolic reality among zainichi. To keep this nationality, zainichi have kept traditional styles such as Confucian ceremonies and shamanistic rituals as well as some folk festivals creatively organized by themselves. Shitennoji wasso, one of those festivals, indicates a case of creating identity as zainichi (neither Korean nor Japanese) through a series of dramatic representation of the history based on the fact that Korean immigrants introduced new cultures to ancient Japan.

Organized panel, English
Miyamoto, Youtaro

Kansai University, Japan

Ojoden and Taishiden: An Aspect of the Development of Sacred Biographies in Japan(15M)

It was during the middle of the Heian period when the Jodokyo (Pure Land Buddhism) first flourished in Japan. It was also at this time that the first ojoden (biographies of those who achieved rebirth in Amida's Pure Land) came to be compiled. The first attempt in this genre was the Nihon-ojo-gokuraku-ki (Japanese Record of Pure Land Rebirth), edited by Yoshishige Yasutane in 984. The first biography of the forty-two ojonin (one who has achieved rebirth in Amida's Pure Land) found in this particular ojoden is the story of Shotoku Taishi (Prince Shotoku). It is obvious from its contents that this biography is based on the contemporaneous Shotoku taishi denryaku (Chronological Biography of Prince Shotoku), which, as the most popular taishiden (biography of Prince Shotoku), marked an epoch of belief in Shotoku. It was at this time, that the image of Shotoku Taishi as the founder of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan consolidated, and Pure Land Buddhism was made orthodox by the True Pure Land School based on the tradition beginning with Genshin and through Honen to Shinran.

Organized panel
Miyamoto, Yuki

DePaul University, USA

Sacred Pariahs: The Representation of Women in the Case of the Atomic Bombing(04V)

This paper examines various representations of women in the commemoration of the atomic bombings of 1945. To this end, I focus particularly upon the exemplary image of Yumechiyo in Yumechiyo Nikki (The Diary of Yumechiyo). This story was not only a popular TV series in Japan, but was also rendered into a novel, a play, a movie, and even a statue in Yumura, Hyogo, where the character of Yumechiyo spent most of her life. I argue that the image of this female protagonist is largely confined by the stereotype of woman as "pure," "innocent," or "self-sacrificial." Such a reifying representation falls short of grasping real men and women's complex experiences of agony, hatred, and aggression during the war by simplistically reducing them to victims. On the other hand, I argue, the feminine representations may yet lend themselves to a more inclusive understanding of the event, suggesting a possible means of reconciliation when compared with the image of the merciful and compassionate Buddhist deity Avalokitesvara (Kuan-yin in China; Kannon in Japan), a sacred archetype of womanhood widespread in East Asia.

Organized panel
Miyanaga, Kuniko

The Reischauer Institute, Harvard University, Japan

New Traditions in Global Society(01H)

Globalization primarily means the integration of the world and the associated formation of global culture, especially the dissemination of global standards. Until 1970, it was generally held that the whole world would evolve to the Western type of modern society to which local cultures should be integrated. However, by now, it has been evident that local traditions also emerge under new fashions and with new functions in global society. This panel discussion shows some concrete examples of the emergence of New Traditions in global society, and then discusses that tradition is reorganized and simplified to serve specific purposes in global society. Furthermore, the panel would like to suggest (1) that religion has an advantage in this process because it presents epistemology, and (2) that this global change follows after scientific evolution.

Organized panel, * Session Abstract, Japanese