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

Shimada, Yoshihito

Nagoya University, Japan

Expansion of World Religions and Japanese Religions(08F)

Organized panel, Japanese

Shimada, Yoshihito

Nagoya University, Japan

Foreign Expansion of Japanese Religions(08F)

Though being a giant exporter of techno-scientific goods, Japan is also an importer in the field of culture, particularly in that of thought and religion. This is an ironic fact, because Wakon Yosai (Western technology and Japanese mind) was the 19th century slogan for accepting Western Civilization. Today, however, Japan is slowly becoming an exporter of Japanese culture – films, novels, comics, and animation. What about religions that constitute the Japanese "mind"? How have Japanese religions expanded in the world? If some of these religions have succeeded, we should ask why this is., and, if not, why? After the opening speech by Y. Simada, who has studied Islamic and Christian expansion in Africa, three case studies are offered: 1. SHIMADA Yoshihito: Expansion of World Religions and Japanese religions 2.TSUTSUI Tadashi. Japanese Migration in California and Jodo Shinshu Buddhism 3.ASAI Yoshifusa: Zen Buddhism in the U.S. 4.MORII Toshiharu: Foreign Expansion of Tenri Kyo.

Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Shimamura, Ippei

National Museum of Ethnology, Japan

The Reconstruction of Ethnic Identity through Shamanism:A Case Study of the Aga-Buryats in Post-socialist Mongolia(17O)

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and many socialist regimes, minority ethnic groups started to claim their ethnic identity. Such revitalizations of ethnic culture also have occurred in Mongolia, a former satellite of the Soviet Union. I shall limit my focus on a Mongol minority group in post-socialist Mongolia: the Aga-Buryats in Dornod province and would like to examine the role shamanism played in reconstructing their ethnic identity throughout their cultural revival movement. The reason for selecting this group is that I had observed remarkable activities undertaken by shamans looking for their ethnic roots or genealogies. In my view, this movement is much more concerned with their genealogical ruptures due to an ethnocide in the 1930's and the indispensability of genealogical knowledge in reconstructing Buryat ethnic identity in post-socialist Mongolia. Primarily, their traumatic memories compelled some people without genealogical knowledge to revive or obtain their ancestral roots or genealogies by becoming shamans or by using shamanic means.

Organized panel, English
Shimazaki, Giko

Daiichi Fukushi University, Japan

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

*roundtable

Roundtable session, Japanese
Shimazoe, Kimiko

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Japan

Reflexivity and Creation of Tradition in Folk Songs of the Amami Islands(01H)

The people of the Amami Islands identify themselves through singing and performing folk songs which are individually unique to their own village communities. These songs consist of melodies and dances. Community members assimilate these practices as they grow up and acquire community membership. Each community holds its own "database" of basic knowledge which is slightly different from other villages. Traditional folk songs of Amami are retained to insure communal identity in a modern, wider society. However, the supernatural power expressed through traditional performances has turned into "music" in a modern sense. Popular folk songs today are no longer communal but designed to heal the general audience in a global society.

Organized panel, Japanese
Shimbo, Satoru

Bunka Women's University, Japan

Shinran's Imaginary World of Nenbutsu - On Sea -(07J)

Shinran often speaks of the sea in his literary works, but what kind of deeper meaning does this word have? What is the symbolic or metaphorical meaning of the sea ?I would like to trace the essential meaning of this term, based on both the expressive feeling and vocabulary used in his works. In Shinran's literary works, the world of his imaginary sea suggests one aspect of his original Nenbutsu. On the one hand, the phrase the "sea" is used in his work were The Great Virtuous Sea and The One Vehicle, that is, it means the world completely covered with The Sea of The Original Vow or by its Power. Shinran said that in the world all things are in flux, and samsara was the sea of Multitudinous beings, and birth and death, the ocean of desire. Therefore, Shinran declared that there was no existence without thinking of the Ocean of Ignorance.

Organized panel, Japanese
Shimbo, Satoru

Bunka Women's University, Japan

Pure-Land Buddhism Studies(07J)

*chairperson

Organized panel
Shimizu, Kairyu

Rissho University, Japan

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

*roundtable

Roundtable session, Japanese
Shimizu, Takashi

Kokugakuin University, Japan

A Study of the Process of the Establishment of the Religious Corporation Law(08K)

Over a span of seven years, the General Headquarter/Supreme Commander Allied Powers (GHQ/SCAP) created the basis for post-war Japan's religious system. It was during this era that the Religious Corporation Law was legislated. However, the Religious Corporation Ordinance (RCO - 1945) dating from the beginning of the occupation period and the Religious Corporation Law (RCL - 1951) from the end of it, differ substantially in content. The RCL was enacted after a number of conferences attended by members of the Ministry of Education (Monbusho), leaders of religious organization, and representatives from the Civil Information and Education Section (CIE). In this presentation, I will examine one aspect of GHQ/SCAP's religious policy by examining the drafting process of the RCL.

Organized panel, Japanese
Shimoda, Masahiro

University of Tokyo, Japan

Nirvana, Stupa Worship and Buddha-nature in the History of Indian Buddhism(04M)

Of the so-called Protestant biased attitude latent for long in modern Buddhist studies that has excessively underestimated the significance of the cult of relics, a few of recent studies have offered an emphatic refutation, making it clear that stupa worship was a widely recognized phenomenon in traditional Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism alike, and that it is therefore a vital prerequisite for considering Buddhism as a whole. Stupas seem to have worked as a sort of axis mundi, around which the varieties of Buddhist world, not only of ritual but also of theory, variously evolved. This panel, on the basis of the philological research of Mahayana sutras and Buddhist Tantric literature, and with the intention of commanding a wider view of the progress of Indian Buddhism from ancient to medieval period, endeavors to shed light simultaneously on the three primordial and interrelated issues of Buddhism, namely, nirvana, Buddha-nature and stupas.

Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Shimoda, Masahiro

University of Tokyo, Japan

Buddhism in Indian History Revisited(13E)

*respondent

Organized panel, English
Shimura, Takuo

Hymn Society in Japan, Japan

German Hymnody and The Hymnal 21(11S)

In 1950 the German Protestant Churches published "Evangelisches Kirchen Gesangbuch," the first collection ever published by the joint effort of the Churches in the West and the East. However, it did not reflect the times nor difficulties that both Churches were facing. Instead, it included many hymns from the old German tradition. However, when the revised edition was created in 1993, entitled "Evangelisches Gesangbuch," a completely new hymnal with a large repertoire of contemporary hymns from other countries was included. The addition of new categories such as "justice," "peace," "integrity of creation," "society," "country," and "world" is also noteworthy. Especially, the new hymns that give us hope in time of pain and distress in the world at large are a significant contribution. They are also found in "The Hymnal 21" of the United Church of Christ in Japan, and therefore contribute a great deal to our hymnody as well to the hymnody of the world.

Symposium, Japanese
Shin, Kwangcheol

Hanshin University, Korea

A Cross-Cultural Study on the Viewpoint of Life and Death in Popular Culture of Korea and Japan: with Special References to the Films on Funeral Rites(11D)

The purpose of this study is to broaden our understanding of the spirituality of Korean and Japanese people. It will focus on films in popular culture, especially in funeral rites. And it focuses on "a viewpoint of life and death" among various themes. "Films dealing with funeral rites" are adequate materials for looking into "a viewpoint of life and death", a main theme of this study. In those films, funeral rites are closely related to "the lives of people alive", in spite of being rituals associated with death or corpse. The representative films treated in this thesis are Goryeojang, by Kim Ki-Yong, Chugje (Festival), by Im Kwon-Taek, Hagsaeng bugun sin-wi (Farewell my darling), by Park Cheol-Su>, Narayama Bushiko, by Imamura Shohei, Ikiru (Living), by Kurosawa Akira, Gishiki (The Ceremony), by Oshima Nagisa, Funeral, by Itami Zuzo, etc.

Symposium, English
Shinozaki, Tomonobu

Rissho Kosei Kai, Japan

Nikkyo Niwano's Understanding of Peace and the Lotus Sutra(01M)

---The One Buddha Vehicle and Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva--- The theme of my presentation is Nikkyo Niwano's understanding of peace and the Lotus Sutra. From a point view that takes someone's whole life as his or her message, I think we can say that Niwano lived as a true follower of the Lotus Sutra, believing in the One Buddha Vehicle and practicing the way of Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva. His view of peace is most clearly understood in terms of three concepts which come from Lotus Sutra faith: the idea of the true followers of the Lotus Sutra, the teaching of the One Buddha Vehicle, and the model of Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva. If we don't put these three at the core of his ideas about peace, we will miss Niwano's approach to peace, especially his involvement in the movement for interreligious cooperation.

Organized panel, English
Shintani, Takanori

National Museum of Japanese History, Japan

The Differences and Meanings of Terms Regarding "Mourning" and "Memorial"(05J)

It is perhaps a human universal that there exist ideas and customs that serve to distinguish between ordinary and unordinary death. The content and expression of which reflects the differences and characteristics accorded to each culture and society. Unlike deaths attributed to natural causes deaths caused by accidents and war receive special funerary rites in Japan. Herein, I will attempt to unravel the meaning of Japanese terms for mourning and the like by illustrating examples from shrines and monuments to the war dead. The present situation is that English terms such as mourning, memorial, lamentation have been circulated throughout general society. However, it is understood that in regards to life and death views as well as contemplations on the soul, the English words mourning and memorial differ from their Japanese language counterparts. Finally, consideration must be accorded to the influence made by using words that disregard this difference.

Symposium, English
Shinya, Masaaki

Reserch institute of Bukyyou university, Japan

Changing Urban Folk Religion: The Case of Jigenji Temple(16I)

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss a cluster of features of urban folk religion taking the Jigen Temple, popularly called Nozaki Kannon, as an example. This temple, dating from the 13th century, is located in the Osaka suburbs. Some features of traditional urban folk religion are its popular appeal, being oriented toward this-worldly gain, cultural entertainment, and shifting popularity. For example, several "functional" gods, such as the god of trade and the god of fire, are worshipped in order to attain this-worldly blessings, but some of these gods and saints are losing popularity. Once very popular in pre-modern and modern eras, Nozaki Kannon is less in demand today. It appeals to unspecified people with its Nozaki mairi (temple visit), worship of Eguchi no Kimi (a local saint), and Zen meetings. In conclusion, one can say that this type of folk religion is both changing and enduring.

Organized panel, English
Shiojiri, Kazuko

University of Tsukuba, Japan

Life and Death in the al-Qur'an(02J)

In the al-Qur'an, whether a man is alive or dead, they are to live according to God's Commandments. In the dimension of the Providence for the Creation of world and Eschatology, there is no distinction between the living and the dead. Under God, both the living and the dead are imposed to follow God's will. As the completion of one's creation is met at the return of the creature to God, the real meaning of life should be found in the life after death rather than in the life of this world. Therefore, man should spend their life-time in this world preparing for the next. The Al-Qur'an suggests that both this world and the next should be the places where man should live. Through this life-death concept in al-Qur'an, we can come to understand the unique Islamic Bio-Ethics, and I would like to examine how this can be viewed through the Oriental Perspective: is the Qur'anic life-death concept Oriental or universal?

Organized panel, English
Shiojiri, Kazuko

University of Tsukuba, Japan

Islamic Views on War and Peace (2)(12O)

*chairperson

Organized panel
Shiotsuki, Ryoko

Nihonbashi Gakkann University, Japan

Shamanism in Okinawa(07F)

In Okinawa we know of two kinds of female religious practitioners, Yuta and Noro (or Kaminchu). Yuta have been regarded as shamans who directly contact supernatural beings and Noro or Kaminchu as priestesses who only indirectly contact them. Yuta work mainly in private, guiding personal clients and dealing with their various problems and misfortunes. On the contrary, Noro or Kaminchu work in public fields, as priestesses, managing community festivals, praying for fertility and welfare of the community. The political situation has been widely different for each occupation. Being religious leaders of their communities, Noro or Kaminchu have been highly esteemed and possessed a degree of political power. Their positions have been mainly hereditary. But Yuta, whose formation is essentially personal, have often been oppressed by political rulers and their social position has been a marginalized one. But between them, we can comment on several common points: first, they are both composed of females; secondly, both are regarded as having strong spiritual power. This latter point is important. Even though in selecting Kaminchu, the genealogical situations of candidates are taken into consideration, candidates' spiritual powers are not placed out of consideration. Therefore Kaminchu sometimes become Yuta and work as Yuta. The relationship between these two kinds of religious women in Okinawa must be reconsidered from this point of view.

Organized panel, Japanese
Shiotsuki, Ryoko

Nihonbashi Gakkann University, Japan

Shamanic Practitioners and Mutual Aid Networks: Case Studies from the Ryukyu region(11R)

In recent years, fascinating local networks have emerged among shamanic practitioners in Japan. In some respects, these wide-ranging networks function as mutual aid societies, while simultaneously contributing to spiritual development, the healing of mind and body, and quests for salvation. Their emergence has been broadly structured by the globalization of information and transportation, including the global flow of New Age imagery and concepts. This paper examines three cases of the emergence of such networks in the Ryukyu region (Okinawa and Amami): The emergence of a mutual aid group among Shinto priestesses and believers at Okinogu shrine; The emergence of a mutual aid society for children who refuse to go to school as well as for their parents, organized around mother-daughter pairs of shamanic practitioners; The emergence of mutual aid networks through the Internet by shamanic practitioners or lay persons broadly interested in shamanism and spirituality. These case studies indicate that shamanism and spiritual healing in modern Japan are increasingly trans-local phenomena, embedded in regional and global structures of knowledge and spiritual practice.

Organized panel, English
Shirae, Tsuneo

Ashiya University, Japan

Gods Deified and Those Who Deify(07I)

In Japanese an expression which was used 1200 years or more ago, there were two cases, one where it existed the privity of a contract consists between gods and a man and where it didn't. For example, Japanese "praying" had two kinds of expression of "praying to gods" and "good luck to gods-" The former is performed when reciting a god' name intently in order to obtain the safety of its own body in the middle of a trip. The latter will be performed when praying to gods by making present to gods. The difference between the former and the latter is whether privity of a contract consists between gods and a man, and although the relation is in the latter, it is thought that there is nothing to the former. Only the latter remains m a present-day Japanese expression. It is a quotation from Manvoshu.

Organized panel, Japanese
Shirae, Tsuneo

Ashiya University, Japan

Japanese Religious Poetry(07I)

*chairperson

Organized panel
Shirayama, Yoshihisa

University of Tokyo, Japan

Modern Medicine and Indigenous Beliefs concerning Traditional Healing; Malaria Control Alongside Sadsana-Phee in Laos(15J)

I have been working for a malaria control project in Laos since 2002. The major religion in Laos is Buddhism, but many members of ethnic groups in the mountainous regions have an animistic belief system called Sadsana-pee. The study site in Khammouane province is a malaria holoendemic area (the annual infection rate: 13.3% in 2001) and people in the Bourapar district are the most at risk of malaria infection. Our activities there, malaria prevention and treatment with modern (Western) medicine, are not accepted by many villagers due to their strong belief in their own traditional way of healing. How their local beliefs affect modern medical services such as our malaria control activities in this remote area of high malaria risk will be discussed, based on the results of questionnaire interviews with 240 household heads conducted in ten villages in the Bourapar district from February to March 2003.

Organized panel, English
Shisanya, Constance Ambasa

Kenyatta University, Kenya

Quest for Peace Education: The Role of Religion in Peace-Building in Africa(03D)

There is an upsurge of intra-state conflicts in Africa due to varied reasons. This scenario is absurd since participants are adherents of Christianity, Islam or African indigenous religion. This paper addresses the problem of why there are many conflicts and violations of human rights among religious Africans. The methodology used is a review of secondary data on peace and values that could be promoted by the three religions to foster peace on the continent. The paper argues that peace is elusive to many religious Africans due to lack of peace education in their indigenous and foreign religions. Peace education principles in these faiths demand respect for life, human dignity, respect for human rights and nature with a view to upholding holistic and harmonious relationships in all spheres of life: political, social, economic, spiritual and ecological as demanded by God and religions in Africa. Such education must be combined with multifaceted secular approaches.

Organized panel
Shishima, S. Daniel

Benue State University, Nigeria

Religion and Peace in Traditional Africa: The Nigerian Experience(02V)

This paper examines the role of African Religion in the maintenance of peace in traditional Nigerian societies. The paper discusses the concept "peace" among the Tiv, Hausa and Yoruba ethnic groups in Nigeria. It is believed that traditional African societies were more peaceful because of their communality. The paper compares this communal spirit ("we are") with the individualism ("I am") in the West in order to understand religious conflict today in Nigeria. In conclusion, viable suggestions are made on the way forward for religion and peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.

Organized panel, English
Shiva, Vandana

(05A)

Organized panel

Shterin, Marat

King's College London, UK

Religious Conditions in Post-Socialist Countries and the Challenges of a Religiously Plural Society(04E)

*respondent

Organized panel, English
Singh, Asha

Ranchi University, India

Impact of Globalisation and Urbanisation on the Cultural Dimension of Tribes of Jharkhand (India)(17S)

Exhaustive studies initiated by anthropologists, sociologists and social scientists reveal that Tribes of Jharkhand in India have multi-cultural dimensions due to the impact of outsiders and aliens living in this area. The present study focuses on the radical changes in the life style of Tribes due to globalisation and urbanisation. In order to make such a study comprehensive, it is desirable to highlight some of the important agencies of cultural change and to study their impact. These agencies are urban contact, influence of Christianity, education and community development projects. Attention in the paper has been confined to two bigger tribes of Jharkhand, the Munda and Oraon. The objective of the study is to find out the factors and forces which lead to cultural changes among tribes and the extent to which their lives have been affected. In the present paper an attempt is also being made to investigate whether the changes are healthy or whether there has been some social disorganisation or maladjustment consequent upon cultural contact. The study also endeavours to highlight the impact of globalisation and urbanisation on the cultural identity of Tribes of Jharkhand. Since the independence of India, tribal communities in this region have been playing an important role in the country's politics. Thus, the present paper will also focus on the impact of political developments on the cultural life of Tribes of Jharkhand.

Organized panel, English
Singh, Kameshwar Prasad

Ranchi University, India

(17S)

Organized panel, English

Singh, Kameshwar Prasad

Ranchi University, India

Identity of Tribes of Jharkhand (India) through Their Participation at Festivals & Ceremonies(17S)

This panel highlights the basic concepts and philosophy beneath the celebration of festivals by the Tribal community of Jharkhand. Festivals like "KARMA", "SARHUL", "SOHRAI" and others celebrated by these tribes are very much concerned with the worship of nature. Panelists in this session will focus on the multi-dimensional and various issues related to the festivals. The following dimensions will be covered in the organized panel: 1. Religious and cultural traits of the Tribal Community of Jharkhand; 2. Impact of nature and environment on the celebration of traditional festivals; 3. Politicisation of festivals and its impact on the life style of tribes; 4. Changing religious and cultural concepts of festivals as celebrated by the tribes.

Organized panel, English