DOCSLIB.ORG

Uvic Thesis Template

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Uvic Thesis Template The Truth in the Fictions: The Exploration of the Chūshingura World by Yuriko Katsumata B.A., Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, 1972 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the the Department of Pacific and Asian Studies Yuriko Katsumata, 2011 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee The Truth in the Fictions: The Exploration of the Chūshingura World by Yuriko Katsumata B.A., Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, 1972 Supervisory Committee Dr. Cody Poulton, (Department of Pacific and Asian Studies) Supervisor Dr. Katsuhiko Endo (Department of Pacific and Asian Studies) Departmental Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Cody Poulton, (Department of Pacific and Asian Studies) Supervisor Dr. Katsuhiko Endo (Department of Pacific and Asian Studies) Departmental Member This thesis explores the world of Chūshingura. It is a story based on the actual vendetta referred to as ―the Akō incident‖ which occurred on December 14th of 1702. The forty-seven Akō rōnin (masterless samurai) avenged their lord‘s death on Kira Yoshinaka, a high-ranking official of the Tokugawa bakufu. They were the former vassals of Asano Naganori, daimyō (feudal lord) of the Akō han (domain), who was forced to commit seppuku (suicide by disembowelment) as a punishment for attacking Kira in Edo Castle on March 14th of 1701. The Asano vassals became rōnin. They believed that this affair was a kenka (fight), but Kira was declared innocent. Infuriated by the unfair bakufu judgement, the Akō rōnin led by Ōishi Kuranosuke, karō (chief retainer) of the Akō han, successfully carried out the vendetta. A month and a half later, all the vendetta league members were sentenced to seppuku. This incident had a strong impact on the people in the peaceful Genroku era and it has since been taken up in various forms of entertainment and art. Among them, a kabuki and jōruri play (Japanese traditional puppet play) Kanadehon Chūshingura has maintained an unsurpassed status since its first performance in 1748. After Kanadehon, the term Chūshingura has become the title of almost all the Akō-mono (works with the theme of the Akō incident). However, this play mainly depicts the fate of fictional characters outside the vendetta league. The first purpose of this thesis is to investigate the reasons for the long-lasting popularity of Kanadehon as the most representative Chūshingura story, in spite of the clear absence of historical facts. As the second purpose, this thesis will examine the recent polarization trend in Chūshingura productions. Until a few decades ago, the straightforward vendetta stories with Ōishi the hero versus Kira the villain boasted overwhelming popularity. While the popularity of these ―orthodox‖ stories is rapidly diminishing, Chūshingura stories with diverse perspectives, such as those featuring defectors, have been steadily increasing in the modern age. Performances of Chūshingura parodies written by Tsuruya Nanboku IV in the early 1800s are also increasing both in traditional and contemporary plays. After having investigated this polarization trend and ascertained its reasons, I will try to forecast the future of Chūshingura. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee .................................................................................................... ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iv List of Figures .................................................................................................................. vii Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... viii Dedication ......................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................1 Chapter 2: The Akō Incident - Historical Background and Its Impact on the Society..........................................................................................................13 I. Facts and Legends..................................................................................................13 A. Facts: What Actually Happened?.......................................................................13 1. Records of historical events………………………………………………..13 2. The true story………………………………………………………………15 B. Legends Developed from Rumors, Speculation or Imagination........................20 1. Kira‘s harassment of Asano………………………………………………..20 2. Legends of Ōishi Kuranosuke……………………………………………...22 3. Meimeiden and gaiden……………………………………………………..23 II. Legal and Moral Issues………………………………………………………….25 A. The seppuku of Asano Naganori……………………………………………….25 B. The seppuku of the forty-six Akō rōnin………………………………………..26 1. Four Confucian scholars…………………………………………………...27 2. The birth of legends………………………………………………………..29 III. Philosophical Issues: Motivations of the Forty-Seven Rōnin...........................30 A. Loyalty to a Lord: Was It the Central Motivation?............................................30 - Defense for the samurai honor.........................................................................30 a. Ōishi‘s conception of the samurai honor....................................................30 b. Edo radicals‘ conception of the samurai honor...........................................31 B. Another Possible Motivation: Appeasing vengeful spirits.................................33 IV. Impact on Society.................................................................................................34 A. Impact on the Public in the Edo Period………………………………………..34 B. Utilization of Chūshingura by the Authorities to Enhance Patriotism...............35 C. New Perspectives in Literature...........................................................................38 D. The Change in the Interest of the Public............................................................40 1. Why were the public interested?.................................................................40 2. The gradual decrease of orthodox Chūshingura stories.………………….41 Summary.......................................................................................................................42 Chapter 3: The Stage Adaptation of the Akō Incident.................................................45 I. The Kabuki and Jōruri Plays Before Kanadehon Chūshingura.........................45 A. The Boom of the Akō-mono (Works Covering the Akō Incident)....................45 v B. Kabuki Plays....................................................................................................46 C. Jōruri Plays.......................................................................................................47 D. Gidayū Kyōgen..................................................................................................48 E. The Sekai (World) and the Shukō......................................................................50 1. Taiheiki Sazareishi......................................................................................51 2. Chūshin Kogane no Tanzaku......................................................................52 3. Goban Taiheiki...........................................................................................53 II. Kanadehon Chūshingura.......................................................................................55 A. The Component Elements of Kanadehon Chūshingura..................................57 1. Title.............................................................................................................57 2. Composition................................................................................................57 3. Playwrights..................................................................................................57 4. Main characters...........................................................................................58 - Ōboshi Yuranosuke……………………………………………………..58 - Rikiya and Oishi………………………………………………………..59 - Kō no Moronao, Enya Hangan and Kaoyo Gozen……………………..60 - Hayano Kanpei………………………………………………………....60 - Okaru…………………………………………………………………...61 - Teraoka Heiemon……………………………………………………….61 - Momonoi Wakasanosuke……………………………………………….62 - Kakogawa Honzō……………………………………………………….62 - Tonase and Konami……………………………………………………..62 - Ono Kudayū…………………………………………………………….63 - Ono Sadakurō…………………………………………………………..63 - Amagawaya Gihei………………………………………………………63 5. The Play Structure.......................................................................................64 - Daijo.........................................................................................................65 - Act Two...................................................................................................65 - Act Three.................................................................................................66 - Act Four...................................................................................................67 - Michiyuki (Ochiudo)...............................................................................67
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’S Daughters – Part 2
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations School of Arts and Sciences October 2012 Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’s Daughters – Part 2 Cecilia S. Seigle Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/ealc Part of the Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Seigle, Cecilia S. Ph.D., "Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’s Daughters – Part 2" (2012). Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. 8. https://repository.upenn.edu/ealc/8 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/ealc/8 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’s Daughters – Part 2 Abstract This section discusses the complex psychological and philosophical reason for Shogun Yoshimune’s contrasting handlings of his two adopted daughters’ and his favorite son’s weddings. In my thinking, Yoshimune lived up to his philosophical principles by the illogical, puzzling treatment of the three weddings. We can witness the manifestation of his modest and frugal personality inherited from his ancestor Ieyasu, cohabiting with his strong but unconventional sense of obligation and respect for his benefactor Tsunayoshi. Disciplines Family, Life Course, and Society | Inequality and Stratification | Social and Cultural Anthropology This is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/ealc/8 Weddings of Shogun’s Daughters #2- Seigle 1 11Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’s Daughters – Part 2 e.
    [Show full text]
  • Nikkei Foundation, Organized the Since the Hawaiian the Story of Japanese Americans
    2 FEB. 20-MAR. 5, 2009 COMMENTARY /LETTERS PACIFIC E! CmZEN !fila' PAC I FI C ~.CITIZEN L~tters to the Editor· 250 E. First Street, Ste. 301, Los Angeles, CA. 90012 Guantanamo in the mail today. Thank you very much. r Tel: 213/620-1767, eqjoyed reading aU the articles. I am a senior 800/966-6157 An almost unnoticed article appeared in a citizen and I worked in Japantown before Fax: 213/620-1768 recent edition of Newsweek addressing the E-mail: [email protected] issue of where to put the Guantanamo World War II. www.pacificcitizen.org detainees once the detention center is closed. It haS been suggested that these Gitmo prison­ YUKI KUMAKI Executive Editor: South Holland, JII. Caroline Y. Aoyagi-Stom ers l?e placed in existing federal facilities such Assistant Editor: as Fort Leavenworth. Howling protests arose Lynda Lin Pos,ter Boy for from not only the governor of Kansas but Re: Oshogatsu Office Manager: Member$hip Recruitment from other gO,vernors fearful of having their I enjoyed the column by Margie Yamamoto Brian Tanaka in the special New Year's issue so much I I enjoyed reading the interview ofu' Brian states involved in the move. Circulation: wanted to share my experience with Japanese Eva Lau-Ting Moriguchi in the Feb. 6-20 edition of the The major argument? It would pose a dan­ Pacific Citizen. The courage Brian dis­ ger to their community. This argument sounds New Year with yOlL . ~erican Publisher: Japanese Citizens played in challenging his racist superior offi­ similar to those arguments presented during I am the Italian American spouse of a League (founded 1929) 1765 Sutter Street, cers and paying the price for it these many the intemment of Japanese AmericaiIs during Japanese gentleman who came to the States San Francisco, CA 94115, tel: 4151921- in 1969 to attend university and has been here years was inspiring: wwn.
    [Show full text]
  • Sakata Tojuro, Nakamura Shichisaburo and the Creation Of
    SAKATA TOJURO, NAKAMURA SHICHISABURO AND THE CREATION OF WAGOTO KABUKI IN THE GENROKU ERA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THEATRE August 2004 By Holly A. Blumner Dissertation Committee: James R. Brandon, Chair Robert Huey Tamara Hunt Montgomery Julie A. Iezzi Kirstin Pauka Acknowledgements The research for this dissertation was made possible through the very generous support of the Monbusho and the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation. I would like to thank the managers and theatre attendants at Shochiku's Minami-za, Naka-za, and Shochiku-za theatres for granting me access to numerous performances. I wish to thank Asahi Earphone Guide Service and the Asahi English Earphone Guide staff. I am grateful to Hamatani Hiroshi at the National Theatre of Japan for his advice during my field study in Japan. I wish to thank Nakamura Ganjiro III and Kataoka Nizaemon IV for speaking with me about the current state of wagoto kabuki and nimaime acting. I am indebted to Torigoe Bunzo at Waseda University for his guidance during my two years of research at Waseda University, and to Ikawa Mayuko who tirelessly answered my questions about play texts and acting critiques. In Hawai'i, I would like to acknowledge my graduate student colleagues for their encouragement along the way. I wish to thank my committee members for their advice and assistance during the writing of this III dissertation. I am especially grateful to Dr. James R. Brandon who continues to be a great source of knowledge, inspiration, and encouragement.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking the Ako Ronin Debate the Religious Significance of Chushin Gishi
    Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1999 26/1-2 Rethinking the Ako Ronin Debate The Religious Significance of Chushin gishi John Allen T ucker This paper suggests that the Tokugawa Confucian debate over the Ako revenge vendetta was, in part, a religious debate over the posthumous sta­ tus of the forty-six ronin who murdered Lord Kira Yoshinaka as an act of revenge for the sake of their deceased master, Asano Naganori. At issue in the debate was whether the forty-six ronin were chushin gishi, a notion typ­ ically translated as “loyal and righteous samurai. ” The paper shows, how­ ever, that in Tokugawa discourse the term chushin gishi had significant religious nuances. The latter nuances are traceable to a Song dynasty text, the Xingli ziyi, by Chen Beixi, which explains that zhongchen yishi (Jpn. chushin gishi) could be legitimately worshiped at shrines devoted to them. The paper shows that Beixi text was known by those involved in the Ako debate, and that the religious nuances, as well as their sociopolitical impli­ cations, were the crucial, albeit largely unspoken, issues in the debate.1 he paper also notes that the ronin were eventually worshiped, by none other than the Meiji emperor, and enshrined in the early-twentieth century. Also, in prewar Japan, they were extolled as exemplars of the kind of self- sacrijicing loyalism that would be rewarded, spiritually, via enshrinement at Yasukuni Shrine. Keywords: Ako ronin — chushin gishi (zhongchen yishi)—しhen Beixi — Xingli ziyi — Yamasra Soko — Bakufu —apotheosis Chushin gishi 忠、臣義 士 was the pivotal notion in the eighteenth-century controversy among Confucian scholars over the Ako 赤穂 revenge vendetta of 1703.
    [Show full text]
  • Guts and Tears Kinpira Jōruri and Its Textual Transformations
    Guts and Tears Kinpira Jōruri and Its Textual Transformations Janice Shizue Kanemitsu In seventeenth-century Japan, dramatic narratives were being performed under drastically new circumstances. Instead of itinerant performers giving performances at religious venues in accordance with a ritual calendar, professionals staged plays at commercial, secular, and physically fixed venues. Theaters contracted artists to perform monthly programs (that might run shorter or longer than a month, depending on a given program’s popularity and other factors) and operated on revenues earned by charging theatergoers admission fees. A theater’s survival thus hinged on staging hit plays that would draw audiences. And if a particular cast of characters was found to please crowds, producing plays that placed the same characters in a variety of situations was one means of ensuring a full house. Kinpira jōruri 金平浄瑠璃 enjoyed tremendous though short-lived popularity as a form of puppet theater during the mid-1600s. Though its storylines lack the nuanced sophistication of later theatrical narra- tives, Kinpira jōruri offers a vivid illustration of how theater interacted with publishing in Japan during the early Tokugawa 徳川 period. This essay begins with an overview of Kinpira jōruri’s historical background, and then discusses the textualization of puppet theater plays. Although Kinpira jōruri plays were first composed as highly masculinized period pieces revolving around political scandals, they gradually transformed to incorporate more sentimentalism and female protagonists. The final part of this chapter will therefore consider the fundamental characteristics of Kinpira jōruri as a whole, and explore the ways in which the circulation of Kinpira jōruri plays—as printed texts— encouraged a transregional hybridization of this theatrical genre.
    [Show full text]
  • Honor and Violence: Perspectives on the Akō Incident
    Honor and Violence: Perspectives on the Akō Incident Megan McClory April 4, 2018 A senior thesis, submitted to the East Asian Studies Department of Brandeis University, in partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Arts degree. Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………1 Law and Morality………………………………………………………………………………...4 Kenka Ryouseibai…………………………………………………………………………5 House Codes……………………………………………………………………………....8 Loyalty as Propaganda…………………………………...………………………………..9 Filial Piety………………………………………………………………………………13 Evolution into Legend……………………………………………………………………………15 Dissemination……………………………………………………………………………15 Audience…………………………………………………………………………………18 Akō as an Example………………………………………………………………………19 Modern Day……………………………………………………………………………...20 Sengaku-ji………………………………………………………………………………. 22 Chūshingura as a Genre………………………………………………………………… 25 Ukiyo-e………………………………………………………………………………...…25 Appeal and Extension to Non-Samurai………………………………..…………………………28 Gihei the Merchant………………………………………………………………………28 Injustice…..………………………………………………………………………………35 Amae …………………………………………………………………………………….38 Collective Honor…………………………………………………………………………41 Women in Chūshingura………………………………………………………………….44 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….47 List of Names and Characters Adapted from David Bell Chushingura and the Floating World: The Representation of Kanadehon Chushingura in Ukiyo-e Prints Enya Hangan A young provincial noble and Lord of the castle of Hoki under the shogun Ashikaga Takauji. Asano Takuminokami Naganori, Lord of Akō in the province of Harima.
    [Show full text]
  • Leca, Radu (2015) the Backward Glance : Concepts of ‘Outside’ and ‘Other’ in the Japanese Spatial Imaginary Between 1673 and 1704
    Leca, Radu (2015) The backward glance : concepts of ‘outside’ and ‘other’ in the Japanese spatial imaginary between 1673 and 1704. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/23673 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. The Backward Glance: Concepts of ‘Outside’ and ‘Other’ in the Japanese Spatial Imaginary between 1673 and 1704 Radu Leca Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 2015 Department of the History of Art and Archaeology SOAS, University of London 1 Declaration I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination.
    [Show full text]
  • Bushidō and the Samurai
    Bushidō and the Samurai Martha Chaiklin “Fujiyama-geisha” is a common English expression that refers to the stereotypical images that foreigners hold of Japan. Since the 1980s and Japanese economic dominance, however, most Westerners have become much more knowledgeable about the Land of the Rising Sun. Where once Japanese food could only be obtained on the West Coast or New York, now you can buy sushi in the supermarket. Nevertheless, certain types of stereotypes have persisted. A pervasive one, supported by Japanese film and animation, is the samurai as an elite warrior who lives by a strict code. This idealized and romanticized image has only the most tenuous connection to historical reality. The word samurai is derived from the verb saburau, to serve. In the Heian period (794–1185) the original samurai by title were people who directly served the upper echelons of the aristocracy. It could refer to a wide variety of positions, including the armed guards who protected the members of the Imperial family. In the case of the emperor, sometimes this samurai was even a family member and thus a member of the aristocracy. This broad usage continued even into the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the first warrior-led government. It was not until the breakdown of imperial rule and the rise of the warrior class that led to the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate that this term came to refer to warriors. The origins of the warrior class in Japan are debated. Some scholars believe they evolved from regional militias, and others emphasize the aristocratic origins of the upper echelons.
    [Show full text]
  • Japonica Humboldtiana 8 (2004)
    JAPONICA HUMBOLDTIANA 8 (2004) Contents MARKUS RÜTTERMANN Ein japanischer Briefsteller aus dem ‘Tempel zu den hohen Bergen’ Übersetzung und Kommentar einer Heian-zeitlichen Handschrift (sogenanntes Kôzanjibon koôrai). Zweiter und letzter Teil ............ 5 GERHILD ENDRESS Ranglisten für die Regierungsbeamten des Hofadels Ein textkritischer Bericht über das Kugyô bunin ............................. 83 STEPHAN KÖHN Alles eine Frage des Geschmacks Vom unterschiedlichen Stellenwert der Illustration in den vormodernen Literaturen Ost- und Westjapans .................... 113 HARALD SALOMON National Policy Films (kokusaku eiga) and Their Audiences New Developments in Research on Wartime Japanese Cinema.............................................................................. 161 KAYO ADACHI-RABE Der Kameramann Miyagawa Kazuo................................................ 177 Book Reviews SEPP LINHART Edo bunko. Die Edo Bibliothek. Ausführlich annotierte Bibliographie der Blockdruckbücher im Besitz der Japanologie der J. W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main als kleine Bücherkunde und Einführung in die Verlagskultur der Edo-Zeit Herausgegeben von Ekkehard MAY u.a............................................ 215 4 Contents REGINE MATHIAS Zur Diskussion um die “richtige” Geschichte Japans Steffi RICHTER und Wolfgang HÖPKEN (Hg.): Vergangenheit im Gesellschaftskonflikt. Ein Historikerstreit in Japan; Christopher BARNARD: Language, Ideology, and Japanese History Textbooks ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Kanadehon Chtshingura
    CHAPTER FIVE Kanadehon Chtshingura MonB rHeN fusr e ThLB op Fnuoel Loverrv Modern lmages of Chúshingura Í7 anadehon Chashinqura 1The TreasrLry of Loyal Relain- .N.rr1 i, so deeply ro"uen into the cullrrral fabric o[ lapan llrat until quite recently there was hardly anyone who didn't lrrow the story. Based on a historical vendetta known as the Akrj Incident that occurred in r7oz, the play has spawned spin- r'lT works in many other genres, including a stoýelling series lrrlled Gishi Meimei Den (Biographies of Loyal Retainers)1 tlurt was popular in the second half of the eighteenth century. 'l'lrcse and other variants often developed subsidiary storylines tlrat had very little to do with the original play. After the Russo-Japanese War of r9o4-o5, the popular aníwa-bushi narrative singer Tochuken Kumoemon2 scored ir lrit with úte song Gishiden (Legend of the Loyal Retainers). 'I his entertainer had the backing of a right-wing group called llrc Black Ocean Society, which tinged his Chtishingura slrlry with ultra'nationalistic ideals of loyalty and patríotism. lrr tl-re lead up to World War II, thís nationalistic flavor had t.volved to the point where the story was featured prominently irr government-mandated textbooks for elementary schools. It 65 ChúshinlurL MoRE TEAN Jusr A Thrs o! FeuoAl LovAr,Ty extolled as the "revenge of loyal retainers that lifted our irrrllrropology focused on carnival practices, Maruya brilliantly hearts," providing an "antidote" to a complacency that had r.lrrcidated the secÍet to Chúshíngurd's enduring populariý. supposedly set in during the Genroku era because of pro- On a practical level, Chashingura inspired such a vast longed peace.
    [Show full text]
  • 16 Brightwells,Clancarty Rcad,London S0W.6. (O 1-736 6838)
    Wmil THE TO—KEN SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN for theStudy and Preservation of Japanese Swords and Fittings Hon.President B.W.Robinson, M0A. ,B,Litt. Secretary: 16 Brightwells,Clancarty Rcad,London S0W.6. 1- 736 6838) xnc2ResIoENTzuna0xomoovLxnun. (o PROGRAMME NEXT MEETING Monday, OOtober 7th 1968 at The Masons Arms 9 Maddox Street 9 London 1-1.1. at 7.30 p.m. SUBJECT Annual meeting in which nominations for the new Committee will be taken, general business and fortunes of the Society discussed. Members please turn up to this important meeting 9 the evening otherwise will be a free for all, so bring along swords, tsuba, etc. for discussion, swopping or quiet corner trading. LAST. MEETING I was unable to attend this and have only reports from other members. I understand that Sidney Divers showed examples of Kesho and Sashi-kome polishes on sword blades, and also the result of a "home polish" on a blade, using correcb polishing stones obtained from Japan, I believe in sixteen different grades0 Peter Cottis gave his talk on Bows and Arrows0 I hope it may be possible to obtain notes from Peter on his talk0 Sid Diverse written remarks can his part in the meeting are as follows "As promised at our last meeting, I have brought examples of good (Sashi-Komi) and cheap (Kesho) • polishes. There are incidentally whole ranges of prices for both types of polish0 The Sashi-Komi polish makes the colour of the Yakiba almost the same as the Jihada. This does bring out all the smallest details of Nie and Nioi which would not show by the Kesho polish.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Nevada, Reno American Shinto Community of Practice
    University of Nevada, Reno American Shinto Community of Practice: Community formation outside original context A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology By Craig E. Rodrigue Jr. Dr. Erin E. Stiles/Thesis Advisor May, 2017 THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by CRAIG E. RODRIGUE JR. Entitled American Shinto Community Of Practice: Community Formation Outside Original Context be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Erin E. Stiles, Advisor Jenanne K. Ferguson, Committee Member Meredith Oda, Graduate School Representative David W. Zeh, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School May, 2017 i Abstract Shinto is a native Japanese religion with a history that goes back thousands of years. Because of its close ties to Japanese culture, and Shinto’s strong emphasis on place in its practice, it does not seem to be the kind of religion that would migrate to other areas of the world and convert new practitioners. However, not only are there examples of Shinto being practiced outside of Japan, the people doing the practice are not always of Japanese heritage. The Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America is one of the only fully functional Shinto shrines in the United States and is run by the first non-Japanese Shinto priest. This thesis looks at the community of practice that surrounds this American shrine and examines how membership is negotiated through action. There are three main practices that form the larger community: language use, rituals, and Aikido. Through participation in these activities members engage with an American Shinto community of practice.
    [Show full text]