Shinto: Discovery of the Divine in Japanese Art
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Japanese Religio-Cultural Context
CHAPTER TWO THE JAPANESE RELIGIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT Introduction This chapter introduces three factors that provide essential background information for my investigation into Endo’s theology of inculturation. First, I give a historical sketch of Japanese religion. Secondly, I look at different types of Shinto and clarify aspects of koshinto that inform contemporary Japanese culture. This is important as koshinto with its modern, psychological, and spiritual meanings is the type of Shinto that I observe in Endo’s attempts at inculturation. In connection with this I introduce the Japanese concept of the ‘divine’, and its role in the history of Shinto-Buddhist-Christian relationships. I also go on to propose that koshinto plays a fundamental role in shaping both different types of womanhood in Japan and the negative theology that forms a background to Endo’s type of inculturation. Outline of Features in Japanese Religious History Japan’s indigenous faith is Shinto, which has its roots in the age prior to 300 B.C. The animistic beliefs of this primal religion developed into a community religion with local shrines for household and guardian gods, where people worshipped the divine spirits. Gradually people began to worship ideal kami, personal kami and ancestorial kami.1 This form of Shinto is frequently called ‘proto-shinto’. Confucianism was introduced to Japan near the beginning of the 5th century as a code of moral precepts rather than a religion.2 Buddhism came to Japan from India 1 The Japanese word kami is usually translated into English by the term deity, deities, spirits, or gods. Kami in Japanese can be singular and/or plural. -
INTRODUCTION to JAPANESE ART HISTORY 2Credits (Spring) 日本
INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE ART HISTORY 2credits (Spring) 日本美術史入門 2 単位(春学期) Lecturer SHIRAHARA, YUKIKO 講師 白原 由起子 Course Description: This course explores the history of Japanese art from the sixth to nineteenth centuries, taking up the topics how imagery and symbolism, materials and techniques, introduced from the continent, have been transformed and developed to be Japanese art. Each class will focus on one or a few artworks; their function, iconology, technique and historical meaning will be discussed. A few times of discussions and presentations will be held in the class. A field trip of viewing a Japanese art exhibition is included in the course work. Textbooks: No text book for the course. Course Plan: 1 Introduction: History and Culture of Japan in East Asia Early Buddhist art of Asuka period (6th-7th centuries) 2 Rinpa-School Painting and Decorative Art (16th-19th centuries) 3 Viewing Class: Irises and Red and White Plum Blossoms exhibition at the Nezu Museum, Minami-Aoyama 4 Emaki I: Narrative Picture Scroll of The Tale of Genji (12th century): An example of Monogatari Picture Scroll 5 Emaki II: Narrative Picture Scroll of Miraculous Deeds of the Priest Myōren who Founded a Temple at Mt. Shigi (12th century): An Example of Setsuwa Picture Scroll 6 Art of Nara period (8th century): Buddhist Sculpture, Painting and Decorative Art 7 Manadala: Esoteric Buddhist Art Introduced to Japan in the 9th century 8 Depart from the Deseased World, Desire to be Born in the Pure Land: Religious Mind and Aesthetic of the 11th -13th centuries 9 Image -
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Producing Place, Tradition and the Gods: Mt. Togakushi, Thirteenth through Mid-Nineteenth Centuries Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/90w6w5wz Author Carter, Caleb Swift Publication Date 2014 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Producing Place, Tradition and the Gods: Mt. Togakushi, Thirteenth through Mid-Nineteenth Centuries A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Cultures by Caleb Swift Carter 2014 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Producing Place, Tradition and the Gods: Mt. Togakushi, Thirteenth through Mid-Nineteenth Centuries by Caleb Swift Carter Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2014 Professor William M. Bodiford, Chair This dissertation considers two intersecting aspects of premodern Japanese religions: the development of mountain-based religious systems and the formation of numinous sites. The first aspect focuses in particular on the historical emergence of a mountain religious school in Japan known as Shugendō. While previous scholarship often categorizes Shugendō as a form of folk religion, this designation tends to situate the school in overly broad terms that neglect its historical and regional stages of formation. In contrast, this project examines Shugendō through the investigation of a single site. Through a close reading of textual, epigraphical, and visual sources from Mt. Togakushi (in present-day Nagano Ken), I trace the development of Shugendō and other religious trends from roughly the thirteenth through mid-nineteenth centuries. This study further differs from previous research insofar as it analyzes Shugendō as a concrete system of practices, doctrines, members, institutions, and identities. -
The Shôkyû Version of the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki: a Brief Introduction to Its Content and Function
Eras Edition 11, November 2009 – http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/publications/eras The Shôkyû version of the Kitano Tenjin engi emaki: A brief introduction to its content and function Sara L. Sumpter (University of Pittsburgh) Abstract: This article examines the political and social atmosphere surrounding the production of the thirteenth-century hand scroll Kitano Tenjin engi emaki (Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Shrine), which depicts the life, death and posthumous revenge of the ninth-century courtier Sugawara no Michizane. The article combines an analysis of the content and religious iconography of the scroll, a study of early Japanese beliefs in angry spirits of the dead, and a narration of the actual life of Michizane in an attempt to produce a sketch of the rituals and superstitions of Heian and early Kamakura period Japanese society, and to suggest possible functions of the hand scroll that complement them. The hand scroll sets collectively known as the Kitano Tenjin engi emaki (Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Shrine) each tell the story of the life and death of the ninth- century courtier and poet, Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), and of the posthumous revenge undertaken by his vengeful spirit (onryô). According to the scrolls, Michizane was falsely accused of treason by rivals at the Heian court who were jealous of his astronomical rise to power. He was exiled to Dazaifu on the island of Kyushu in 901 and died there two years later in despair. His spirit persisted in seeking retribution against his enemies and in reclaiming his position and honours. He is said to have stalked his numerous rivals in the form of the thunder god (raijin) before ultimately revealing to a frightened court, through a series of intermediaries, the means of his pacification: deification and worship at the Kitano Shrine in Kyoto.1 Today the Kitano Tenjin engi emaki (hereafter referred to as the Tenjin scrolls) number more than thirty extant examples, ranging in date from the early thirteenth century to the nineteenth century. -
Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei Mandara Talia J
Mapping Sacred Spaces: Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei mandara Talia J. Andrei Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Columbia University 2016 © 2016 Talia J.Andrei All rights reserved Abstract Mapping Sacred Spaces: Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei Mandara Talia J. Andrei This dissertation examines the historical and artistic circumstances behind the emergence in late medieval Japan of a short-lived genre of painting referred to as sankei mandara (pilgrimage mandalas). The paintings are large-scale topographical depictions of sacred sites and served as promotional material for temples and shrines in need of financial support to encourage pilgrimage, offering travelers worldly and spiritual benefits while inspiring them to donate liberally. Itinerant monks and nuns used the mandara in recitation performances (etoki) to lead audiences on virtual pilgrimages, decoding the pictorial clues and touting the benefits of the site shown. Addressing themselves to the newly risen commoner class following the collapse of the aristocratic order, sankei mandara depict commoners in the role of patron and pilgrim, the first instance of them being portrayed this way, alongside warriors and aristocrats as they make their way to the sites, enjoying the local delights, and worship on the sacred grounds. Together with the novel subject material, a new artistic language was created— schematic, colorful and bold. We begin by locating sankei mandara’s artistic roots and influences and then proceed to investigate the individual mandara devoted to three sacred sites: Mt. Fuji, Kiyomizudera and Ise Shrine (a sacred mountain, temple and shrine, respectively). -
SHINTO SYMBOLS (Continued from Vol
SHINTO SYMBOLS (Continued from Vol. VII, No.1) VI. SACRED VESSELS AND EQUIPMENT A great many articles are employed jn conducting Shinto rituals and worship. These are called ;~iif[b~ts~ ( sacred vessels) and are tokens of the kami, abodes of kami (kami-no-yorishiro), or decorations. They are almost all inseparable from Shinto. The articles employed in rituals are sanctified and treated as symbolic, or representative of Shinto. The term seikibutsu (sacred vessel) includes all the Shinto equipment and articles used in Shinto ceremonies. It is impos sible in this brief study to do more than to touch a few of the most significant ones. The order in which they are dis cussed is as follows: himorogi, tamagushi, gohei, onusa, shime nawa, goshiki-no-hata, shimp'll, the mirror, sword and jewels, kamidana, and mikoshi. Himorogi ( divine enclosure) generally consists of a gohei or a branch of the sakaki tree hung with strips of paper or hemp and set upon a table covered with a clean straw mat. Sometimes it is a fenced-in sakaki tree or some other specific kind of evergreen tree, hung with strips of paper, hemp, or possibly a mirror. Original Himorogi - 89- l Shinto Symbols The origin of himorogi has been the subject of much con troversy, but it is agreed that from earliest times it was a part of the ceremonial equipment. It is thought that himorogi may have originally signified: 1) a place1 enclosed by evergreen trees for invoking the kami; 2) sacred trees in a grove in which kami dwelt, 3) trees which protected the kami; 4) a sacred fence made of cypress for use III rituals.2 However, the following is the most Himorogi widely accepted theory. -
HIRATA KOKUGAKU and the TSUGARU DISCIPLES by Gideon
SPIRITS AND IDENTITY IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY NORTHEASTERN JAPAN: HIRATA KOKUGAKU AND THE TSUGARU DISCIPLES by Gideon Fujiwara A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Asian Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2013 © Gideon Fujiwara, 2013 ABSTRACT While previous research on kokugaku , or nativism, has explained how intellectuals imagined the singular community of Japan, this study sheds light on how posthumous disciples of Hirata Atsutane based in Tsugaru juxtaposed two “countries”—their native Tsugaru and Imperial Japan—as they transitioned from early modern to modern society in the nineteenth century. This new perspective recognizes the multiplicity of community in “Japan,” which encompasses the domain, multiple levels of statehood, and “nation,” as uncovered in recent scholarship. My analysis accentuates the shared concerns of Atsutane and the Tsugaru nativists toward spirits and the spiritual realm, ethnographic studies of commoners, identification with the north, and religious thought and worship. I chronicle the formation of this scholarly community through their correspondence with the head academy in Edo (later Tokyo), and identify their autonomous character. Hirao Rosen conducted ethnography of Tsugaru and the “world” through visiting the northern island of Ezo in 1855, and observing Americans, Europeans, and Qing Chinese stationed there. I show how Rosen engaged in self-orientation and utilized Hirata nativist theory to locate Tsugaru within the spiritual landscape of Imperial Japan. Through poetry and prose, leader Tsuruya Ariyo identified Mount Iwaki as a sacred pillar of Tsugaru, and insisted one could experience “enjoyment” from this life and beyond death in the realm of spirits. -
Noh Theater and Religion in Medieval Japan
Copyright 2016 Dunja Jelesijevic RITUALS OF THE ENCHANTED WORLD: NOH THEATER AND RELIGION IN MEDIEVAL JAPAN BY DUNJA JELESIJEVIC DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in East Asian Languages and Cultures in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2016 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Elizabeth Oyler, Chair Associate Professor Brian Ruppert, Director of Research Associate Professor Alexander Mayer Professor Emeritus Ronald Toby Abstract This study explores of the religious underpinnings of medieval Noh theater and its operating as a form of ritual. As a multifaceted performance art and genre of literature, Noh is understood as having rich and diverse religious influences, but is often studied as a predominantly artistic and literary form that moved away from its religious/ritual origin. This study aims to recapture some of the Noh’s religious aura and reclaim its religious efficacy, by exploring the ways in which the art and performance of Noh contributed to broader religious contexts of medieval Japan. Chapter One, the Introduction, provides the background necessary to establish the context for analyzing a selection of Noh plays which serve as case studies of Noh’s religious and ritual functioning. Historical and cultural context of Noh for this study is set up as a medieval Japanese world view, which is an enchanted world with blurred boundaries between the visible and invisible world, human and non-human, sentient and non-sentient, enlightened and conditioned. The introduction traces the religious and ritual origins of Noh theater, and establishes the characteristics of the genre that make it possible for Noh to be offered up as an alternative to the mainstream ritual, and proposes an analysis of this ritual through dynamic and evolving schemes of ritualization and mythmaking, rather than ritual as a superimposed structure. -
Prospects for Changes in Gender Bias in the Japanese Language
2015 HAWAII UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES ARTS, HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES & EDUCATION JANUARY 03 - 06, 2015 ALA MOANA HOTEL, HONOLULU, HAWAII PROSPECTS FOR CHANGES IN GENDER BIAS IN THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE TAKEMARU, NAOKO UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WORLD LANGUAGES AND CULTURES Dr. Naoko Takemaru Department of World Languages and Cultures University of Nevada. Prospects for Changes in Gender Bias in the Japanese Language Synopsis: Although gender bias remains prevalent and deeply rooted in the Japanese language, ongoing efforts to materialize the fairer representation of genders have had a significant impact on bringing about a change for the better. This paper discusses such existing instances of gender bias in the Japanese language by themes, along with any relevant changes and reforms that have taken place or are underway. Prospects for Changes in Gender Bias in the Japanese Language Naoko Takemaru, Ph.D. Department of World Languages and Cultures University of Nevada, Las Vegas Introduction While gender bias remains prevalent and deeply rooted in the Japanese language, ongoing efforts to materialize the fairer representation of genders have had a significant impact on bringing about a change for the better. This paper discusses such existing instances of gender bias in the Japanese language by themes, along with any relevant changes and reforms that have taken place or are underway. In this paper, the Hepburn system is used for the romanization of the Japanese language. Except for proper nouns, long vowels are marked with additional vowels. Translations from Japanese are my own, unless noted otherwise. Male-Female Word Order The male-female word order is the norm of the modern Japanese kanji (ideographic characters) compounds, in which the characters representing males precede those representing females. -
The Myth of the Goddess of the Undersea World and the Tale of Empress Jingu’S Subjugation of Silla
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1993 20/2-3 The Myth of the Goddess of the Undersea World and the Tale of Empress Jingu’s Subjugation of Silla Akima Toshio In prewar Japan, the mythical tale of Empress Jingii’s 神功皇后 conquest of the Korean kingdoms comprised an important part of elementary school history education, and was utilized to justify Japan5s coloniza tion of Korea. After the war the same story came to be interpreted by some Japanese historians—most prominently Egami Namio— as proof or the exact opposite, namely, as evidence of a conquest of Japan by a people of nomadic origin who came from Korea. This theory, known as the horse-rider theory, has found more than a few enthusiastic sup porters amone Korean historians and the Japanese reading public, as well as some Western scholars. There are also several Japanese spe cialists in Japanese history and Japan-Korea relations who have been influenced by the theory, although most have not accepted the idea (Egami himself started as a specialist in the history of northeast Asia).1 * The first draft of this essay was written during my fellowship with the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, and was read in a seminar organized by the institu tion on 31 January 199丄. 1 am indebted to all researchers at the center who participated in the seminar for their many valuable suggestions. I would also like to express my gratitude to Umehara Takeshi, the director general of the center, and Nakanism Susumu, also of the center, who made my research there possible. -
Samurai Life in Medieval Japan
http://www.colorado.edu/ptea-curriculum/imaging-japanese-history Handout M2 (Print Version) Page 1 of 8 Samurai Life in Medieval Japan The Heian period (794-1185) was followed by 700 years of warrior governments—the Kamakura, Muromachi, and Tokugawa. The civil government at the imperial court continued, but the real rulers of the country were the military daimy class. You will be using art as a primary source to learn about samurai and daimy life in medieval Japan (1185-1603). Kamakura Period (1185-1333) The Kamakura period was the beginning of warrior class rule. The imperial court still handled civil affairs, but with the defeat of the Taira family, the Minamoto under Yoritomo established its capital in the small eastern city of Kamakura. Yoritomo received the title shogun or “barbarian-quelling generalissimo.” Different clans competed with one another as in the Hgen Disturbance of 1156 and the Heiji Disturbance of 1159. The Heiji Monogatari Emaki is a hand scroll showing the armor and battle strategies of the early medieval period. The conflict at the Sanj Palace was between Fujiwara Nobuyori and Minamoto Yoshitomo. As you look at the scroll, notice what people are wearing, the different roles of samurai and foot soldiers, and the different weapons. What can you learn about what is involved in this disturbance? What can you learn about the samurai and the early medieval period from viewing this scroll? What information is helpful in developing an accurate view of samurai? What preparations would be necessary to fight these kinds of battles? (Think about the organization of people, equipment, and weapons; the use of bows, arrows, and horses; use of protective armor for some but not all; and the different ways of fighting.) During the Genpei Civil War of 1180-1185, Yoritomo fought against and defeated the Taira, beginning the Kamakura Period. -
Pioneers of the Women's Movement in Japan: Hiratsuka Raichô and Fukuda Hideko Seen Through Their Journals, Seitô Andsekai Fujn
PIONEERS OF THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN JAPAN: HIRATSUKA RAICHÔ AND FUKUDA HIDEKO SEEN THROUGH THEIR JOURNALS, SEITÔ ANDSEKAI FUJN by Fumiko Horimoto A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Department of East Asian Studies University of Toronto O Copyright by Fumiko Horimoto 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale I*I of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the excIusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fïh, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thése. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othemise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT Master of Arts, 1999 Fumiko Horimoto Department of East Asian Studies Hiratsuka Raichô's (1886-1971) statement, "In the beginning woman was the Sun," in the opening editorial of Seitô is generally regarded as the first Japanese "women's rights declaration." However, in January 1907, more than four years before the publication of Seitô, Fukuda (Kageyama) Hideko (1865-1927), one of the most remarkable activists in Japan's early phase of feminism, also published a magazine, Sekai fujïn (Women of the World), aiming at the emancipation of women.