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Masterarbeit MASTERARBEIT Titel der Masterarbeit „Mythology, Ritual and Female Empowerment: A Comparative Study of Shamanism in Korea and Japan“ Verfasser Jürgen Ritzmann, BA angestrebter akademischer Grad Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2015 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 066 864 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Masterstudium Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Ostasiens Betreuer: Dr. Bernhard Scheid Table of Contents 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Shamanism in Northern and Central Asia, according to Eliade ........................................................ 4 1.2 Receiving a Vocation and Training ................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Tasks and Functions .......................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Trance and Possession, Lewis’ Concept of Shamanism.................................................................... 9 1.5 Relationship between Shamans and Spirits ..................................................................................... 13 1.6 Concepts of Shamanism in Japan and Korea .................................................................................. 14 1.7 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 16 2 Korean Shamanism............................................................................................................................. 18 2.1 A Religious History of Korea .......................................................................................................... 18 2.2 Shamanism in Korea ....................................................................................................................... 21 2.2.1 Controversy regarding Musok and Shamanism ............................................................................ 24 2.2.2 Kangshinmu and Seseummu ......................................................................................................... 24 3 Shamanism and Spirit Possession in Japan ........................................................................................ 27 3.1 The Religious History of Japan ....................................................................................................... 27 3.1.1 The History of Shugendō ............................................................................................................. 31 3.2 Shamanism in Japan ........................................................................................................................ 33 3.2.1 Supernatural Beings in Japanese Shamanism ............................................................................... 36 3.2.1.1 Kami .......................................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.1.2 Spirits ........................................................................................................................................ 36 3.3 Practice of Shugendō ....................................................................................................................... 38 4 Shamanism in Korean and Japanese Mythology ................................................................................ 40 4.1 Shamanistic Figures in Korean Mythology ..................................................................................... 40 4.1.1 The Founding Myth ...................................................................................................................... 40 4.1.2 Myths on the Origins of Korean Shamanism ............................................................................... 42 4.1.3 Observations and Similarities ....................................................................................................... 44 4.2 Shamanism in Japanese Myths ........................................................................................................ 46 4.2.1 Amaterasu and Ame no Uzume .................................................................................................... 46 4.2.2 Okinaga Tarashi Hime/ Jingū Kōgō ............................................................................................. 48 4.2.3 Yamato Hime and the Ise Shrine .................................................................................................. 50 4.2.4 Shamanism in Usa ........................................................................................................................ 50 4.3 Comparison ..................................................................................................................................... 51 2 5 The Role of Women in Shamanism and its Rituals ............................................................................ 52 5.1 Lewis and the Idea of Peripheral Cults............................................................................................ 52 5.2 The Case of Korea ........................................................................................................................... 53 5.2.1 Possession and Women in Contemporary Korean Society .......................................................... 56 5.2.2 Women and Shamanism in Korea’s History ................................................................................ 58 5.2.3 Gut, the Korean Shamanistic Ritual ............................................................................................. 65 5.2.3.1 Symbolism of Colors, Food and Drinks .................................................................................... 67 5.2.3.2 Music in Gut .............................................................................................................................. 69 5.2.3.3 Costumes and Accessories ........................................................................................................ 71 5.3 Female Shamans in Japan................................................................................................................ 72 5.3.1 Female Shamans in Japanese Prehistory ...................................................................................... 72 5.3.2 Possession in Heian Japan ............................................................................................................ 74 5.3.3 Female Shamans in Japanese Folklore Studies ............................................................................ 75 5.3.4 Shamanistic Rituals in Japan ........................................................................................................ 77 5.3.4.1 Yorigito and Oza ........................................................................................................................ 78 5.3.4.2 Possession Rituals by Female Mediums.................................................................................... 81 5.4 Comparison ..................................................................................................................................... 82 6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 84 7 List of References ............................................................................................................................... 88 8 Appendix ............................................................................................................................................ 92 8.1 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 92 8.2 Zusammenfassung ........................................................................................................................... 93 8.3 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................................. 94 3 1 Introduction Shamanism is a term the conception of which changed slightly over time. Early works on the subject had generally a more narrow view on what it encompasses, but the definition got broader as time went by. I will shortly introduce two of the more important authors on shamanism, namely Mircea Eliade and Ioan Lewis, whose works are quite often referenced when reading on the topic of shamanism and spirit possession. This introduction will help in getting an overview of what is understood under the terms of “shamanism” and “shaman” in general. From there I will move on to a definition of what is usually referred to as “Korean shamanism”, a belief system that is also known under various indigenous terms, e.g. musok 巫 俗, mugyo 巫敎 or just mu 巫. In Japan, by contrast, what constitutes “shamanism“ is slightly more complicated as there is no unique religious system built around spirit mediums and shamans, but the shamanistic occurrences are rather integrated into Buddhism and Shintō. This may be the reason why shamanism in Japan had a less turbulent history than in Korea (the exception being the ban of syncretistic religions such as Shugendō 修験道 during the rise of State Shintō and the nationalist phase of Japan during the first half of the 20th century). In Korea, shamanistic practices were prohibited for a long time during the Confucianism- influenced Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), although rituals
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