The New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions

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The New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions

Edited by: Matthew D. McMullen , Jolyon Baraka Thomas and Matthew D. McMullen
With contributions by: Barbara R. Ambros , Emily Anderson , Anna Andreeva , Barbara R. Ambros , Emily Anderson , Anna Andreeva , Paul D. Barclay , Mikaël Bauer , Timothy O. Benedict , Mark Bookman , Kristina Buhrman , Caleb Swift Carter , Miriam Chusid , Lindsey DeWitt Prat , Satoko Fujiwara , G. Clinton Godart , Haruko Gotō , Hannah Gould , Tim Graf , Jeffrey J. Hall , Matthew Hayes , Sujung Kim , Paulina Kolata , Ernils Larsson , Benedetta Lomi , Tze Loo , Bryan D. Lowe , Adam J. Lyons , Levi McLaughlin , Matthew D. McMullen , Dana Mirsalis , Takashi Miura , Eiichi Ōtani , Cameron Penwell , John Person , Esben Petersen , Aike P. Rots , Towao Sakaehara , Asuka Sango , Timothy Smith , Jessica Starling , Jacqueline I. Stone , Yōzō Taniyama , Jolyon Baraka Thomas , Katja Triplett , Kaitlyn Ugoretz and Chika Watanabe

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2025

About this book

For nearly two decades, the Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions has served as a valuable resource for students and scholars of religion in Japan. This exciting update expands the audience to include non-specialists of Japan while also complicating the notions of “Japan” and “religion.” Asking the provocative question “why study Japanese religions?” the editors argue that studying Japan is vital for the academic study of religion writ large and make a case for the continued importance of religious topics in Japan studies, broadly conceived.

The volume addresses the question of why—and how—to study Japanese religions in seven sections, each overseen by a leading expert in that subfield. The section on “Knowledge Production” investigates medicine, sacred objects, and the politico-economic structures undergirding academia. “Cosmology and Time” reveals how religion shaped worldviews in both premodern and modern Japan by taking up topics such as the afterlife, divination, and relationships between science and religion. “Space and Environment” considers geography, relationships between the human and nonhuman denizens of the Japanese archipelago, and religion in Japan’s overseas colonies and among diasporic outmigrants. “Feelings and Belonging” focuses on affective relationships generated through confraternities, homiletics, and caring professions. “Politics and Governance” describes longstanding relationships between religion and the state, covering everything from sacred kingship to contemporary electoral politics. The final two sections include practical advice for conducting fieldwork and helpful introductions to several relevant archives.

Overall, the volume reflects the impact of recent scholarly trends in the study of Japanese religions, including material religion studies, affect theory, environmental humanities, and critical secularism studies. The breadth of topics as well as the accessibility of the individual chapters makes The New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions an indispensable resource for the classroom. It will be useful not only for scholars of Japan, but also for anyone interested in the academic study of religion.

Author / Editor information

Contributor: Matthew D. McMullen Matthew D. McMullen is senior research fellow at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture and associate professor at Nanzan University. --- Contributor: Jolyon Baraka Thomas Jolyon Baraka Thomas is associate professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania. --- Contributor: Matthew D. McMullen Matthew D. McMullen is senior research fellow at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture and associate professor at Nanzan University. --- Contributor: Barbara R. Ambros Barbara R. Ambros is professor of East Asian religions in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. --- Contributor: Caleb Swift Carter Caleb Swift Carter is associate professor of Japanese religions and Buddhist studies in the Faculty of Humanities, Kyushu University. --- Contributor: Lindsey DeWitt Prat Lindsey DeWitt Prat is a director of research at Bold Insight and conducts research on language, culture, and religion in Japan and globally. --- Contributor: G. Clinton Godart G. Clinton Godart is associate professor of Japanese studies at the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Tohoku University. --- Contributor: Sujung Kim Sujung Kim is assistant professor of religious studies at DePauw University. --- Contributor: Bryan D. Lowe Bryan D. Lowe is associate professor in the Department of Religion, Princeton University. --- Contributor: Levi McLaughlin Levi McLaughlin is associate professor at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, North Carolina State University. --- Contributor: Matthew D. McMullen Matthew D. McMullen is senior research fellow at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture and associate professor at Nanzan University. --- Contributor: Takashi Miura Takashi Miura is associate professor in the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Arizona. --- Contributor: John Person John Person is assistant professor of Japanese studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York. --- Contributor: Aike P. Rots Aike P. Rots is professor of East Asian religions at the University of Oslo. --- Contributor: Asuka Sango Asuka Sango is associate professor in the Religion Department at Carleton College. --- Contributor: Jessica Starling Jessica Starling is assistant professor of religious studies and Asian studies at Lewis & Clark College. --- Contributor: Jacqueline I. Stone Jacqueline I. Stone is professor of religion at Princeton University. --- Contributor: Jolyon Baraka Thomas Jolyon Baraka Thomas is associate professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania. --- Contributor: Chika Watanabe Chika Watanabe is lecturer in social anthropology at the University of Manchester.

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Frontmatter
i

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Contents
vii

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List of Figures
xi

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Preface
xiii

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Acknowledgments
xvii

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Conventions
xix

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Why Japanese Religions?
1
Matthew D. McMullen and Jolyon Baraka Tomas

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Knowledge Production
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Knowledge Production
27
Anna Andreeva

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Sacred Materialities
39
Benedetta Lomi

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Monastic Debate
55
Asuka Sango

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Ritual Medicine
69
Katja Triplett

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Academia
85
Satoko Fujiwara

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Cosmology and Time
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Cosmology and Time
105
Takashi Miura

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Age of Decline
117
Jacqueline I. Stone

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Hell
135
Miriam Chusid

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Geomancy
157
Kristina Buhrman

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Science and Religion
167
Clinton Godart

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Space and Environment
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Space and Environment
185
Aike P. Rots

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Sea
199
Sujung Kim

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Mountains
213
Caleb Carter

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Migration and Diaspora
229
Emily Anderson

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Space and Power in Okinawa
243
Tze M. Loo

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Animals in Ritual Practices
259
Barbara R. Ambros

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Feeling and Belonging
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Feeling and Belonging
279
Jessica Starling

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Confraternities
293
Lindsey E. Dewitt Prat

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Homiletics
307
Bryan D. Lowe

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Spiritual Care
323
Tim Graf and Taniyama Yōzō

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End of Life Care
337
Timothy O. Benedict

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Politics and Governance
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Politics and Governance
351
Levi McLaughlin

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Sovereignty
367
Mikaël Bauer

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The Two Constitutions
377
Ernils Larsson

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Incarceration and Chaplaincy
391
Adam J. Lyons

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Political Activism
407
John Person

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Electoral Politics
421
Jefrey J. Hall

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Fieldwork
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Perspectives on Fieldwork
439
Chika Watanabe

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Outer Islands
447
Gotō Haruko

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Rural Fieldwork
451
Paulina Kolata

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Religious Industries
455
Hannah Gould

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Digital Ethnography
459
Kaitlyn Ugoretz

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Disability and Accessibility
463
Mark Bookman

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Gender
467
Dana Mirsalis

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Trust
471
Timothy Smith

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Resources
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Resources
477
Cameron Penwell

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Te Shōsōin Archive
483
Sakaehara Towao

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Databases of Religious Periodicals
491
Ōtani Eiichi

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Buddhist Churches of America Collection
497
Matthew Hayes

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Christian Mission Archives
501
Esben Petersen

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Te East Asia Image Collection
505
Paul D. Barclay

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Postscript
511

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Contributors
513

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Index
519

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Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

May 22, 2025

eBook ISBN:

9798880701346

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

https://doi.org/10.1515/9798880701346

eBook ISBN: 9798880701346

Audience(s) for this book

For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research

University of Hawai'i Press

The New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions

Overview

About this book

Author / Editor information

Topics

Table of contents

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgments

Conventions

Why Japanese Religions?

Knowledge Production

Sacred Materialities

Monastic Debate

Ritual Medicine

Academia

Cosmology and Time

Age of Decline

Hell

Geomancy

Science and Religion

Space and Environment

Sea

Mountains

Migration and Diaspora

Space and Power in Okinawa

Animals in Ritual Practices

Feeling and Belonging

Confraternities

Homiletics

Spiritual Care

End of Life Care

Politics and Governance

Sovereignty

The Two Constitutions

Incarceration and Chaplaincy

Political Activism

Electoral Politics

Perspectives on Fieldwork

Outer Islands

Rural Fieldwork

Religious Industries

Digital Ethnography

Disability and Accessibility

Gender

Trust

Resources

Te Shōsōin Archive

Databases of Religious Periodicals

Buddhist Churches of America Collection

Christian Mission Archives

Te East Asia Image Collection

Postscript

Contributors

Index

Bibliographic data