2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Research in Religious Folklore concerning the various opposing and intimate relationships between people and nature m East Asia.
| Project/Area Number |
16320011
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Religious studies
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| Research Institution | Gakushuin University (2005-2006)
Osaka University (2004) |
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Principal Investigator |
NAKAMURA Ikuo Gakushuin University, Faculty of Letters, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (50217832)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
OKABE Takashi Kyoritsu Women's Institution, Professor, 文科, 教授 (50279733)
SATO Hiroyuki Tokyo University, Graduate-School of Humanities and Sociology, Associate Professor, 大学院・人文社会系研究科, 助教授 (50292743)
HARADA Nobuo Kokushikan University, Faculty of Asia 21th century, Professor, 21世紀アジア学部, 教授 (20208680)
MIURA Sukeyuki Chiba University, Graduate School of Humanities and Society, Professor, 大学院・人文社会科学研究科, 教授 (90104091)
MUGURUMA Yumi Tohoku Univ. of Art & Design, Fac. of Arts, Associate Professor, 芸術学部, 助教授 (30347934)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2006
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| Keywords | nature / environment / hunting / farming / slash-and-burn / animal sacrifice / blood / violence |
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| Research Abstract |
In this research, through the collection of a wide range of examples of ethnic hunting customs and sacrifice of animals in Japan and its' surrounding East Asian countries, conducting critical compliance and relativization of the concept of "sacrifice" formed in modern Western society, we aimed to make clear the various opposing and intimate relationships between people and nature in East Asia. Needless to say, hunting and sacrifice are violent interventions conducted by people against nature and are, as ritual compensatory behavior, universal throughout the history of mankind. However, this form of expression depends on environmental, livelihood and religious differences and, at this time, with this theme, we have examined the East Asia region including the Japanese islands through this research case.
What has become dear with the results of this research is that, in contrast to the fact that in mainland Japan the ancient "culture of sacrifice" has been rapidly suppressed and replaced b
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y the "culture of memorial", in Okinawa and the East Asia region countries, examples of fusion and coexistence of elements of both the "culture of sacrifice" and the "culture of memorial" in a series of religious customs is the norm. And as a reason for the latter, in addition to a real inconsistency when making comparisons with the domestication processes in East Asia and South-West Asia, religious etiquette towards the deceased and the concept of ancestors of established religions such as Buddhism of Confucianism have a non uniform affect on each region of East Asia hence it was found that it was difficult for people to create a self-formed perception of the soul or image of the deceased.
Further, the importance of ethical arid symbolic explanations' of "killing" and "blood", both common to ethnic hunting customs and sacrifice, became clear and, for that reason, it is necessary to re-examine in a multi-faceted fashion the meaning of "violence" that inevitably occurs when mankind and nature meet. Less
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