Fee-charging sacred places: A study on the economic zoning and public management of religious spaces

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K13313
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Tourism Studies
• Research Institution: Rikkyo University
• Principal Investigator: KADOTA Takehisa 立教大学, 観光学部, 准教授 (90633529)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 地域開発 / 空間管理 / 入場料 / 聖地 / ゾーニング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Religious spaces formed in indigenous religious traditions have attracted many tourists in recent years. This has led to the management of religious spaces through the charging of entry fees and zoning. The aim of this study is to clarify the impact of the management of religious spaces on traditional rituals and beliefs. By comparing cases in Okinawa and elsewhere, it was observed that (1) the introduction of economic space management has encouraged the formation of 'secular' management organisations, and (2) the new management organisations are replacing communities that have declined due to depopulation and are becoming the actors responsible for the management of sacred sites. It became clear that this new system of management organisations at the intersection of the secular and religious overlaps with the needs of current tourists seeking spirituality and religiosity.

Free Research Field

文化人類学・民俗学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

観光学においては従来、巡礼や聖地の研究に大きな関心が払われながらも、宗教研究の知見を踏まえた理論化が十分になされていたとは言いがたく、宗教的事象への表層的な理解に基づく理論書や概論書が大勢を占めていた。こうした現状に対し、宗教的事象の内在的理解を踏まえ、宗教研究の視点と観光研究の蓄積とを融合した本研究課題の成果は、今後宗教的空間や村落空間に学術的関心を更に拡大させることが予想される観光学において、基礎研究としての知見を提供するものになったと言える。