2018 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
The Historical Formation of Shugendo Through the Study of Regional Sites
| Project/Area Number |
18H05567
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Institution | Kyushu University |
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Principal Investigator |
Carter Caleb 九州大学, 人文科学研究院, 講師 (30823968)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2018-08-24 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | Japanese religions / Japanese history / Shugendo / mountain religion / medieval period / Edo period / history of religions / Buddhist studies |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Under the support of the Kaken Startup Grant, I made significant process on my research and publications. This includes significant rewriting and revisions to my book manuscript, the publication of one major article to an international, peer-reviewed journal (Japanese Journal of Religious Studies), and one book review to an international, peer-reviewed journal (Monumenta Nipponica). I submitted two book chapters from my manuscript (for two edited volumes), which will be published in 2019. I submitted a book review in January of 2019, which was published through H-NET Japan in April of the same year. I completed significant revisions to one major article, which will be published in 2019. I also presented my research results at two major conferences: the Sangaku Shugen Gakkai 山岳修験学会 in Daisen, Tottori prefecture (October 2018) and the Association of Asian Studies (AAS) in Denver, Colorado, USA (March 2019). Alongside my presentation at the AAS, I organized and chaired a panel of four internationally renowned scholars. Finally, I continued intensive research in the field (Togakushisan in Nagano prefecture, Ise in Mie prefecture, Kyoto, Kumano in Wakayama prefecture, and various sites in Kyushu), strengthened ties with research contacts (scholars and clerics), and formed new contacts.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
I currently have a draft of my book manuscript, tentatively titled: The Historical Formation of Shugendo (Mount Togakushi, Thirteenth through Eighteenth Centuries). The chapters proceed as follows:
Introduction. 1 “Converting the Demon with Nine Heads.” 2 “Emboldened and Conflicting Narratives.” These chapters analyze a series of engi constructed at Hieizan (13th c.) and Togakushi (mid-15th c.) concerning the medieval formation of Togakushisan. 3 “A Mountain School on the Move: The Entrance of Shugendo.” This chapter traces the transmission of Shugendo from Hikosan to Togakushisan in the early fifteenth century. 4 “Layering Deities, Ritual and Iconography.” 5 “Embedding Shugendo into a Regional Landscape.” These chapters analyze the following developments in the Edo period: Bakufu support, rising pilgrimage, the growth of Shugendo and Shinto, and devotion to Togakushi’s dragon deity, Kuzuryu. 6 “Ancient Lore for a Recent Tradition.” This chapter investigates the writings and activities of Jouin 乘因 (1682-1739), an administrator (別當) who greatly influenced the identity and institution of Shugendo during his tenure at Togakushi.Conclusion. Appendix: English translation of Jouin’s 修驗一實靈宗神道密記 (10,000 words).
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
My primary goal is to finish a manuscript for my book on the historical formation of Shugendo at Mount Togakushi. I have completed drafts of all chapters. This year I will be revising them in order to submit the full manuscript for publication by the winter of 2019.
Beyond the book, I will begin research on the modern history of Shugendo. When Shugendo was banned by the government in 1868, practitioners were forced to end the practice of mountain entry (峰入). However, the ritual was restored in 1928 at Mount Hiko (northern Kyushu). In tandem with this research, I will investigate the transformation of Kamikochi (Nagano ken) from a remote mountainous region into a major national park in the early twentieth century. This case will provide crucial information on how Shugendo reemerged within the new setting of a national park.
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| Remarks |
2019.3 Panel Organizer and Chair. “Narrative and Place in Early Modern Japan,” AAS, Denver, CO, USA.
2019.1 Discussant. “Nanzan Seminar for the Study of Religion and Culture 2.” Nanzan University
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