The Study of Japanese Folk Religion in the case of the Pilgrims'Footpath Renewal Movement

2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21820031
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Religious studies
• Research Institution: Saitama Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: ASAKAWA Yasuhiro Saitama Prefectural University, 保健医療福祉学部, 講師 (90513200)
• Project Period (FY): 2009 – 2010
• Keywords: 巡礼 / 宗教文化 / 民俗宗教 / ツーリズム / 四国遍路

Research Abstract

This study investigates the changes in religious space and traditional culture of pilgrimage by using the case of the Pilgrims' Footpath Renewal Movement. The Movement became popular around the year of 2,000 in the Japanese Shikoku Henro pilgrimage. It tries to recover pilgrimage historical heritage and cultural resources, and reevaluates them in the modern era. I conducted fieldwork to observe how the recovered footpath is used by pilgrims and how settai is conducted. Based on them, the study reveals how the pilgrimage space is recovered, what are challenges and how settai folk culture is maintained or lost today from the past.

Research Products

• [Presentation] 巡礼路再生運動における宗教民俗の組み替え-牟岐町お接待の会の事例から (2011)
  • Author(s): 浅川泰宏
  • Organizer: 日本文化人類学会第45回研究大会
  • Place of Presentation: 法政大学市ヶ谷キャンパス
  • Year and Date: 2011-06-12
• [Book] 四国遍路-さまざまな祈りの世界,(第3章・第4章) (2011)
  • Author(s): 星野英紀・浅川泰宏
  • Total Pages: 94-194
  • Publisher: 吉川弘文館
• [Book] 祓いの威力・払いの魔力-現代日本の民俗宗教,織田竜也・深田淳太郎共編『経済からの脱出』(第6章) (2009)
  • Author(s): 浅川泰宏
  • Total Pages: 139-165
  • Publisher: 春風社
• [Remarks] 浅川泰宏,四国遍路のグローバル化の一端-牟岐町お接待の会・訪問台帳にみる外国人遍路の動向,国際宗教研究所ニュースレター,査読なし,No.69,2011,pp2-7