Jizō, Healing Rituals, and Women in Japan
The bodhisattva Jizō in Japan has long been associated with a stone figure of a child monk, wearing a red bib and standing on the roadside in the quaint landscape of rural Japan. Assumed to have originated as Kşitigarbha in India, this bodhisattva has been worshipped as the protector of children and...
| Published in: | Japanese journal of religious studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Nanzan Institute
2016
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
|
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Kshitigarbha
/ Japan
/ Woman
/ Adoration
/ Ritual
/ Redemption
|
| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AG Religious life; material religion BL Buddhism KBM Asia NBK Soteriology |
| Further subjects: | B
Religious Studies
B Gender Roles B Religious rituals B Abortion B Bodhisattva B Mothers B Cults |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The bodhisattva Jizō in Japan has long been associated with a stone figure of a child monk, wearing a red bib and standing on the roadside in the quaint landscape of rural Japan. Assumed to have originated as Kşitigarbha in India, this bodhisattva has been worshipped as the protector of children and travelers, but more importantly, as the savior par excellence in the underworld, especially by women in Japan. This article explores how women have played a key role in popularizing Jizō worship in various forms. The main assertion is that women are the reason why Jizō worship as a whole has sustained its popularity throughout Japanese religious history, prompting new movements such as mizuko kuyō—a major gendered practice that not only heals but also empowers women. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.43.2.2016.307–331 |