Dancing as if Possessed A Coming Out Party in Edo Spirit Society

The nineteenth-century nativist Hirata Atsutanes desire to discover information about his theorized supernatural Other World of kami and other spirits was fulfilled through his leading conversations with the so-called tengu apprentice Torakichi. This interaction is well-documented in his work Senkyō...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Japanese journal of religious studies
Main Author: Hansen, Wilburn (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Nanzan Institute [2010]
In: Japanese journal of religious studies
Further subjects:B Buddhism
B Religious Studies
B Otherworlds
B Religious rituals
B birth rituals
B Nativism
B Birthday parties
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Summary:The nineteenth-century nativist Hirata Atsutanes desire to discover information about his theorized supernatural Other World of kami and other spirits was fulfilled through his leading conversations with the so-called tengu apprentice Torakichi. This interaction is well-documented in his work Senkyō iburiy which should be understood as a pseudo-ethnography of that Other World. However, Torakichi's usefulness to Atsutane was not merely limited to insights gained from growing up in that Other World and having been trained by its inhabitants. Atsutane also exploited his tengu apprentice Torakichi's unique talents in religious ritual and ritualized ceremonial settings to support Atsutanes theory of the superiority of native Japanese practices over all foreign traditions. This article seeks to bring to light how Atsutane subverted dominant modes of discourse and supported his controversial nativist theories by staging performances in Edo salon society to provide ritual verification of a new powerful kami-loving spirit in Edo.
Contains:Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies