Animating Objects: Tsukumogami ki and the Medieval Illustration of Shingon Truth
Tsukumogami are animate household objects. An otogizōshi ("companion tale") titled Tsukumogami ki ("Record of tool specters"; Muromachi period) explains that after a service life of nearly one hundred years, utsuwamono or kibutsu (containers, tools, and instruments) receive souls...
| 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
[2009]
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Further subjects: | B
Buddhism
B Parody B Deities B Enlightenment B Religious Studies B Priests B Religious rituals B Scrolls B Poetry B Narrators |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Tsukumogami are animate household objects. An otogizōshi ("companion tale") titled Tsukumogami ki ("Record of tool specters"; Muromachi period) explains that after a service life of nearly one hundred years, utsuwamono or kibutsu (containers, tools, and instruments) receive souls. While many references are made to this work as a major source for the definition of tsukumogami, insufficient attention has been paid to the actual text of Tsukumogami ki. The work is entertaining, and I believe that the principal motivation of the author(s) in writing it was to spread the doctrines of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism to a variety of audiences, ranging from the educated to the relatively unsophisticated, by capitalizing upon pre-existing spiritual beliefs in tsukumogami. In this article I examine Tsukumogami ki and the popular practices and beliefs that are reflected in its text and illustrations. A complete translation of the work is included as an online supplement to this issue of the JJRS, at www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/jjrsMain.htm. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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