Rearranging the Landscape of the Gods
The Politics of a Pilgrimage Site in Japan, 1573-1912
344 pages
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33 halftones, 4 line drawings, 5 maps
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6 x 9
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© 2005
When people create new societies, economies, and nations—both now and in the past—they create gods, rituals, and miracles to support them. Even what seem to be some of the most timeless and sacred sites in the world have been shaped, reshaped, and reinterpreted by countless people to produce oases of peace and nature today.
Using miracle tales, votive plaques, diaries, and newspapers, Sarah Thal traces such changes at one of the most popular Japanese pilgrimage sites of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: the shrine of Konpira on the island of Shikoku. This rich and fascinating history explores how people from all walks of life gave shape to the gods, shrines, and rituals so often attributed to ancient, indigenous Japan. Thal shows how worshippers and priests, rulers and entrepreneurs, repeatedly rebuilt and reinterpreted Konpira to reflect their needs and aspirations in a changing world—and how, in doing so, they helped shape the structures of the modern state, economy, and society in turn.
Rearranging the Landscape of the Gods will be welcomed by all scholars of Japanese history and by students of religion interested in the construction of modernity.
Using miracle tales, votive plaques, diaries, and newspapers, Sarah Thal traces such changes at one of the most popular Japanese pilgrimage sites of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: the shrine of Konpira on the island of Shikoku. This rich and fascinating history explores how people from all walks of life gave shape to the gods, shrines, and rituals so often attributed to ancient, indigenous Japan. Thal shows how worshippers and priests, rulers and entrepreneurs, repeatedly rebuilt and reinterpreted Konpira to reflect their needs and aspirations in a changing world—and how, in doing so, they helped shape the structures of the modern state, economy, and society in turn.
Rearranging the Landscape of the Gods will be welcomed by all scholars of Japanese history and by students of religion interested in the construction of modernity.
"This carefully-argued study clearly reveals the political and economic dynamic that determines the relationship between a religious institution and its supporters. . . . Thal has dredged the historical record to provide us with a wide-reanging and multi-faceted account of one pilgrimage centre, which will be sure to stimulate scholars of the history of religion."
"What this fascinating, elegantly written and generously illustrated study . . . [illumines] is the manner in which the gods--both Shinto and Buddhist—at a single site . . . were continually subject through the centuries to political manipulation. . . . This is a model study that should be widely read."—Constantine N. Vaporis, American Historical Review
"[The] depth of scholarship is what gives the work its value. It will be a useful reference not only for specialists in Japanese studies but for historians, sociologists, and anthropologists in general. . . . Offering a 'total' history of a religious site, [Thal] provides a nuanced picture of how religious, political, and economic factors shaped the gods of this mountain."
"Thal's scholarship and storytelling skills create a fascinating and richly rendered portrait. . . The significance of Thal's contribution to both Japanese studies and the discipline of history is substantial. . . . The book is particularly important in showing the political determination and coercion behind the creation of what we now call Shinto. Anyone reading her account . . . will see Japan's Shinto shrines with both a greater understanding of political will as well as a greater suspicion about the manipulative ideologies behind it."—John Nelson, Journal of Japanese Studies
Contents
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
A Note on Pronunciations, Names, and Dates
Introduction / 1
1 Konpira: Site of the Gods
2 Of Gods and Rulers (to 1587)
3 Konpira, Kongobo, and the Establishment of the Tokugawa Order (1600-1675)
4 God of the Market (1688-1760)
5 Culture of the Gods (1744-1867)
6 From Konpira to Kotohira (1868-1869)
7 For the State and Its Teaching (1871-1874)
8 The Reverence Association (1874-1882)
9 A Shrine without Religion (1882-1892)
10 The Crucible of War (1894-1895)
11 Public Good, Private Gain (1895-1898)
12 Remobilizing the God (1898-1905)
13 The Many Faces of Kotohira (1908-1912)
Epilogue
Appendix: Head Priests of Konkoin and Kotohira Shrine
Abbreviations
Notes
Glossary and Selected Biographical Dictionary
Bibliography
Index
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
A Note on Pronunciations, Names, and Dates
Introduction / 1
1 Konpira: Site of the Gods
2 Of Gods and Rulers (to 1587)
3 Konpira, Kongobo, and the Establishment of the Tokugawa Order (1600-1675)
4 God of the Market (1688-1760)
5 Culture of the Gods (1744-1867)
6 From Konpira to Kotohira (1868-1869)
7 For the State and Its Teaching (1871-1874)
8 The Reverence Association (1874-1882)
9 A Shrine without Religion (1882-1892)
10 The Crucible of War (1894-1895)
11 Public Good, Private Gain (1895-1898)
12 Remobilizing the God (1898-1905)
13 The Many Faces of Kotohira (1908-1912)
Epilogue
Appendix: Head Priests of Konkoin and Kotohira Shrine
Abbreviations
Notes
Glossary and Selected Biographical Dictionary
Bibliography
Index
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