著者

姚 琼 Yao Qiong

出版者

神奈川大学

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1-155, 2015-03-31

著者

姚 琼 Yao Qiong

出版者

神奈川大学日本常民文化研究所 非文字資料研究センター

雑誌

年報非文字資料研究 (ISSN:18839169)

巻号頁・発行日

no.10, pp.477-496, 2014-03

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In ancient times when medical technology was not developed, rituals to drive away illness must have been an expression of peopleʼs fear of it. Thousands of years ago, people were totally helpless against illness. Therefore, it was quite common to turn to the power of God not only in Japan but also in China and Korea. Regular worship of God, who was believed to ward off illness, represented peopleʼs wish to keep diseases away. Nowadays, however, with advanced medical technology, when one suffers from infectious diseases including influenza, one goes to a clinic or hospital and draws on the power of scientific medical technology rather than pray to God. Nevertheless, rituals to drive away illness ― the only hope for overcoming illness thousands of years ago ― are still observed throughout Japan, even though technology is available in almost every field. Japanʼs rapid economic growth in the mid 20th century significantly affected its traditional folk culture. Rituals to chase away illness have been preserved as a form of the culture, but the makeup of organizers of the rituals, the elements of driving away diseases and the significance of those rites for people who would pass down the folk custom to the next generation have changed considerably over time. This paper will focus on the Ja mo Ka mo Festival, which has its origin in Susanoo Mythology and has been held in Namamugi, Tsurumi Ward, in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, in examining changes in rituals to ward away illness and their significance in modern Japanese society.論文

著者

姚 琼 Yao Qiong

出版者

神奈川大学日本常民文化研究所 非文字資料研究センター

雑誌

年報非文字資料研究 (ISSN:18839169)

巻号頁・発行日

no.11, pp.337-357, 2015-03

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論文

著者

姚 琼 Yao Qiong

出版者

神奈川大学日本常民文化研究所 非文字資料研究センター

雑誌

年報 非文字資料研究 (ISSN:18839169)

巻号頁・発行日

no.11, pp.337-357, 2015-03-20

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As local communities have become modernized and urbanized, rituals have undergone significant changes. Traditionally, academics have valued historical traditions and consistency in rituals and criticized changes in line with the modernization of society. However, do organizers and performers of rituals have the same view on such changes ? A great majority of studies on rituals have examined changes and their causes. Researchers claim that many aspects of rituals, from content to organization, have changed, and offer advice on continuing rituals by analyzing the social and local causes of those changes. Surely, they do not consider the perspective of those involved in rituals. Not many studies are conducted from their viewpoint, even though they are the ones who organize and perform local rituals. Such a study would offer significant insight on local folk beliefs in the domain of folklore. The author of this paper participated in and closely observed the Yabuneri Shinto ritual in Shiratsuka Town, Mie Prefecture, to find out the perspective of ritual organizers and performers. Yabuneri is a traditional ritual with a 350-year history. This ceremony to drive away diseases presumably originates from the myth of Susanoo, in which the deity slays a giant serpent with eight heads and eight tails. Tsu City in the prefecture started to move toward modernization and urbanization in the mid-1950s. During this process, the organization and structure of rites and rituals have drastically changed. This paper will reveal how recent changes in Shinto rituals are viewed by those involved based on interviews with shrine parishioners in the Shiratsuka area who organize and carry out the Yabuneri ritual.

著者

姚 琼

出版者

神奈川大学日本常民文化研究所非文字資料研究センター

雑誌

年報非文字資料研究 (ISSN:18839169)

巻号頁・発行日

no.10, pp.477-496, 2014-03