Bonds of the Dead: Temples, Burial, and the Transformation of Contemporary Japanese Buddhism

275 Pages·2011·2.08 MB·English

by  Mark Michael Rowe

bonds of the dead
b u d d h i s m a n d m o d e r n i t y
A series edited by Donald S. Lopez Jr.
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bonds of the dead
Temples, Burial, and the Transformation
of Contemporary Japanese Buddhism
mark michael rowe
the university of chicago press
chicago and london
mark michael rowe is associate professor of religion at McMaster University.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2011 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 2011.
Printed in the United States of America
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5
isbn-13: 978-0-226-73013-4 (cloth)
isbn-13: 978-0-226-73015-8 (paper)
isbn-10: 0-226-73013-1 (cloth)
isbn-10: 0-226-73015-8 (paper)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rowe, Mark (Mark Michael)
Bonds of the dead : temples, burial, and the transformation of contemporary
Japanese Buddhism / Mark Michael Rowe.
p. cm. — (Buddhism and modernity)
isbn-13: 978-0-226-73013-4 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn-10: 0-226-73013-1 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn-13: 978-0-226-73015-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn-10: 0-226-73015-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Buddhist funeral rites and
ceremonies—Japan. 2. Buddhism—Japan. I. Title. II. Series: Buddhism
and modernity.
bq5020.r69 2011
294.3’43880952—dc22
2011009198
This paper meets the requirements of ansi/niso z39.48-1992
(Permanence of Paper).
f o r m i k , m a s a k o , a n d t a n e o
下駄も仏も同じ木の切れ
Clogs and Buddhas are both carved from the same tree.
c o n t e n t s
List of Illustrations xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
1. The “Death” of Japanese Buddhism 17
2. Avoiding Abandonment 44
3. Challenging the Status Quo—Myo¯ko¯ji 69
4. Limitless Connections—To¯cho¯ji 112
5. Scattering Ashes 152
6. Sectarian Researchers and the Funeral Problem 178
Conclusion 221
Appendix: Jo¯do Sect Survey of Funerary Buddhism (1994) 231
Works Cited 235
Index 249
ix