Mediating between the Religious World and the Masses: Picture Deciphering by the Itinerant Nuns of Kumano
Date
2013-07-03
Authors
Saka, Chihiro
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Abstract
Kumano bikuni (the Buddhist nuns of Kumano) are itinerant female religious performers who were particularly active between the 16th and 18th centuries in Japan. Travelling across the country, they promoted the syncretic belief of the Kumano mountains, popular pilgrimage sites that have attracted a variety of people regardless of class, gender, and religious affiliation. To raise funds for temples and shrines there, they performed etoki (literally, picture deciphering) that addressed the everyday concerns of the masses, and especially women. Conceptualizing Kumano bikuni as mediators who bridged the religious world and the masses, this thesis examines how Kumano bikuni reflected perspectives of the audience at etoki performance and responded to diverse interests of different groups.
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Keywords
Kumano bikuni (Nuns of Kumano), Etoki (Picture Deciphering), Kumano Heart Contemplation Ten Worlds Mandala, Kumano belief, Late Medieval Japan, Early Modern Japan, Itinerant Female Religious Performers