Sacred high city, sacred low city: a tale of religious sites in two tokyo neighborhoods
Heine, Steven
In Sacred High City, Sacred Low City, Steven Heine argues that lived religion in Japan functions as an integral part of daily life; any apparent lack of interest masks a fundamental commitment to participating regularly in diverse, though diffused, religious practices. The book uses case studies of religious sites at two representative but contrasting Tokyo neighborhoods as a basis forreflecting on this apparently contradictory quality. In what ways does Japan continue tocarry on and adapt tradition, and to what extent has modern secular society lost touch with the traditional elements of religion? Or does Japanese religiosity reflect another, possibly postmodern, alternative beyond the dichotomy of sacred and secular, in which religious differences as well as a seemingindifference to religion are encompassed as part of a contemporary lifestyle?In Sacred High City, Sacred Low City, Steven Heine argues that lived religionin Japan functions as an integral part of daily life; any apparent lack of interest masks a fundamental commitment to participating regularly in diverse, though diffused, religious practices. The book uses case studies of religious sites at two representative but contrasting Tokyo neighborhoods as a basis for reflecting on this apparently contradictory quality. In what ways does Japan continue tocarry on and adapt tradition, and to what extent has modern secular society lost touch with the traditional elements of religion? Or does Japanese religiosity reflect another, possibly postmodern, alternative beyond the dichotomy of sacred and secular, in which religious differences as well as a seemingindifference to religion are encompassed as part of a contemporary lifestyle?Introduction. Japanese Religious Context in Traditional and Contemporary PerspectivesPart One: Sacred and SecularChapter I. Sacred Space is Alive and Well, and Living in JapanChapter II. Tokyo, City of...Temples?Part Two: Living and DyingChapter III. Akasaka in the High City: Born Shinto...Live Inari...Die BuddhistChapter IV. Inaricho in the Low City: Im-Practical Worldly BenefitsNotesJapanese GlossaryBibliographyIndex
- ISBN: 978-0-19-538620-2
- Editorial: Oxford University
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 224
- Fecha Publicación: 22/12/2011
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés