Ceremony and Ritual in Japan: Religious Practices in an Industrialized Society

The Japanese people continue to practice a variety of religious rituals and ceremonies despite the high-tech, highly regimented nature of their society. Ceremony and Ritual in Japan focuses on the traditional and religious aspects of Japanese society from an anthropological perspective. It presents material on this neglected subject and makes cross-cultural comparisons. The essays cover diverse topics: funerals and mourning, sweeping, women's roles in ritual, the division of ceremonial foods into bitter and sweet, the history of a shrine, the playing of games, the exchange of towels, and the relationship between ceremony and the workplace. The book provides an overview of the meaning of tradition and looks at the way in which new ceremonies have sprung up in changing circumstances, while old ones have been preserved or have developed new meanings. It also outlines how far ritual and religion have been incorporated into domestic life and the industrial sphere. Contributors: Jane Bachnik, Jan van Bremen, Jane Cobbi, Sylvie Guichard-Anguis, Joy Hendry, A. Kalland, Sepp Linhart, Lola Martinez, Hirochika Nakamaki, Ian Reader, Robert J. Smith, H. Stefansson.