Thesis--Bonn. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 502-507).

This thesis is concerned with the Japanese Ceremonial Occasions industry, and in particular with contemporary Japanese weddings which are viewed as commercialized productions for a highly consumerist society. The study is mainly based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in an urban wedding parlour. The perspective offered diverges from those of previous studies in that its focus is on weddings, rather than marriage, and on the activities of the wedding producers, rather than those of its principal actors. The thesis shows how both 'traditional' and 'Western' traits found in commercial weddings are manipulated by the Ceremonial Occasions industry which is heavily involved in the 'invention of traditions'. Although such invention has hitherto and elsewhere been analysed in terms of political or national aims, the argument here is that traditions may also be created for economic, or business, purposes. Such a viewpoint enables me to reconsider ways in which Japanese social organization has previously been interpreted both by social anthropologists and by those contributing to what is known as studies of nihonjinron. Another major theme concerns Japanese women. The part women take in maintaining 'traditional' and 'feminine' pursuits such as kimono dressing, is examined against the background of the view of women as 'repositories of the past'. Gender distinctions are also considered in the context of the commercial wedding in which it is mainly women, or brides, who are 'objectified' and 'packaged' by the wedding industry. Another perspective on Japanese women pertains to various kinds of representations of women in the Ceremonial Occasions industry and in Japanese society. The thesis is also concerned with representation in general - at both practical and metaphorical levels. Photographs and other forms of visual representation are an essential part of the Ceremonial Occasions industry, and may be related to the emphasis on formality and form in general in Japanese ceremonies and social organization. Wedding representations of all kind are also regarded as part of a 'mirror' to a peculiar thing called 'Japaneseness' which is deliberately devised by the wedding producers and served, carefully packaged, to their customers.

Inaug.--diss.--Kiel. / Cover title. Lebenslauf. Contains only I. buch, Die moralischen ideen des shintoismus. "Literaturverzeicanis": p. 13-16.

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Hull, 1989. / BLDSC reference no.: DX95675.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1919. / "A private edition distributed by the University of Chicago libraries, 1922." "From the Transactions of the Asiatic society of Japan." "Bibliography-works of reference in European languages": p. 309-316. "Bibliography-works of reference in the Japanese language": p. 317-323.

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union, 1979. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-136).

The forces that have arisen within and without mankind have been responsible for all that has occurred upon the earth in the name of religion, and the greatest force without is God. In the words of James Martineau, "This world is part of the great cosmos, all of whose forces . . . find their unity in God, and whose laws are but the modes and order of His thoughts. In this field, his is not simple First Cause, but Sole Cause; all forces being one, and no force other than his."1 The greatest force within is man's rationalization or intuitive thought about God, which has over the years crystalized into religous creed. From the earliest records which have been preserved down to the present time, the ingenious mind of man has had a prevailing tendency toward material progress and power along with inner spiritual achievment. Ancient Babylonia with its world-famous hanging gardens excelled in magnificent, golden splendor, of which the world up to that time and since has hardly dared to dream. The silver kingdom of the Medo-Persians under Darius was only slightly less illustrious. It was Medo-Persia which turned the course of history and become the second world empire the eveing of Belshazzar's feast,2 as the army of Darius turned the water courses of Babylon and marched under thwalls under cover of the night of ravalry. The battle of Issus saw Darius III's defeat, making Alexander the Great, his kingdom of the thieighs of brass, the master of the known world. Greece, the third succeeding world empire, developoed for the world the love of the beautiful and precision of philosophical definition. Rome, standing on the legs of iron, the east and the west, began its illustrious reign under Augustus, who ruled for forty-four years, presenting the world with a pattern for world law and order. The present age of diversified kingdoms may best be represented as an iron and clay3 mixture of industry, speed and politics. Hebrew tradition according to leading Bible commentators4 began to be recorded history from the pen of the lawgiver, Moses, 1299 B.C., through there is much difference among Bible scholars as to dates earlier than 721 B.C.; while Shinto mythology began taking its place as history as recorded from the lips of Hiedo-no-Are and recorded by Imperior order, 712 A.D. Thus, in and out of world history, like two separate rivers, somethimes mighty and sometimes at low ebb, Hebrew tradition and Shinto mythology began threading their separate ways.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 112 p. : ill. (some col.), col. maps. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-102).

This thesis reviews Yasukuni’s symbolic power and transformation from its foundation in 1869 to contemporary times in order to analyze the potent and variant meanings of the Yasukuni symbol. The paramount importance of the site is to ritualize the war dead, whether for national, personal, or religious purposes. While examining the shrine’s many functions, this paper does not try to defend or obscure the serious causal effects of the shrine’s symbolic power but to situate the intentions and controversies in a historical context to see how Yasukuni became what it is, and how it remains important to the Japanese. Beyond looking at Yasukuni through its many controversies (mondai), this thesis explains how the shrine has been important and continues to be a highly active ritual site with deep cultural and religious meaning. In order to understand current Japanese opinions of the significance of Yasukuni shrine, fieldwork was undertaken from June 2011 to October 2012. Research was conducted primarily in the Kanagawa prefecture of Japan. The Kanagawa prefecture, close to the Tokyo area, facilitated repeat visits to the shrine. / text

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