The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and motivations for participation in Shinto rituals in Kyoto, Japan. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative data gathered in July and August of 2009. The principal data consists of 85 surveys conducted in person on the grounds of Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. Supplemental data from informal interviews with 10 individuals who live in the surrounding area serve to highlight themes and conclusions extrapolated from the data. The primary goal of this study was to discern what, if any, differences in behavior are apparent across age groups. It was found that there are in fact a number of differences including frequency of participation, types of rituals participated in, level of involvement in rituals, and even distance traveled to participate in rituals. This study offers a number of explanations as to why these differences may exist, but these explanations remain highly speculative. As such this study represents an initial investigation in age differences and religiosity in Japan, a topic that has had very little attention in the academic literature thus far. / Historical origins, Shinto and politics -- Theoretical evaluations -- Fieldwork in Kyoto, Japan -- Visitation : motives and frequency -- Ritual behavior -- Identity. / Department of Anthropology

Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1998. / Vita. Bound with 2 copies of leaf 10; numbering and text undisturbed. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-171).

As the deities known as Inari, foxes are vital to the religious and cultural landscape of Japan. Inari are given little consideration in the academic study of Japanese religions in English, despite their overwhelming presence and popularity in Japan. This is, in large part, due to the privileging of a Protestant definition of religion in the academic study of religion. Animating Inari addresses this lack of consideration by seeking to better understand Inari in Japan, particularly through the contexts of contemporary Shintō and popular worship (which are also severely underrepresented in scholarship). In order to explore Inari on the ground, this project is situated in the context of Fushimi Inari Taisha, the headquarters of Inari worship located in Kyoto. This project investigates the anime (animated television series), Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha (or Inakon), which depicts Fushimi Inari Taisha through the life of a young girl, named Inari, and her relationship with the deity, known as Uka. In conjunction with my own experience at this shrine, I use Inakon as a tool with which to consider the popular aspects of Shintō, particularly as visible through Inari worship. By examining Inari worship, the characters and themes of Inakon, and the presence of fox characters in other Japanese popular media, it is apparent that Inari’s popularity is in large part due to the warm relationships they have with Japanese people and how they respond to their everyday concerns. This is in direct contrast to the more nationalistic leanings of the Jinja Honchō (National Association of Shintō Shrines), which is too often privileged in the academic study of Shintō at the expense of popular worship. Inari reflect the more popular concerns of contemporary Shintō: the connections and intimate bonds that exist between people, as well as the deities. By highlighting the functions of and attitudes towards Inari, especially in contrast to Jinja Honchō, it becomes clear that Inari resonate with Japanese on a profound level.

Uganda is one of the first African countries affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the early 1980s. The country did not have the resources to provide the required treatments and prevent the spread of the virus. The poor and sometimes non-existent health care services increased the spread of HIV in the country, especially in rural areas where some communities are hard to reach. This study sought to explore the services and support offered to children in different Ugandan communities, as well as to understand their perceptions about these interventions. Structured interviews using a mapping technique with 15 children aged between 13 and 17 years were conducted in five districts in Jinja town. Direct observations were also conducted in five different sub-counties through The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). Content qualitative analysis was used to capture the children’s perceptions. There were 6 themes identified in this study: 1) Children identified family, friends, pastors and teachers as key actors in their social circle as people who are respecting their rights; 2) Chairpersons were crucial to the daily functionality of their communities, where they provide safety and consultation services; 3) Although some children acknowledged the presence of local, national and international organizations for developing and implementing projects, most children were unaware of the presence, specific functionalities, or the operation centres of the organizations. In consort, they were unaware of the services out there designed to help vulnerable children; 4) Children had various sex disaggregated responsibilities, from financial support for their families (girls) to subsistence activities (boys). Work responsibilities and childbearing expectations hindered girls from staying in school after the secondary level; 5) Children felt more comfortable discussing perceived delicate and sensitive topics (e.g. secrets) with friends. Children were least comfortable expressing their opinions with adults to whom they could not relate (e.g. educational aspirations). Children were mainly afraid to openly discuss sensitive and difficult topics with adults due to fears of the negative consequences, such as physical beatings, of disobedience; 6) Unavailability and inaccessibility of secondary and post-secondary schools in remote communities hindered children from receiving education past primary levels. Our findings revealed some key challenges that vulnerable children in Uganda can face, including discomfort and fear about speaking with adults, responsibilities and unavailability or inaccessibility of education, as well as the lack of knowledge and awareness of the available services. Our findings also revealed some central, positive influences in the children’s lives, including friends, some family, teachers, and pastors. These findings can help to reduce the contextual uncertainties in the study communities and to inform targeted interventions that utilize the positive influences to help vulnerable children address and overcome the key challenges. Future studies should be conducted to understand whether the responsibilities of children towards the adults could affect the protection of their rights as they might be limited to some services or simply not aware of them.

How do religions and nationalism interact in secular democracies? With its history of nationalism based on religious ideologies, and the subsequent forced separation of state and religion, Japan provides a valuable case to examine how religion and nationalism interact and affect the politics of a secular state. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand and synthesize the divide within the literature regarding the idea that Shinto is fundamentally nationalist in nature. Due to Shinto's historical ties to Japanese nationalism, it is clear that religion and nationalism played a role in Japanese politics in the past. However, with Japan's transition to democracy and the constitutional provision of the separation between religion and state, religion's effect on nationalism in Japan has become blurred contemporarily. In order to explore these relationships between Shinto, nationalism, and Japanese politics, I investigate how political groups and religious organizations influence nationalist sentiment in political institutions and public opinion in Japan using the Japanese Value Orientations survey and an original dataset. I find that even though the evidence is mounting against the accuracy around the idea of State Shinto and the fundamentally nationalist nature of Shinto, the narrative persists. The existence of nationalist circles perpetuates these narratives, regardless of the truthfulness of the association between Shinto and nationalism because this narrative serves as a benefit to some groups. Shinto may not be automatically nationalist, but there are still nationalistic Shinto practitioners. The description of Shinto as inherently nationalist is not likely to go away while that description still serves a purpose.

Cílem této práce je vytvořit systém, který je schopný automaticky určit množinu testů, které mají být spuštěny, když dojde v ComplianceAsCode projektu ke změně. Navržená metoda vybírá množinu testů na základě statické analýzy změněných zdrojových souborů, přičemž bere v úvahu vnitřní strukturu ComplianceAsCode. Vytvořený systém je rozdělen do čtyř částí - získání změn s využitím verzovacího systému, statická analýza různých typů souborů, zjištění souborů, které jsou ovlivněny těmi změnami, a výpočet množiny testů, které musí být spuštěny pro danou změnu. Naimplementovali jsme analýzu několika různých typů souborů a náš systém je navržen tak, aby byl jednoduše rozšiřitelný o analýzy dalších typů souborů. Vytvořená implementace je nasazena na serveru, kde automaticky analyzuje nové příspěvky do ComplianceAsCode projektu. Automatické spouštění informuje přispěvatelé a vývojáře o nalezených změnách a doporučuje, které testy by pro danou změnu měly být spuštěny. Tím je ušetřen čas strávený při kontrole správnosti příspěvků a čas strávený spouštěním testů.

År 1945 den amerikanska ockupationsstyrkan pressade fram Japans sekularisering. Mejidynastin, vid makten fram till 1945, hade främjat en framställning av shinto med nationalistiska drag som kallas för shintonationalism. Efter sekulariseringen betraktades religionerna i Japan med misstänksamhet, eller till och med fientlighet, i Japan. Sedan 80-talet har dock nationalistiska rörelser som strävar efter en återgång till den gamla shintonationalismen börjat att ta plats i den politiska scenarion igen. Nationalistiska rörelser har fått stöd av Jinja Honcho, förbundet av de shintoistiska templen. Den här studien har som syfte att analysera shintonationalismens påverkan på det japanska samhället och på den japanska skolan i synnerhet. Studien använder diskursanalys som metod och granskar å ena sidan skolans styrdokument med fokus på moralundervisningsämnen, grundskolsämnet som behandlar ämnet moral och samlevnad. Å andra sidan granskas Jinja Honchos publikationer på förbundets hemsida. Texterna jämförs och resultatet visar att Jinja Honchos framställning av shinto har påverkat diskursen i den japanska skolans styrdokument och främjat en bild av japanerna som överlägsna andra kulturer i deras förhållande till naturen, känslighet, moral och styrka. / In 1945 the US occupation forces pushed for the country's secularization. The Meji-dynasty, in power until 1945, had promoted a representation of Shinto with nationalist features known as Shinto nationalism. After secularization, religions in Japan have been viewed with suspicion if not with hostility. From the 1980s, however, nationalist movements striving for a return to the old Shinto nationalism began to take place in the political scenario again with the support of Jinja Honcho, the Association of Shinto temples. The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of Shinto nationalism on Japanese society and especially on Japanese schools. The study uses discourse analysis as a method and examines from one side the school's governing documents with a focus on moral education, from the other side Jinja Honcho's brochures in the association's website. The texts are compared and the results show that Jinja Honcho's representation of Shinto has influenced the discourse in the Japanese school's governing documents and promoted an image of the Japanese as superior to other cultures in their relationship with nature, sensitivity, morality and strength.