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Mediating between the Religious World and the Masses: Picture Deciphering by the Itinerant Nuns of Kumano

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. / Graduate / 0320 / 0332 / 0453 / chihiro_620@hotmail.com

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/4677
Date03 July 2013
CreatorsSaka, Chihiro
ContributorsPoulton, M. Cody, Adam, Martin T.
Source SetsUniversity of Victoria
LanguageEnglish, English
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
RightsAvailable to the World Wide Web

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