Contents

List of Illustrations

List of Contributors

Preface

Part I Orientations

Religious Contexts and Patterns in Contemporary Japan

Japanese Survey Data on Religious Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practices in the Twenty-First Century

The Concepts of Religion and Religious Studies in Transcultural Contexts, with a Focus on Japan

Part II Transformations within Japan’s Religious Traditions

Shintō Shrines: Traditions and Transformations

Contemporary Buddhist Priests and Clergy

Christianity in Contemporary Japanese Society

Money and the Temple: Law, Taxes and the Image of Buddhism

Voices for the Dead: Priestly Incantations and Grave Discussions

Re-Imagining Buddhist Women in Contemporary Japan

Part III Religious Responses to Social Change

The Postwar Constitution and Religion

New Religions in Japan: Adaptations and Transformations in Contemporary Society

Sōka Gakkai in Japan

Ambiguous Identities: Negotiating Christianity and ‘Japaneseness’

Reconstructing Priestly Identity and Roles and the Development of Socially Engaged Buddhism in Contemporary Japan

Buddhist Environmentalism in Contemporary Japan

‘Fine Words Indeed’: Yasukuni and the Narrative Fetishism of War

From the ‘Tradition’ to a Choice: Recent Developments in Mortuary Practices

Part IV Spirituality and Religion for a New Age

Theosophy and Related Movements in Japan

The Rise of the New Spirituality

Petto Kuyō: Changing Views of Animal Spirits in Contemporary Japan

Celebrity Fortunes: Defining ‘Religion’ in the Post-Aum Era

Zen Art: Pure Gesture, Nationalist Aesthetic, or Nothing at All?

Widely Read Writings on Religion in Contemporary Japan: Popular Books on Religious Issues, ‘Spiritual Literature’ and Literary Works with Religious Themes

Contemporary Household Altars

Religion and Manga

Index