Introduction to the Religions of Japan

EAS 261 (8668) REL 261 (8495)

Fall 2007

Class Time and Location: MW 2:45–4:05 in SS 133

Instructor: Mark Blum

Office: HU 254E

Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 1:00–2:00

Phone: 442-4183

e-mail: mblum@albany.edu

Textbooks:

A History of Japanese Religion by Kazuo KASAHARA (Kosei Publishing: ISBN: 4-333-01917-6)

Religion in the Japanese Experience: Sources and Interpretations - 2nd. ed. by H. Byron Earhart (Wadsworth: ISBN 0-534-52461-3)

Prerequisites:

This is a survey course with no prior knowledge of Japan and its philosophies or religious traditions required.

Course Description:

This course is an introductory look at the culture, values, and history of the religious traditions of Japan. We will look at the native Japanese sense of the world physically and culturally, the imported continental traditions of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and the religion called Shinto that formed in response. The arrival and impact of Christianity in the 16th century as well as the so-called New Religions of the 19th and 20th centuries will also be examined. In all cases, the word “religion” is used in the broadest possible sense—that is, how one makes sense of the world and the models of the world that are presented with authority beyond empirical experience. We will also look at how the internal structure of Buddhist and Confucian values were negotiated with established views of mankind and society in Japan, with consideration of what kinds of Buddhism the Japanese favored, how Buddhism was changed in Japan, and how Japan has been changed by these foreign notions of the individual’s place in the world, particularly Buddhism. Students are encouraged to contribute to our collective learning experience by contributing other viewpoints, such as artistic, economic, political, etc., as these topics will never be excluded from our discussions, but due to time constraints will have to play only a supportive role.

Requirements:

1) You are expected to secure all required books, attend all classes, and to have read the relevant reading assignment for each class beforehand. There will also be a considerable amount of material discussed that may have minimal treatment in the textbooks, and no repeating of lectures for absentees is possible.

2) Each student must prepare a small research project on some aspect of religious culture in Japanese society. The purpose is to give you a chance to dig deeper into whatever interests you in this area of study. At end of the semester, you will present a 10 minute oral presentation on your research and turn in a paper of no less than five and no more than ten pages. This must be written entirely by yourself, must contain a bibliography of your sources, and must give references for all quotations and opinions. Internet sources are discouraged. You may only use internet sources if you can identify the author and confirm his/her qualifications—this information must be included in your bibliography for all internet sources or you will be graded down. Plagiarism will result in zero credit for the assignment and notification sent to the dean. You are encouraged to read the description of how to properly cite source materials, what constitutes plagiarism, and other helpful guides for academic writing on the department website under the title East Asian Studies Style Guide. All topics must be approved by the instructor, but you have considerable freedom in choosing what is of interest to you.

Research Topic Guidelines:

a) Permissible: religious doctrine and philosophy; individual shrines or temples; famous religious individuals; religious assumptions in family values or religious values in the relationship between the individual and society; care and treatment of the dead; religious views expressed in festivals, art, literature, theatre, politics, or economics; church–state relations; status of women; xenophobia; monasticism; sectarianism; Buddhist-Shinto relations; Christianity in Japan; Daoism in Japan; religious issues in Japanese Confucianism. Topics not mentioned here are also possible with consent of the instructor.

b) Not Permissible: Japanese religious forms in America; how Americans think about Japanese religion.

Grading:

Grades will be based on six elements: 1) class attendance, preparation, and participation, 2) midterm examination, 3) oral presentation, 4) research paper, 5) final examination. The examinations will consist of identification questions and short essay questions that you select from a larger group of questions.

Here is the grading distribution by category:

Classwork 15%

Midterm: 25%

Oral Presentation 10%

Research Paper 25%

Final Exam: 25%

Schedule:

Readings from A History of Japanese Religion (abbreviated HJRel), Religion in the Japanese Experience: Sources and Interpretation (abbreviated Sources); documents posted to the library’s electronic reserver service (abbreviated ERes).

Date	Topics	Readings	Wk
8/27	Why study religion? Why study Japan?		1
8/29	Religious themes in Japan; 5 religious traditions	ERes file; HJRel pp. 15-24; Sources pp. 170–72 & 196–200.
9/3	No Class: Labor Day Holiday		2
9/5	Religion in prehistoric Japan; Shinto Myth	HJRel ch. 1; Sources pp., 218-21 & 6–38
9/10	Film	none	3
9/12	No Class: Jewish Holiday
9/17	Buddhism changes the world; Shōtoku	HJRel pp. 47-65; Sources p. 45-49 & 234-236	4
9/19	Buddhism in the Nara period, Tōdaiji, Kokubunji, etc.	HJRel pp. 65-72; Sources p. 50–60;
9/24	Heian I: Saichō and the Tendai School	HJRel pp. 73–98; Sources p. 81–85;	5
9/26	Heian II: Kūkai and the Shingon School	HJRel pp. 98–113; Sources p. 85-88;
10/1	Heian III: folk religion; exorcism; Taoism	HJRel pp. 145-156; Sources ch. 6 & pp. 201-204	6
10/3	Heian IV: Pure Land Buddhism; midterm review	HJRel pp. 114-129; ERes file
10/8	Midterm Exam		7
10/10	Kamakura I: New forms & Old forms of Buddhism	HJRel pp. 157-168; ERes file
10/15	Kamakura II: Pure Land	HJRel chapters 6-9; Sources pp. 101-104;	8
10/17	Kamakura III: Zen	HJRel ch. 9; Sources p. 99–102
10/22	Kamakura IV: Nichiren; Salvation of Women	HJRel chs. 10 & 11; Sources p. 94–98; ERes file	9
10/24	Medieval Shinto	HJRel ch. 12;
10/29	Art as Religion: Nō theatre, Tea Ceremony, Painting	HJRel p. 243; Sources p. 172–80, 230-233	10
10/31	Premodern period I: Christianity	HJRel ch. 13 & 16; Sources p. 140–49
11/5	Premodern period II: Buddhism, Nativism, Folk Religion	HJRel ch. 14 & 17; Sources ch. 5 & 7, and pp. 103-115	11
11/7	Modern period I: State Shinto & Crises in Buddhism	HJRel ch. 20 & 21; Sources ch. 15 & pp. 38–44
11/12	Modern peirod II: New Religions	HJRel ch. 16 & 22 Sources p. 270–283	12
11/14	Modern peirod III: The Kyoto School (Nishida, Nishitani)	ERes file
11/19	Guest Lecture	to be announced	13
11/21	No Class: Thanksgiving Holiday
11/26	Student Presentations.	none	14
11/28	Student Presentations.	none
12/3	Student Presentations. Papers due	none	15
12/5	Review	ERes review sheet
12/13	Final Exam	3:30~5:30PM in same room