A Social History of the Ise Shrines: Divine Capital (Bloomsbury Shinto Studies)

The Ise shrine complex is among Japan's most enduring national symbols, and A Social History of the Ise Shrines: Divine Capital is the first book to trace the history of the shrines from their beginnings in the seventh century until the present day. Ise enshrines the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, the imperial ancestress and the most prominent among kami deities, and has played a vital role in Japan's social, political and religious history. The most popular pilgrims' attraction in the land from the sixteenth century onwards, in 2013 the Ise complex once again captured the nation's attention as it underwent its periodic rebuilding, performed once every twenty years. Mark Teeuwen and John Breen demonstrate that the Ise Shrines underwent drastic re-inventions as a result of on-going contestation between different groups of people in different historical periods. They focus on the agents responsible for these re-inventions, the nature of the economic, political and ideological measures they took, and the specific techniques they deployed to ensure that Ise survived one crisis after another in the course of its long history. This book questions major assumptions about Ise, notably the idea that Ise has always been defined by its imperial connections, and that it has always been a site of Shinto. Written by leading authorities in the field of Shinto studies, this is the essential history of Japan's most significant sacred site. Cover -- Half Title -- Series -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Figures -- Prologue -- Notes to the Reader -- Introduction Divine Capital: Ise and its Agents -- The 2013 Rebuilding -- Meanings and Agents -- The Purpose of This Book -- Chapter 1 Ancient Ise: Divine Wrath and Court Politics -- Emperor Tenmu and the 'Shrine of Amaterasu' -- Ise's Origination Myth -- Amaterasu as the Leader of the Heavenly Deities -- Why Ise? -- Empress Jito and Amaterasu -- Summing Up -- Chapter 2 Classical Ise: Hosophobia Codified -- Buddhism and the Imperial Succession -- The Ise of the Protocols -- The Inner Shrine's Auxiliary Shrines, Their Kami and Kami Seats -- The Ise Priesthood -- Ise Ritual -- Ise and Court Ritual -- Chapter 3 Amaterasu's Escape From Ise -- The Ritsuryo Funding System Unravels -- New Strategies in the Struggle for Land -- Redefining Ise for a New Era -- Kamakura -- New Court Interpretations -- Esoteric Readings of Ise -- Ise's New Agents and their New Clientele -- Chapter 4 Ise in the Kamakura Period: Lands and Secrets -- The Mongols -- Economic Woes -- Watarai Yukitada and the Origin -- Reinventing the Outer Shrine's Kami -- Creating Secrets -- Shinto -- Ise's Medieval Capital: Secrets and Land Rights -- Chapter 5 Ise in the Muromachi Period: War and Pilgrims -- A New Political Environment -- Kitabatake Chikafusa and Ise Thought -- Pilgrimage and the Rise of a New Group of Ise Actors -- The Development of Yamada -- Trade, War and the Yamada Council -- The Shrines Go to Ruin -- Ise Worship Dispersed -- Chapter 6 Ise Restored and Shintoized -- A New Order Imposed -- The Ise Shrines Restored -- A New Hierarchy of Power -- Shogunal Ise -- Ise's Shintoization -- Chapter 7 Pilgrims' Pleasures: Ise and its Patrons in the Edo Period -- The Ise Experience -- Ise Abroad: Oshi and Their Agents -- Popular Imaginings The Ise shrine complex is among Japan's most enduring national symbols, and A Social History of the Ise Shrines: Divine Capital is the first book to trace the history of the shrine from its beginnings in the 7th century until the present day. Ise enshrines the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, an imperial ancestress and the most prominent among kami deities. It has played a central role in state building throughout Japanese history, and became the most popular pilgrims' attraction in the land from the 16th century onwards. In 2013, the Ise complex once again captured the nation's attention as it underwent its periodic rebuilding, performed once every twenty years. Mark Teeuwen and John Breen demonstrate that the Ise shrines underwent drastic re-inventions as a result of on-going contestation between different groups of people in different historical periods. They focus on the actors behind these re-inventions, the nature of the economic, political and ideological measures they took, and the specific techniques they deployed to ensure that Ise survived one crisis after another in the course of its long history Contents 6 List of Maps and Illustrations 7 Prologue 8 Note to the Reader 11 Introduction: Divine Capital: Ise and its Agents 14 1 Ancient Ise: Divine Wrath and Court Politics 22 2 Classical Ise: Hosophobia Codified 44 3 Amaterasu’s Escape from Ise 68 4 Ise in the Kamakura Period: Lands and Secrets 88 5 Ise in the Muromachi Period: War and Pilgrims 114 6 Ise Restored and Shintoized 134 7 Pilgrims’ Pleasures: Ise and Its Patrons in the Edo Period 152 9 Meiji Ise: Amaterasu’s Mausoleum and the Modern Pilgrim 176 9 Ise and Nation in Taishō and Early Shōwa Japan 200 10 Crisis and Recovery: Ise’s Post-War Transformations 224 Conclusion: Phases of Redevelopment 248 Notes 256 References 284 Index 296 "Traces the history of the Ise shrines from the 7th century until today, focusing on the many episodes of crisis that transformed the social landscape around the shrines"-- Provided by publisher