Narratives of Sorrow and Dignity: Japanese Women, Pregnancy Loss, and Modern Rituals of Grieving (Oxford Ritual Studies)

Bardwell L. Smith offers a fresh perspective on c , the Japanese ceremony performed to bring solace to those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Showing how old and new forms of myth, symbol, doctrine, praxis, and organization combine and overlap in contemporary mizuko kuyō , Smith provides critical insight from many angles: the sociology of the family, the power of the medical profession, the economics of temples, the import of ancestral connections, the need for healing in both private and communal ways and, perhaps above all, the place of women in modern Japanese religion. At the heart of Smith's research is the issue of how human beings experience the death of a life that has been and remains precious to them. While universal, these losses are also personal and unique. The role of society in helping people to heal from these experiences varies widely and has changed enormously in recent decades. In examples of grieving for these kinds of losses one finds narratives not only of deep sorrow but of remarkable dignity. Cover Contents Preface PART ONE: Approaching the Worlds of Mizuko 1. Mizuko Kuyō: Memorial Services for Child Loss in Japan 2. Architectural, Iconographic, and Doctrinal Features of Mizuko Kuyō 3. Situating the Rites of Mourning: Two Temples and a Variety of Visitors 4. The Phenomena of Mizuko Kuyō: Responses to Pregnancy Loss PART TWO: Deciphering the Worlds of Pregnancy Loss: Women, Men, and the Unborn 5. Japanese Woman as Housewife, Mother, and Worker: Patterns of Change and Continuity (1868–2010) 6. Ancestors, Angry Spirits, and the Unborn: Caring for the Dead on the Path to Ancestorhood 7. Mothers, Society, and Pregnancy Loss: Rethinking the Meaning of Nurture PART THREE: Relating Mizuko Rei to the Larger Worlds of Profound Loss 8. The Revival of Death, the Rebirth of Grieving, and Ways of Mourning 9. Rituals of Affliction: An Invitation to Sobriety Acknowledgments Appendices 1. Commentary on the Mizuko Kuyō Service, at Adashino Nenbutsuji, Kyoto 2. Jizō: Protector of Travelers into and out of Life 3. The Tale of Sai-no-kawara 4. Economic Development and Temple Economics in Japan Notes Note on Transliteration Glossary of Terms A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P R S T U W Y Z Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Bardwell L. Smith offers a fresh perspective on mizuko kuyo, the Japanese ceremony performed to bring solace to those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Showing how old and new forms of myth, symbol, doctrine, praxis, and organization combine and overlap in contemporary mizuko kuyo, Smith provides critical insight from many angles: the sociology of the family, the power of the medical profession, the economics of temples, the import of ancestral connections, the need for healing in both private and communal ways and, perhaps above all, the place of women in modern Japanese religion. At the heart of Smith's research is the issue of how human beings experience the death of a life that has been and remains precious to them. While universal, these losses are also personal and unique. The role of society in helping people to heal from these experiences varies widely and has changed enormously in recent decades. In examples of grieving for these kinds of losses one finds narratives not only of deep sorrow but of remarkable dignity. Author: Bardwell L. Smith, John W. Nason Professor of Asian Studies (Emeritus), Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, USA. Publisher's note Part 1: Approaching the worlds of mizuko. Mizuko kuyō: Memorial services for child loss in Japan Architectural, iconographic, doctrinal features of mizuko kuyō Situating the rites of mourning: Two temples and a variety of visitors The phenomena of mizuko kuyō: Responses to pregnancy loss. Part 2: Deciphering the worlds of pregnancy loss: Women, men, and the unborn. Japanese woman as housewife, mother, and worker: Patterns of change and continuity (1868-2010) Ancestors, angry spirits, and the unborn: Caring for the dead on the path to ancestorhood Mothers, society, and pregnancy loss: Rethinking the meaning of nurture. Part 3: Relating mizuko rei to the larger worlds of profound loss The revival of death, the rebirth of grieving, and ways of mourning Rituals of affliction; An invitation to sobriety. Appendices. Adashino Nenbutsuji, English language text of mizuko kuyo service Yvonne Rand, Jizo: Protector of travelers into and out of life Sai-no-kawara text, tr. of Manabe Kosai. Jizo-bosatsu no kenkyu [research on Jizo Bodhisattva]. Kyoto: Sanmitsudo shoten, 1960 Yasuo Sakakibara, Economic development and temple economics in Japan. "Bardwell L. Smith offers a fresh perspective on mizuko kuyō, the Japanese ceremony performed to bring solace to those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Showing how old and new forms of myth, symbol, doctrine, praxis, and organization combine and overlap in contemporary mizuko kuyō̄, Smith provides critical insight from many angles: the sociology of the family, the power of the medical profession, the economics of temples, the import of ancestral connections, the need for healing in both private and communal ways and, perhaps above all, the place of women in modern Japanese religion. At the heart of Smith's research is the issue of how human beings experience the death of a life that has been and remains precious to them. While universal, these losses are also personal and unique. The role of society in helping people to heal from these experiences varies widely and has changed enormously in recent decades. In examples of grieving for these kinds of losses one finds narratives not only of deep sorrow but of remarkable dignity."--Publisher's website. Contains primary source documents. "Bardwell L. Smith offers a fresh perspective on mizuko kuyō, the Japanese ceremony performed to bring solace to those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Showing how old and new forms of myth, symbol, doctrine, praxis, and organization combine and overlap in contemporary mizuko kuyō̄, Smith provides critical insight from many angles: the sociology of the family, the power of the medical profession, the economics of temples, the import of ancestral connections, the need for healing in both private and communal ways and, perhaps above all, the place of women in modern Japanese religion. At the heart of Smith's research is the issue of how human beings experience the death of a life that has been and remains precious to them. While universal, these losses are also personal and unique. The role of society in helping people to heal from these experiences varies widely and has changed enormously in recent decades. In examples of grieving for these kinds of losses one finds narratives not only of deep sorrow but of remarkable dignity."--Résumé de l'éditeur Bardwell L. Smith offers a fresh perspective on c, the Japanese ceremony performed to bring solace to those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Showing how old and new forms of myth, symbol, doctrine, praxis, and organization combine and overlap in contemporary mizuko kuyō, Smith provides critical insight from many angles: the sociology of the family, the power of the medical profession, the economics of temples, the import of ancestral connections, the need for healing in both private and communal ways and, perhaps above all, the place of women in modern Japanese religion.At the heart of Smith's research is the issue of how human beings experience the death of a life that has been and remains precious to them. While universal, these losses are also personal and unique. The role of society in helping people to heal from these experiences varies widely and has changed enormously in recent decades. In examples of grieving for these kinds of losses one finds narratives not only of deep sorrow but of remarkable dignity. Bardwell L. Smith offers a fresh perspective on c, the Japanese ceremony performed to bring solace to those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Showing how old and new forms of myth, symbol, doctrine, praxis, and organization combine and overlap in contemporary mizuko kuyō, Smith provides critical insight from many angles: the sociology of the family, the power of the medical profession, the economics of temples, the import of ancestral connections, the need for healing in both private and communal ways and, perhaps above all, the place of women in modern Japanese religion. At the heart of Smith's research is the issue of how human beings experience the death of a life that has been and remains precious to them. While universal, these losses are also personal and unique. The role of society in helping people to heal from these experiences varies widely and has changed enormously in recent decades. In examples of grieving for these kinds of losses one finds narratives not only of deep sorrow but of remarkable dignity. Here, Bardwell L. Smith offers a fresh perspective on mizuko kuyo, the Japanese ceremony performed to bring solace to those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion