Pilgrimage: Journeys in Search of Meaning
"The gods seem to have possessed my soul and turned it inside out, and the roadside images seemed to invite me from every corner, so that it was impossible for me to stay idle at home."
Matsuo Basho, Oku no Hosomichi , Station 1
(translated by Yuasa Nobuyuki)
Matsuo Basho, Oku no Hosomichi , Station 1
(translated by Yuasa Nobuyuki)
OVERVIEW
The mysteries, uncertainties, and challenges of travel to sacred locations help to place these journeys near the forefront of human endeavors. Pilgrimage is, quite simply, one of the most universal and significant forms of religious expression. Japanese religious traditions can be said to have an above average appeal to sacred travel. Wandering monks, mountain ascetics, and even spiritually driven laypersons of ancient and medieval Japan established patterns of travel that would become the great pilgrimage routes of Japan. Pilgrimages like the Shikoku Henro and Saikoku Junrei link many temples, shrines, and holy mountains in a single, often lengthy, circuit. Pilgrimage culture has significantly shaped domestic tourism in Japan. No journey here is ever really complete without a visit to a sacred location.
This course offers a somewhat open-ended invitation to explore the many curiosities of sacred travel. While Japan and Japanese religious traditions will be the primary focus, we will also have opportunities to consider and compare activities from other contexts and traditions. As our university is almost ideally centered geographically to access dozens of pilgrimages sites, we will augment our reading and classroom discussions with field trips to nearby locations.
The most important task for course participants is to design and execute a research project of their own choosing using methods that suit their own predispositions. The possibilities for exotic travel and even a degree of self expression are possible in the context of this project, and I will work personally with students to ensure success.
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EXEMPLARY STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS FROM PAST SEMESTERS
"Harry Potter Pilgrimage"
"Christian Pilgrimage in Japan"
"Places and Paths Dedicated to the Bodhisattva Jizo"
"The Characters of the 'Journey to the West' and their Representations of Buddhist Philosophies"
"A Comparison of Contemporary Japanese and Chinese Travelers to Sites on the Silk Road"
"A Survey of Opinions from Visitors to Kyoto's Mt. Hiei"
"Can Protestants Engage in Pilgrimage?"
"Japanese Mountain Asceticism and Women"
"The Pilgrimage Journeys of the Beat Generation Poet Gary Snyder"
"Journeys to the Great Shinto Shrine of Ise"
"Extreme Mountain Asceticism"
"Japanese New Year Celebrations and Travel as Pilgrimage"
"A Woman's Journey on the Shikoku Henro as Described by Takamure Itsue"
"Japan's Power Spots and the Search for Practical Benefits"
"Sankei [pilgrimage] Mandalas"
"Joseon Missions to Japan and their Retracements"
"Manga Pilgrimage: Defining a 'Holy Place'"
"The Kumano Kōdō and the Kumano Sanzan"
"Journeys with Respect to the Nuclear Bomb"
"Pilgrimage Themes in Contemporary Video Games"
"Pilgrimage to Mt. Sinai"
"Japanese Sake Pilgrimage in the Kansai: A Walking Tour"
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KEY QUESTIONS FOR THE COURSE
What is meant by the term "pilgrimage"?
How do Japanese terms compare?
Is pilgrimage best represented by a once-in-a-liftime journey, or can it be something that someone does regularly in their life?
What about people who spend their whole lives engaging in travel to sacred locations?
How do modes of travel affect the experience?
What motivates pilgrims?
Can we create overarching theories of pilgrimage?
Can "pilgrimage" take place virtually without physical travel?
When considering written accounts of pilgrimage, what aspects of the journey are forefront in the pilgrim's mind? Is there a particular stress on the people she meets, the places she sees, or the road she walks (literally or metaphorically)?
Can "pilgrimage" be applied to journeys not involving a sacred location?
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"Harry Potter Pilgrimage"
"Christian Pilgrimage in Japan"
"Places and Paths Dedicated to the Bodhisattva Jizo"
"The Characters of the 'Journey to the West' and their Representations of Buddhist Philosophies"
"A Comparison of Contemporary Japanese and Chinese Travelers to Sites on the Silk Road"
"A Survey of Opinions from Visitors to Kyoto's Mt. Hiei"
"Can Protestants Engage in Pilgrimage?"
"Japanese Mountain Asceticism and Women"
"The Pilgrimage Journeys of the Beat Generation Poet Gary Snyder"
"Journeys to the Great Shinto Shrine of Ise"
"Extreme Mountain Asceticism"
"Japanese New Year Celebrations and Travel as Pilgrimage"
"A Woman's Journey on the Shikoku Henro as Described by Takamure Itsue"
"Japan's Power Spots and the Search for Practical Benefits"
"Sankei [pilgrimage] Mandalas"
"Joseon Missions to Japan and their Retracements"
"Manga Pilgrimage: Defining a 'Holy Place'"
"The Kumano Kōdō and the Kumano Sanzan"
"Journeys with Respect to the Nuclear Bomb"
"Pilgrimage Themes in Contemporary Video Games"
"Pilgrimage to Mt. Sinai"
"Japanese Sake Pilgrimage in the Kansai: A Walking Tour"
_______________________________________________________________________________
KEY QUESTIONS FOR THE COURSE
What is meant by the term "pilgrimage"?
How do Japanese terms compare?
Is pilgrimage best represented by a once-in-a-liftime journey, or can it be something that someone does regularly in their life?
What about people who spend their whole lives engaging in travel to sacred locations?
How do modes of travel affect the experience?
What motivates pilgrims?
Can we create overarching theories of pilgrimage?
Can "pilgrimage" take place virtually without physical travel?
When considering written accounts of pilgrimage, what aspects of the journey are forefront in the pilgrim's mind? Is there a particular stress on the people she meets, the places she sees, or the road she walks (literally or metaphorically)?
Can "pilgrimage" be applied to journeys not involving a sacred location?
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IMAGES
In Buddhist traditions, achieving enlightenment is often compared to crossing over the river of everyday life. Here the Kumano Kōdō Kohechi, an important ancient Japanese pilgrimage trail which connects two sacred centers, seems to invite such crossings.
The trails of the Kumano Kōdō on the Kii peninsula offer a look at the very origins of popular pilgrimage practice in Japan. These beautiful mountain trails have recently become designated as UNESCO world heritage sites.
An image of Tripitaka (Sanzō in Japanese) in front of Dayan Pagoda in Xian, China. Tripitaka is the archetype of a true pilgrim in East Asia. In this course, we will read the "Journey to the West" (Saiyuki in Japanese), the allegorical account of his pilgrimage to India to receive Buddhist scriptures. Even today, Japanese pilgrims are familiar with this story, as it is ever-present in popular culture. Also, the ancient Chinese capital Chang'an (Xian in modern Chinese, Chōan in Japanese) was itself a pilgrimage destinations for Japanese monks, such as Kukai and Ennin.
A practitioner of the 1000-day walking ascetic practice on Kyoto's Mt. Hiei. These "Marathon Monks" engage in what is arguably the most grueling physical challenge know to humans. Students will have a chance to see where these monks train and to walk on some of the trails associated with the practice.
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ONLINE RESOURCES
Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power
-nice site for an overview of many pilgrimages among various religious traditions
Camino de Santiago
-great resource for accounts of the lengthy and famous walking pilgrimage undertaken by Catholics to Santiago, Spain
Japanese Buddhist Statuary-Guide to Japanese Pilgrims, Pilgrimages, Holy Mountains and Sacred Shrines
-great overview page for Japanese Buddhist pilgrimage from an excellent resource
-contains many useful links
Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage
-the definitive site in English for the Saikoku 33-temple Kannon pilgrimage
The Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage
- a virtual tour of the 33 temples with splendid photographs
Maps and Other Information in English and Japanese for the Kumano Kodo
-good details especially for the Nakahechi route of this ancient and important pilgrimage
Kushima Henro Kan (Click here for the Japanese main page)
-arguably the best Japanese online resource for Japan's most famous pilgrimage, the Shikoku Henro
Pilgrimage to the 88 Places of Shikoku
-a fantastic resource in English by David Turkington for the Henro
-includes a discussion forum
-has a great set of links for other Henro pages and accounts in English
David Moreton's Page on the Shikoku Henro
-good resource from the best scholar of foreign pilgrims on the Henro
-his main page also lists various guidebooks and other resources David has produced and translated
VIDEO OF OUR CLASS FIELD TRIP TO NARITA-SAN, SEPT. 2011