Spiritual Journeys: The Pursuit of Power Spots, Mandala Mountains, and Haiku Roads
Course Overview
The search for life’s meaning through travel evokes images of the romantic, the dangerous, the exotic, the humbling, and the empowering. One of the oldest and most pervasive forms of human spiritual expression is purposeful travel to places thought to be able to change us in this life or in the next. The object of these sacred journeys may be formal religious shrines, natural places thought to be powerful, or even extraordinary stretches of road. In Japan, pilgrimage is a central practice across religious traditions and even seemingly secular tourism is intertwined with activities for spiritual well-being.
In this course, which has a special emphasis on Japan, we will consider a colorful array of wandering seekers through fiction, film, scholarship, and diary accounts. Students will practically engage literary perspectives with field excursions and by pursuing independent research in which they are encouraged to experience and actualize the power of travel. Such experiences can take place quite locally, as Kansai Gaidai is positioned among dozens of meaningful locations and paths.
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Course Topics
What is “spirituality”? What is pilgrimage? What is tourism?
Japan's Mountain Ascetics and Sacred Peaks
Power Spots: The Foci of Japan’s “Spirituality Boom”
Iconic Roads: The Tōkaidō, The Camino de Santiago, and Route 66
Hizakurige (Shank’s Mare): A Graphic Travel Novel of Misadventures and Excess
The Wanderings of the Poet Bashō
The Burning Man: A Pilgrimage of Performance Art
The Journey to the 88-places of Shikoku
“Holy Places” for Manga and Anime Fans
"The Dharma Bums": Japanese-Inspired American Counterculture
Cyber-Journeys
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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 Nuclear Bombs"
The search for life’s meaning through travel evokes images of the romantic, the dangerous, the exotic, the humbling, and the empowering. One of the oldest and most pervasive forms of human spiritual expression is purposeful travel to places thought to be able to change us in this life or in the next. The object of these sacred journeys may be formal religious shrines, natural places thought to be powerful, or even extraordinary stretches of road. In Japan, pilgrimage is a central practice across religious traditions and even seemingly secular tourism is intertwined with activities for spiritual well-being.
In this course, which has a special emphasis on Japan, we will consider a colorful array of wandering seekers through fiction, film, scholarship, and diary accounts. Students will practically engage literary perspectives with field excursions and by pursuing independent research in which they are encouraged to experience and actualize the power of travel. Such experiences can take place quite locally, as Kansai Gaidai is positioned among dozens of meaningful locations and paths.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Course Topics
What is “spirituality”? What is pilgrimage? What is tourism?
Japan's Mountain Ascetics and Sacred Peaks
Power Spots: The Foci of Japan’s “Spirituality Boom”
Iconic Roads: The Tōkaidō, The Camino de Santiago, and Route 66
Hizakurige (Shank’s Mare): A Graphic Travel Novel of Misadventures and Excess
The Wanderings of the Poet Bashō
The Burning Man: A Pilgrimage of Performance Art
The Journey to the 88-places of Shikoku
“Holy Places” for Manga and Anime Fans
"The Dharma Bums": Japanese-Inspired American Counterculture
Cyber-Journeys
_______________________________________________________________________________
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 Nuclear Bombs"
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
READING ASSIGNMENT on Manga/Anime Pilgrimage (for 4/10): HERE.
READING ASSIGNMENT on Cyber-Pilgrimage (for 4/17): HERE.
