Includes bibliographical references (pages [293]-311) and index.
Contents:
Divination -- The story of Yato no kami -- Making a large territory in Harima -- Making and ceding the land in the god age -- Ninigi's descent and his territory in Kyushu -- The foundation of the Izumo Shrine -- The foundation of the Ise Shrine -- Characteristics of territorial cults -- Sacred groves and cult marks -- Comparative notes.
Summary:
"The first book that deals with the territorial cults of early Japan by focusing on how such cults were founded in ownerless regions. Numerous ancient Japanese myths and legends are discussed to show that the typical founding ritual was a two-phase ritual that turned the territory into a horizontal microcosm, complete with its own 'terrestrial heaven' inhabited by local deities. Reversing Mircea Eliade's popular thesis, the author concludes that the concept of the human-made horizontal microcosm is not a reflection but the source of the religious concept of the macrocosm with gods dwelling high up in the sky. The open access publication of this book has been published with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation"--Provided by publisher.
Series:
Brill's Japanese studies library, 0925-6512 ; volume 76
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.