Pilgrims until we die : unending pilgrimage in Shikoku

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Bibliographic Information

Pilgrims until we die : unending pilgrimage in Shikoku

Ian Reader and John Shultz

Oxford University Press, c2021

  • : hardback

Available at  / 3 libraries

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Note

"死ぬまで"--Cover

Includes bibliographical references (p. [237]-243) and index

Contents of Works

  • The Shikoku pilgrimage : history, legends, ascetics, and the structure of repetition
  • Modern stimulations : money, health, time, and commemoration
  • Living on the pilgrimage : perpetual itinerancy and "professional pilgrims"
  • Attitudes, practices, schedules, and triggers : addictive patterns and the intensity of performance
  • Pilgrims and their cars : sociability, scenery, faith, and enjoyment
  • Walkers on the way : multiplicity, motivations, health, and retirement
  • Concluding comments and new challenges

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The Shikoku pilgrimage, a 1400 kilometre, eighty-eight temple circuit around Japan's fourth largest island, takes around forty days by foot, or one week by car. Historically, Buddhist ascetics walked it without ceasing, creating a tradition of unending pilgrimage that continues in the present era, both by pilgrims on foot and by others in cars. Some spend decades walking the pilgrimage, while others drive it repeatedly, completing hundreds of pilgrimage circuits. Most are retired and make the pilgrimage the centre of their post-work lives. Others who work full-time spend their holidays and weekends as pilgrims. Some have only done the pilgrimage a few times but already imagine themselves as unending pilgrims and intend to do it "until we die". They talk happily of being addicted and having Shikokuby?, 'Shikoku illness', portraying this 'illness' and addiction as blessings. Featuring extensive fieldwork and interviews, this study of Japan's most famous Buddhist pilgrimage presents new theoretical perspectives on pilgrimage in general, along with rich ethnographic examples of pilgrimage practices in contemporary Japan. Pilgrims Until We Die counteracts normative portrayals of pilgrimage as a transient activity, defined by a temporary leave of absence from home to visit sacred places outside the parameters of everyday life, showing that many participants view pilgrimage as a way of creating a sense of home and permanence on the road. Examining how obsession, devotion, and a sense of addiction aided by modern developments and economic factors have created a culture of recurrent pilgrimage, Pilgrims Until We Die challenges standard understandings of pilgrimage.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Pilgrim Until I Die Chapter One: The Shikoku Pilgrimage: History, Legends, Ascetics, and the Structure of Repetition Chapter Two: Modern Stimulations: Money, Health, Time and Commemoration Chapter Three: Living on the Pilgrimage: Perpetual Itinerancy and 'Professional Pilgrims' Chapter Four: Attitudes, Practices, Schedules and Triggers: Addictive Patterns and the Intensity of Performance Chapter Five: Pilgrims and their Cars: Sociability, Scenery, Faith and Enjoyment Chapter Six: Walkers on the Way: Multiplicity, Motivations, Health and Retirement Concluding Comments and New Challenges

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