Sacred High City, Sacred Low City: a tale of religious sites in two Tokyo neighborhoods
Steven Heine
Oxford, 2012
294.3435 H468s
In Sacred High City, Sacred Low City, Steven Heine argues that lived religion in Japan functions as an integral part of daily life; any apparent lack of interest masks a fundamental commitment to participating regularly in diverse, though diffused, religious practices. The book uses case studies of religious sites at two representative but contrasting Tokyo neighborhoods as a basis for reflecting on this apparently contradictory quality. In what ways does Japan continue to carry on and adapt tradition, and to what extent has modern secular society lost touch with the traditional elements of religion? Or does Japanese religiosity reflect another, possibly postmodern, alternative beyond the dichotomy of sacred and secular, in which religious differences as well as a seeming indifference to religion are encompassed as part of a contemporary lifestyle? -publisher
contents:
SACRED AND SECULAR. Introduction: Japanese religious context in traditional and contemporary perspectives -- Sacred space is alive and well and living in Japan -- Tokyo, city of -- temples?
LIVING AND DYING. Akasaka in the High City : born Shinto -- live Inari -- die Buddhist -- Inaricho in the Low City : impractical worldly benefits