| NOTA |
(★)(Where Living Traditions Meet a Changing World)(Over two decades ago, the Agency for Cultural Affairs compiled a volume entitled ´Japanese Religion : A Survey.´ Now in its eleventh printing, its value as a source of information on religion in Japanese society has been amply proved. But in the years since then Japan has rocketed to economic dominance, and urbanization and industrialization have altered the cultural landscape. The picturesque serenity of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines is a nostalgic vision ; the shocking crimes of Aum Shinrikyoo a new reality. ´Religion in Japanese Culture´ is a response to the relentless change of the last twenty-five years. Retaining but revising the earlier volume´s comprehensive survey of Japan´s major religions, this book also presents six new essays exploring : Religion and the state／Religion and education／Urbanization and depopulation／The rebirth of religion／Internationalization／Religious organizations and Japanese law／ In addition, a new appendix presents an analysis of Aum Shinrikyoo´s 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. Is religious commitment on the wane in Japan? What about the wave of small-scale religious groups, and the recent surge of interest in spiritualism and the occult? Religious history in Japan is a complex tapestry of foreign influence and ancient belief, pervasive tradition and modern indifference. It is said that to understand a people´s values one must first study their religion. ´Religion in Japanese Culture´ is an important contribution to the field of religious studies, and an invaluable tool for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of Japanese culture. ◆Noriyoshi Tamaru, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo, is currently professor of philosophy and religious studies at Taishoo University. He is the author of ´Shuukyoogaku no rekishi to kadai (The History of Religious Studies and Its Problems)´, as well as other books and articles. David Reid was the first editor of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, and is now professor of religious studies and the sociology of religion at Seigakuin University. He is the author of ´New Wine : The Cultural Shaping of Japanese Christianity.´) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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