Collaborative Research
B.Life, Aging, and Death and Ritual in Historical Perspective – Part 1
| Type of Research | Basic Research |
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| Project Title | Transhistorical Studies of Ideas of Life and Death; Japanese Deities and Shrines |
| Supervising Head of the Research Team | SHINTANI Takanori |
| Research Title | B.Life, Aging, and Death and Ritual in Historical Perspective – Part 1 |
| Head of the Research Team | SHINTANI Takanori |
| Research Period | 2004–2008 |
| Research Team |
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| Purpose | The issue of life, aging, and death is not only a historical issue but also a transhistorical issue. This research, looking at the topic from a historical point of view and focusing on the relationship between experience, viewpoints and rites related to life and death and rites related to aging attempts the basic work of collecting materials and information on chronological and historical changes relating to the rites of passage from ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary periods. We also try to develop a new analytical point of view on the continuity between the small changes in the culture of rites and the large political and ecomomic changes in society. The research on rites has both old and new aspects. Performance of rites has a function in social integration, and creates and reconfirms a socially shared identity. The purpose of this research is to study those who incorporated rites in the processes of aging in life, aging and death, and why they did so. |
2006
Progress
Workshop
Holding workshops
| First Workshop Schedule: September 23 (a holiday) and 24 (Sunday), 2006 Venue: The National Museum of Japanese History |
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September 23 (a holiday), 2006 Research Presentations by:
Intermediate Report on the Summarization of Materials:
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September 24 (Sunday), 2006 Research Presentations by:
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| Second Workshop Schedule: October 22 (Sunday), 2006 Venue: Kyoto Women’s University Building J 1st Floor (J112 Classroom) |
Research Presentations by:
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| Third Workshop Schedule: March 3 (Saturday) and 4 (Sunday), 2007 Venue: The First Conference Room of the National Museum of Japanese History |
March 3 (Saturday), 2007 Research Presentations by:
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September 24 (Sunday), 2006 Research Presentations by:
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Result
Creation of a summary report of the documents
Creation and publication of "Aging, Death and Rites as Found in Historical Documents 2"
In 2006, continuing efforts from last year, extracting articles relating to rites of aging and death from documents of the ancient, medieval and modern periods, we created a summary of the material.
The documents, "Shouyuuki", and "Murasakishikibu Diary" from the ancient period, "Gyokuyou" from the medieval period, "Nonomiya Sadamoto Diary", and "Datechika Memo" from the modern period, etc. were selected as research subjects. Summarizing the results obtained this year, "Aging, Death and Rites as Found in Historical Documents," was published in August of 2007. The contents include " Aging, Death and Rites as Found in Ancient Records of the Heian Era – from ‘Shouyuuki’–", "Aging, Death and Rites as Found in Historical Stories of the Heian Era – from ‘Murasakishikibu Diary’, and ‘Ookagami’", " Aging, Death and Rites as Found in Medieval Aristocratic Family Records – from ‘Gyokuyou’–" , "Aging, Death and Rites as Found in Modern Samurai Family Records – from ‘Datechika Memo’–", "Aging, Death and Rites as Found in Modern Aristocratic Family Records – from ‘Kennaiki’, etc,".
Arrangement of manuscripts for the report
We compiled "A Report of the National Museum of Japanese History" ("Chronological Research on Life, Aging, Death and Rites").
The contents are, "Religious Rite Relating to Childbirth in Ancient and Early Medieval Periods – Focusing on the Influence from Medical Books and Physicians" by Noriko Katsuura, "On Funeral Coordinators for Emperors (Tennou Taisou Kannshoushi) in the Ancient Period" by Keiko Sakaki, "Emperors and Ex– Emperors (Tennou and Joukou) in Paintings" by Yoshikazu Kondo, "Buddhist Ceremonies, Advocation and Rites of Life, Aging and Death" by Kazuaki Komine, "View of the Life after Death – centering on ‘Chuu’" by Une Cho, "Narration on Gestation and Birth – centering on ‘Kumano Honchi’" by Kaori Watanuki, "Is it true that before the age of seven children are "children of god" ?" by Jun Shibata, "Funeral Rites and Concepts in Modern Aristocratic Families – from Nonomiya Sadamoto Diary and Sanetsumu Kouki" by Tomoko Satake, "Rites of Life and the Names of Children in the Akita Clan –in Comparison with the Tokugawa Shogun Family" by Osamu Ooto, "The Awareness and Expression of Birthdays in the Modern Era from the Shogun down to Ordinary People" by Yumi Uzawa, "Visualization of Rites" by Michiya Iwamoto, "Establishment of Giving Birth in Hospitals and the Subsequent Transformation of the Childbirth Culture" by Harue Oode, "Ethnic history of Childbirth in Kamisukai in the Shikoku Mountains – Folk views on How to Have Safe Deliveries by Having Cooperative Deliveries Involving both the Husband and Wife " by Noriko Yoshimura, "A Life History of a Wholesaler of Funeral Supplies and the Industrialization of Funeral Services" by Shinya Yamada, "Traditional Funeral Ceremonies in Korea featuring the Reverberation (of Bells)" by Kim Shi–Deog, "Dynamism of Traditional Rites" by Mayumi Sekizawa, and "Gravestone and Tomb Registries" by Takanori Shintani.2005
Progress
Workshop
Workshops have been held 4 times: in April, July, October and January. We also extracted articles regarding rites of aging and death from the following documents and carried out data entry to create a summarization of the material. For example, "Shouyuuki" in the ancient period, "Gyokuyou" in the medieval period, "Kennaiki", "Harutomi Sukuneki" and "Datechika Memo" in the modern period were selected as research subjects.
| First Workshop Schedule: April 29 (Holiday) and 30 (Saturday), 2005 Venue: The First Conference Room of the National Museum of Japanese History |
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Intermediate Report on materials summarization work:
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| Second Workshop Schedule: July 16 (Saturday), 2005 Venue: The First Conference Room of the National Museum of Japanese History |
Intermediate Report on materials summarization work:
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| Third Workshop Schedule: October 15 (Saturday) and 16 (Sunday), 2005 Venue: The First Conference Room of the National Museum of Japanese History |
Intermediate Report on materials summarization work:
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| Fourth Workshop Schedule: January 8 (Sunday) and 9 (a holiday), 2006 Venue: The Second Conference Room of the National Museum of Japanese History |
Intermediate Report on materials summarization work:
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Result
We undertook supplemental data entry and editing work on summaries of the materials on the articles relating to life rites from "Shouyuki", "Gonki", "Midoukanpakuki", "Nonomiya Sadamoto Diary" and "Datechika memo", and we published "’Life and Rites as found in Historical Documents 1" (332 pages, July, 2005). And, this year, newly focusing on "Shouyuki", and "Gykuyou" in the medieval period, as well as "Kennaiki", "Harutomi Sukune ki", and "Datechika Memo" in the modern period, etc., we extracted articles relating to rites of aging and death, began data entry and, as an intermediate report, published "’Aging, Death and Rites as found in Historical Documents 1" (192 pages, March, 2006) in a simple book binding.
2004
Progress
Workshop
Workshops were held 4 times: in June, September, January and February. Also extracting from articles relating to rites of birth and growth from the following documents, we carried out data entry for the creation of a summarization of the material. For example, "Syouyuuki", "Gonki" and "Midoukanpakuki" in the ancient period, as well as "Nonomiya Sadamoto Diary", "Datechika Memo" in the modern period, among others were selected as research subjects.
Result
Extracting from articles about rites relating to birth and childrearing, and by doing data entry, we created a summarization of the material. For example, we created summarizations for the ancient period, from "Syouyuuki", "Gonki", "Midoukanpakuki", and for the modern period, from "Nonomiya Sadamoto Diary", "Datechika Memo", etc.,. They will be partially published in June, 2005.
| First Workshop Schedule: June 12 (Saturday) and 13(Sunday), 2004 Venue: The First Conference Room of the National Museum of Japanese History |
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| Second Workshop Schedule: September 15 (Wednesday) and 16 (Thursday), 2004 Venue: The Second Training Room of the National Museum of Japanese History |
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| Third Workshop Schedule: January 9 (Sunday) and 10 (Monday), 2005 Venue: The Second Training Room of the National Museum of Japanese History |
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| Fourth Workshop Schedule: February 12 (Saturday) and 13 (Sunday), 2005 Venue: Kyoto International Conference Center |
We have omitted the Intermediate Reports on material collection work. |
