Ascetic Practices in Japanese Religion

Ascetic practices are a common feature of religion in Japan, practiced by different religious traditions. This book looks at these ascetic practices in an inter-sectarian and inter-doctrinal fashion, highlighting underlying themes common to all forms of asceticism. It does so by employing a multidisciplinary methodology, which integrates participant fieldwork with a hermeneutical interpretation of the body as the primary locus of transmission of the ascetic `embodied tradition¿. By unlocking this `bodily datä, the book unveils the human body as the main tool and text of ascetic practice. This book includes discussion of the many extraordinary rituals practiced by Japanese ascetics.