Ritual Across the Divide: Integrating Premodern and Modern Approaches to Religious Practice in Japan

This paper examines the intersection of medieval ritualism and modern literary expression in Kon Tōkō’s novella Chigo (1936). A prominent figure in early 20th-century Japanese literature and a Tendai priest, Kon reimagines medieval ritual practices, particularly the controversial Chigo Kanjō (Consecration of Acolytes) through a modern lens. The novella explores power dynamics and desire within monastic communities by focusing on the tragic relationship between Renshū, a high priest, and Hanawaka-maru, a young acolyte. Drawing on elements from setsuwa (didactic tales), classical novels, and ritual manuals, Kon critiques institutional authority and highlights the affective and erotic dimensions of religious practices. His portrayal challenges traditional interpretations of monastic sexuality and presents it as a complex interplay of devotion and worldly desire. This paper argues that Chigo bridges medieval and modern perspectives, offering a more nuanced understanding of premodern religious practices reimagined by a writer whose sensibilities were ahead of his time.

The study of ritual in the past has much to learn from the present. The relationship between these two sources of knowledge is apparent in archaeological applications to ritual. This paper introduces work on Buddhism in early medieval Japan’s hinterland, which saw an influx of monks from urban monasteries from the 11th-13th centuries. Archaeological work in the mountain villages and temples that border Kyoto has revealed the complex ways in which locals incorporated the rituals that Buddhist institutions and practitioners brought with them to the hinterland. One affordance of archaeological work is its focus on material heritage, which often involves interactions and negotiations in the present with existing communities for whom this heritage is a source of identity. As a result, research on the medieval hinterland has relied on collaborations with existing communities in these areas.  An archaeology of ritual in Japan’s past inspires collaborative archaeology in the present.

This paper investigates how Nichiren monks engage with the Internet, specifically with social media platforms, to promote knowledge related to daiaragyō 大荒行, an austere training that allows monastics to master a variety of initiated prayers (kaji kitō 加持祈祷) and exorcistic techniques. Despite being an esoteric practice shrouded in secrecy, daiaragyō has attracted a lot of attention on the Internet over the past few years: monks who have performed the training share their knowledge and experiences on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and temples’ websites. I argue that social media plays a central role in affecting and shaping contemporary Nichiren Buddhism’s identity, communities, and ritual practices. More specifically, social media platforms enhance monks’ eminence and reputation, foster the creation of larger and more diverse communities, and allow more personal and flexible ways for monastics and laypeople to engage with religion.

This paper examines the Genkō Festival at the Genkō Shrine in Fukuoka, Japan, and its annual rituals commemorating the 1281 Mongol Invasion of Japan. While these rituals honor the war dead from an “ancient” past, they are a rather modern phenomenon, emerging in the early twentieth century as part of nationalist efforts to construct historical memory. Tracing the transformation of Genkō commemoration—from a nationalist movement celebrating Japan’s victory, to a pan-Asianist project under imperial Japan, and to a contemporary diplomatic event—this paper explores how the meaning of “genkō” has shifted through ritual over time. By analyzing the 2024 rituals, which for the first time in decades included Mongolian participation, this study argues that these rituals not only reimagine the past but also serve as a platform for forging new geopolitical alliances under the rhetoric of reconciliation, peace, and the transcendence of historical enmity.