This paper focus on the relationships between people coming from the outside and the inhabitants of a small town, Sasaguri, famous pilgrimage circuit in Fukuoka prefecture, by examining and comparing their respective religious practices. This study consists of the part of a general research on the dynamics of religion in contemporary Japan.
Sasaguri is a semi-rural town of about 32,000 inhabitants, located only 20 minutes by train from the metropolis of Fukuoka, the capital of the prefecture of the same name. As an important crossing point since ancient times, Sasaguri has experienced successive cultural intermingling over the centuries, especially in expressing religious phenomena. The pilgrimage circuit started in 1835 as the copy of Shikoku Reijyō [spiritual places] to visit legendary sacred places for the Kūkai, the founder of Singon sect of mystical Buddhism. The set of 88 sacred places changed into temples and shrines by attracting religious specialists and believers from the area surrounding the town. It still attracts people today, and it has been one of the key elements explaining the dynamism of Sasaguri in the modern era. Pilgrims from all over Japan, especially from north Kyūshū, visit sacred places and pray at famous temple like Nanzō-in, which attracts visitors from Korea. Also today, the town continues to transform and quickly adapting to socio-cultural changes; since the beginning of my investigation, which started in 2007. The city has changed a lot. This study also aims to be an overview of these dynamics.
This paper study on the continuity and change of the relationship of pilgrimage and local society by examining some methodology of anthropological studies, especially focusing on religious practice. New theories on pilgrimage are discussed by some perspectives, such as memorization process, virtual pilgrimage, a quest for identity, and tourism. However, is it true that people in Sasaguri do not accomplish the pilgrimage anymore? Are pilgrims really coming to Sasaguri by mere chance? What makes this place a cross point, and what made it successful and always renewed? Are the events in Sasaguri since the founding of the pilgrimage a new phenomenon in the region, or the re-enactment of a dynamic that has already been seen in the past? While answering to these questions, I will question the role of religion in Japan today, setting the outline for a future study, through the example of realities perfectly representative of the contemporary Japanese religious customs.
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