Conferenza di Mark Teeuwen nell'ambito di "Incontri col Giappone / Encounters with Japan"
Ritual Texts in Village Archives: The World of Saimon
"Saimon" 祭文 are incantations, recited during rituals of various kinds.
In classical times, this term was mainly used by Yin Yang masters who presided over calendrical rites for court nobles. In medieval times, however, saimon underwent a dramatic transformation, likely at the hands of Shugendo practitioners (yamabushi). By the end of the medieval period (16th century), saimon were widely used by village ritualists in local festivals. These saimon show a great diversity, but often contain rich narratives about exotic deities in faraway lands, full of dragons, treasures, and dramatic battles. Saimon flourished in the early modern period, but were typically abridged, rewritten, and finally abandoned in the modern era (Meiji and beyond). In the talk, Professor I will introduce some striking saimon that remain in the archives of hereditary ritualists in rural Japan. Also, I will ask the question what these saimon can and cannot tell us about practices and beliefs in such rural areas.