Spirits and Animism in Contemporary Japan - by Fabio Rambelli (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This book draws attention to a striking aspect of contemporary Japanese culture: the prevalence of discussions and representations of "spirits" (tama or tamashii). Ancestor cults have played a central role in Japanese culture and religion for many centuries; in recent decades, however, other phenomena have expanded and diversified the realm of Japanese animism. For example, many manga, anime, TV shows, literature, and art works deal with spirits, ghosts, or with an invisible dimension of reality. International contributors ask to what extent these are cultural forms created by the media for consumption, rather than manifestations of "traditional" ancestral spirituality in their adaptations to contemporary society.

Spirits and Animism in Contemporary Japan considers the modes of representations and the possible cultural meanings of spirits, as well as the metaphysical implications of contemporary Japanese ideas about spirits. The chapters offer analyses of specific cases of "animistic attitudes" in which the presence of spirits and spiritual forces is alleged, and attempt to trace cultural genealogies of those attitudes. In particular, they present various modes of representation of spirits (in contemporary art, architecture, visual culture, cinema, literature, diffuse spirituality) while at the same time addressing their underlying intellectual and religious assumptions.

Review Quotes

Brings together research from many promising young researchers who take a fresh look at the role of religion (in this case focusing on "spirits") in modern and contemporary Japanese society.
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies (joint-reviewed with The Sea and the Sacred in Japan)

In recent years, debates about the use of the term 'animism' have resurfaced as the ontological turn has reinvigorated the concept. This timely and diverse collection of essays contributes to these conversations by interrogating how the concepts of animism and spirits have been deployed in modern and contemporary Japan.
Barbara R. Ambros, Professor of East Asian Religions, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

This thoughtful collection of essays explores ideas and representations about 'spirits' and discourses about animism in modern and contemporary Japan by offering original and thought-provoking contributions. Highly recommended.
Erica Baffelli, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies, University of Manchester, UK

About the Author

Fabio Rambelli is Professor of Japanese Religions and International Shinto Foundation Endowed Chair in Shinto Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA. He is series editor of Bloomsbury Shinto Studies, and his publications include The Sea and the Sacred in Japan (Bloomsbury, 2018) and A Buddhist Theory of Semiotics (2013).