It’s a (Gentle)Men’s World: Gendered Communities within Tenjin Matsuri

| Abstract |

This lecture is a brief overview of one of Japan’s three greatest festivals, Tenjin Matsuri, from the perspective of the first scholar/ non-Japanese national/ female who was allowed to attend all the annual events (from organizational meetings and formal shrine visits to budget reviews and drinking parties) of Otori Mikoshi Group. Tenjin Matsuri is supported by 24 active groups (kô), but the most significant ones are exclusively male: Gohoren Kô, Otori Mikoshi Kô, Taiko Naka Kô. Tenjin Kô is one of the six groups who make the major decisions related to the festival, they do have numerous female members, but those members, however, do not become kômoto (group leaders). This presentation will focus on the role each traditional gender plays in the management and performance of the festival, in an attempt to provide a better understanding of the social and sacred mechanisms at play, as well as the changes (if any) that have occurred in contemporary society. 

| Bio |

Carmen Sapunaru Tămaș is a professor and the coordinator of the Japanese language and culture program at the University of Hyogo. Her most recent publications include: “Ritual Practices and Daily Rituals. Glimpses into the World of Matsuri” (Pro Universitaria 2018), “Beliefs, Ritual Practices and Celebrations in Kansai” (Pro Universitaria 2019, 2022, 2023), “Forms of the Body in Contemporary Japanese Society, Literature, and Culture” (edited with Irina Holca, Lexington Books 2020), and “Epidemics and Ritual Practices in Japan” (edited with Kathryn M. Tanaka, Pro Universitaria 2022). 

| Date & Time |

u:japan lecture | s06e04
Thursday 2023-03-23, 18:30~20:00
max. 50 participants (on site) + max. 300 participants (online) 

| Place & Preparations | 

| Plattform & Link |

| Further Questions? |

Please contact ujapanlectures.ostasien@univie.ac.at or visit https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/ujapanlectures/s06/#e04.