Domesticating Buddha: Making a Place for Japanese Buddhist Altars (Butsudan) in Western Homes
This paper explores how white, Western followers of Japanese Buddhist schools (primarily Soka Gakkai) practice Buddhism through acts of purchasing, decorating, and positioning altars (butsudan) in the space of their homes. Drawing on a pilot ethnographic study of altar practice, I detail the oft-ove...
| Published in: | Material religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2019]
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| In: |
Material religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Western world
/ Japan
/ Folk culture
/ Buddhism
/ House altar
/ Devotional article
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| Further subjects: | B
Buddhism
B Soka Gakkai B Material Religion B Japan B butsudan B Altars |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This paper explores how white, Western followers of Japanese Buddhist schools (primarily Soka Gakkai) practice Buddhism through acts of purchasing, decorating, and positioning altars (butsudan) in the space of their homes. Drawing on a pilot ethnographic study of altar practice, I detail the oft-overlooked dimension of becoming and being Buddhist that is material consumption. Western consumption of Buddhist popular culture is often critiqued as aesthetically driven and Orientalist. However, aesthetics, "Japanese-ness," and ease of use are often not the only or primary concerns when crafting an altar. Rather, altar-making can be a continuous process involving significant deliberation, DIY, and compromise. By directing attention to the domestic religious sphere and the concrete artifacts via which Buddhism has crossed oceans, I show how making a place in the home for butsudan is tied up in the process of making Buddhism "at home." |
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| ISSN: | 1751-8342 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Material religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/17432200.2019.1632107 |