japanese religions in film

[Christian Morimoto Hermansen]

Re: Japanese Religion in Film

As one who works with Japanese religions and likes films, I really 
appreciate the subject here. Aaron wrote,

>If that is the case, which films can we cite that truly embody Japanese
religiosity? What about those films distinguishes them from those that
use religion merely as narrative fodder? (And just why do so many films
seem to use religion as narrative material even if the filmmakers and
audience might not necessarily believe in that religion?)

What is “Japanese religiosity”? Among anthropologists, part of the answer to 
that question would point to the religious practices of Japanese such as 
those that aim at ensuring “this-worldly-benefits,” or those dealing with 
death and ancestor memorial (or worship). As for the latter, Itami Juzo’s 
“The Funeral” has already been mentioned, and I would add the comedies 
“Katte ni shinasete” by Mizutani Toshiyuki (1995) and “Ohaka ga nai” by Hara 
Takahito (1998). Both of them deal with the reality of traditions vs. 
non-faith/ lack of religiosity. Shindo Kaneto’s fantastic “Hadaka no shima” 
has a moving sequence on a funeral – portrayed with sympathy but observant 
as an anthropologist might do.  Is it the same attitude one finds in 
Koreeda’s “Distance”? It was screened at the International Association on 
History of Religion’s congress in Tokyo last month, and it certainly 
describes an existential situation that some seeks a solution to in 
religions. As such I think it qualifies as a film that “truly embody 
Japanese religiosity.”
	A different aspect of religion and film that has not come up yet is 
religions’ use of film. I have next to no experience with this subject 
myself so I am very interested in reading what others might have found out. 
I have heard that Oomoto kyou used movies for proselytizing at least from 
the 1930s, and in recent years Koufuku no kagaku (Science of Happiness) 
often advertises anime based on Ogawa’s books in its monthly magazine, 
claiming them to be blockbusters.

Christian M. Hermansen
===000===
Associate Professor
Kwansei Gakuin University
662-8501
Hyogo-ken, Nishinomiya-shi
Uegahara 1-1-155