Syllabus for Japanese Mythology Spring 2021

My contribution to the Immanent Frame project on “Pandemic, Religion, and Public Life.” It’s a story on disease, divine protection, and penance ritual. What can early Japanese Buddhism teach us about our present moment?

This is a story of the possibilities created by connection but also of the inherent fragility of movement within a network. It uses a case study of roads in ancient Japan (defined as late seventh through early ninth centuries) to show how networks not only amplify interaction but also isolation. This article explores the religious implications of…[Read more]