Abstract
Indoor Graves at the High-Tech Temple Banshōji in Nagoya, Japan
Oda Nobunaga’s family founded Banshōji in 1540, during the Sengoku “Warring States” period in Nagoya, Japan. Oda Nobunaga was the first of three military leaders who all played leading roles in unifying Japan (the other two being Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu). For a long period of time, access to Banshōji was limited to members of Japan’s military and financial elites.
As head priest Daitō Gen’yū explains in this video, only around twenty extended family households were affiliated as parishioners of Banshōji before he took office. His tenure marked the construction of “eternal memorial graves” (eitai kuyōbo), an innovative grave model that flourished in response to societal changes in Japan’s rapidly shrinking and aging society.
This video introduces several of Banshōji’s indoor graves and shows how different graves represent different aesthetics, needs, and financial plans. Viewers will notice the importance placed on light and the material features involved in making religious beliefs and practices visible and tangible at Banshōji.
Oda Nobunaga’s family founded Banshōji in 1540, during the Sengoku “Warring States” period in Nagoya, Japan. Oda Nobunaga was the first of three military leaders who all played leading roles in unifying Japan (the other two being Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu). For a long period of time, access to Banshōji was limited to members of Japan’s military and financial elites.
As head priest Daitō Gen’yū explains in this video, only around twenty extended family households were affiliated as parishioners of Banshōji before he took office. His tenure marked the construction of “eternal memorial graves” (eitai kuyōbo), an innovative grave model that flourished in response to societal changes in Japan’s rapidly shrinking and aging society.
This video introduces several of Banshōji’s indoor graves and shows how different graves represent different aesthetics, needs, and financial plans. Viewers will notice the importance placed on light and the material features involved in making religious beliefs and practices visible and tangible at Banshōji.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 2021 |