Hank Glassman

This was a very interesting look at the bodhisattva Jizo. But it also has more than that - it shows (through the example of medieval Japan) ways in which communities relate to statues (icons), and the way that disparate communities/classes can be brought together through the same.

Some of the most interesting material in the book pertained to the non-institutional religious landscape. For example, the Hachitataki ("gourd-beaters") who were known for processing through graveyards, banging gourds, carrying staves with antlers on top, while chanting the nenbutsu. (They were also responsible for spreading certain forms of the Jizo cult through song). Similarly interesting were the female religious specialists, often from a disadvantaged class, who were often involved in the forefront of Japanese religious movements. Both of these subjects are ones I will definitely follow up on in the future.

Unfortunately, (as Brendan noted before me), the book suffers from a lack of critical scaffolding, including conclusion, to really make a coherent set of points. As it is, the book is a collection of information brought together from disparate sources, and the work of critical integration is mostly left to the reader. Because of that, I might have to read through this one once more to pick up some details I might have missed.

Nonetheless, this book has so much to offer to anybody interested in Japanese religion, Buddhism, art history, or how communities can form around ideas and objects.… (meer)