EA 116 Japanese Ghosts Week 3 Online Lecture 2
I. Introductory points
A. Two forms of possession (mononoke)
1. POSSESSION ILLNESS
a. mental illness
eg. of fox possession (hand gestures, growls, wanting to eat rice balls etc.)
b. physical illness
1) non-contagious
a) symptoms:
b) who is responsible?
c) multiple spirits may be attacking
2) contagious/epidemic
a) who is responsible?
c. By 1000 C.E. what has happened?
2. HYSTERICAL POSSESSION (channeling)
a. No illness for medium
b. Symptoms:
b. Who is used most often?
B. Basic ritual form [Blacker pp. 298-301, Pillow Book excerpt, Murasaki Shikibu Diary excerpt]
1.Who performs the ceremony?
2. Who becomes possessed?
a. Division of labor
3. What means does the priest use to get the spirit to move to the medium?
a. What is the initial goal?
b. What is most important for success?
4. What is the final goal?
II. Historical descriptions of Angry Ghosts and Exorcism Rituals
A. Historical accounts mainly about:
B. Historical (#1): Sei Shonagon (Lady-in-Waiting to Empress Teishi/Sadako 977-1001), exerpt from Pillow Book (see also Catalpa Bow, p. 299)
1.Who officiates?
2. Who is the medium?
3. What evidence is there she is in a trance?
4. What does the priest use to draw down the spirit?
5. How does he exorcise it?
(image)
C . Historical (#2): labor and childbirth of Empress Shôshi/Akiko (988-1074) as described in Murasaki Shikibu's diary (see also Catalpa Bow p. 299)
1. Why does the term mononoke appear so often in relation to childbirth?
a.
b.
2. Fujiwara clan changes methods of political control
a. comparision to earlier Fujiwara (like Tokihira)
b. Empress Shôshi's father: Fujiwara no Michinaga (scroll down to see children)
3. Fujiwara marriage politics
a. Marry your daughter to the emperor.
b. They have a son.
c. Get the Emperor to abdicate and you become regent for the child emperor.
d. Marry the child emperor off when he's 12-14 to another one of your daughters or the daughter of a brother (since you can have numerous wives, you can keep having young marriageable daughters)
e. Repeat the process.
f. Drawback??
4. In this context, why would there be so much anxiety about childbirth? What are you going to be most worried about?
a.
b.
c.
D. Historical (#3) Tale of Flowering Fortune (Eiga Monogatari) a historical account of the Fujiwara family's rise to power, especially Fujiwara no Michinaga
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