From Situated Selves to the Self

Hisako Omori

Description

In many parts of the world, the Roman Catholic Church in the twenty-first century finds itself mired in scandal, and its future prospects appear fairly dim in the eyes of many social critics. In From Situated Selves to the Self, however, Hisako Omori finds a radically different situation, with jubilant Roman Catholics in an unexpected place: Tokyo, Japan. Based on twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork, the author provides a culturally sensitive account of the transformative processes associated with becoming Catholic in Tokyo. Her ethnographically rich narrative reveals the ways in which Christianity as a cultural force can effect changes in one's personhood by juxtaposing two models of the self—one based on conventional Japanese social ideals and the other on Roman Catholic teachings. Omori takes readers to a living room ("ochanoma") in a parish, a Catholic bar in a nightclub area, Catholic charismatic meetings, and busy intersections in Tokyo. In so doing, she traces subtle yet emerging changes in women's agentive power that accompany the processes of deepening faith. From Situated Selves to the Self gives us a rare glimpse into Christianity as a cultural force in an East Asian context where Confucianism has historically been the dominant ethical framework.
List of Illustrations
A Note on Transliteration and Translation
Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Setting the Stage

2. Propriety, Virtues, and Social Obligations

3. Breaking the Barrel and Becoming Catholic

4. Housewives, Nippon Danji, and the Church

5. Private Faith and the Legacy of Persecution

Conclusion and Implications

Notes
Works Cited
Index

Sujets

• Japan
• History of Asia
• Catholic Church

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 mai 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438478166
• Langue: English

Extrait

From Situated Selves to the Self
From Situated Selves to the Self
Conversion and Personhood among Roman Catholics in Tokyo
Hisako Omori
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2020 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Omori, Hisako, author.
Title: From situated selves to the self : conversion and personhood among Roman Catholics in Tokyo / Hisako Omori.
Description: Albany : State University of New York Press, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019028199 | ISBN 9781438478159 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438478166 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Catholics—Japan—Tokyo. | Catholic Church—Japan.
Classification: LCC BX1670.T65 O46 2020 | DDC 282/.5209051—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019028199
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To My Mother
Contents
List of Illustrations
A Note on Transliteration and Translation
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Setting the Stage
Chapter 2 Propriety, Virtues, and Social Obligations
Chapter 3 Breaking the Barrel and Becoming Catholic
Chapter 4 Housewives, Nippon Danji , and the Church
Chapter 5 Private Faith and the Legacy of Persecution
Conclusion and Implications
Notes
Works Cited
Index
Illustrations
Figure 1.1 Map of Sixteen Dioceses in Japan .
Figure 1.2 Items for Sale at the Angel’s Forest Shop .
Figure 3.1 Business Card Reception Box at Cemetery .
Figure 3.2 Business Card Reception Box at Cemetery .
Figure 3.3 “Paper Oracles.”
Figure 3.4 “Paper Oracles.”
A Note on Transliteration and Translation
When I refer to Japanese terms, I use the conventional transliteration form called the Hepburn romanization system. Transliterated words are italicized.
In transliterating Japanese words, I use a diacritic mark to indicate a long vowel. I omit a macron when the word is already used commonly without a mark. For example, Tokyo and Osaka are spelled as such, instead of Tōkyō and Ōsaka.
All the English translations found in the text are my own unless otherwise indicated. Reference to Japanese names follows the Japanese convention of placing the family name first, unless the author’s published name follows a different format.
For Japanese individuals who appear in this ethnography, I use their family names followed by an honorific –san at the end. I use the first name followed by –san for only one person. This choice was based on which name was used by others in the specific ethnographic context.
Acknowledgments
This book had a long gestation period, and I must first and foremost thank Ellen Badone, who shepherded it through all the stages of its production: the conception of the first research question, ethnographic fieldwork, writing, and publishing of this ethnography. Ellen accompanied me on my intellectual journey, initially as my advisor at McMaster University and later as a mentor and friend, always giving freely of her time to discuss ideas and showing her unwavering support. Without her guidance and encouragement, this book would never have come into existence.
Over the course of its production, many people have read various drafts of this manuscript in its entirety or parts of it and offered advice, criticism, and suggestions to improve the text. I thank James A. Benn, Mark Rowe, John W. Traphagan, and Laurel Kendall for sharing their insights. I also thank Aubrey Cannon for introducing me to historical thinking and Eileen Schuller for awakening me to the perspectives of the Roman Catholic Church. I should state, however, that responsibilities for any errors or omissions remain strictly mine. Some passages of this book appeared in altered form in “Private Faith: Social Memory, Gender and the Roman Catholic Church in Contemporary Tokyo,” Culture and Religion ( https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcar20/current ). These passages are reproduced by permission of Taylor and Francis Group.
During my ethnographic research in Tokyo, I was affiliated with the Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture. I thank Mark R. Mullins and David H. Slater for welcoming me into vibrant intellectual communities at Sophia University. Back in Canada, Joseph H. Kary helped me to sharpen my writing at various points in the preparation of the manuscript. At Akita International University, Patrick N. Shorb constantly showed his support and reminded me that I should take the necessary time to complete this book, and Ken Ogasawara provided me with technical support to prepare figures. I am also indebted to my anonymous reviewers. They challenged me to reframe my argument in a significant way, and I am genuinely grateful for their insight into my work. Exchanges with reviewers enriched my thinking, and I hope the book reflects the results of this process. My thanks are also due to my editor, Christopher Ahn, of SUNY Press, who was always calm and lighthearted in providing support and guidance during the production of this book.
Several organizations financially supported various aspects of this research. The fieldwork on which the book is based was generously funded by the Japan Foundation. My studies at McMaster University and trips to various conferences were supported by Ontario Graduate Scholarships, the Department of Religious Studies, the Mary Margaret Scammell Scholarship, and the Toshiba International Foundation. I thank all of these organizations, which enabled me to complete this project.
Without the hospitality and friendship of Roman Catholics in Japan, this work could have never come into fruition. I am deeply indebted to the Roman Catholic communities in Tokyo, Nagasaki, Yokohama, and beyond. Not only did people from these communities generously share their stories of faith, but they were also willing to discuss what makes Roman Catholicism so valuable in the context of Japanese society. I can only hope that I have done justice to their stories.
I am also grateful to my friends and family. I especially thank Joyce Y. Mitamura, Lev Jaeger, Lily Vuong, Yukihisa and Sumiko Nogami, Ewan Whyte, and Maria Eusebia da Silva for providing me with a home away from home and always keeping my spirits up during writing. More recently, I am indebted to my husband, Omori Toshinori, who has constantly supported me both through cooking and humor so that I may finish the final stretch of this long marathon. I also thank the members of my family, Tanaka Hiroko, Furuya Mikiko, Matsuura Yumi, and Tanaka Shigeki, who allowed me to remain in Canada during the course of my studies. In Canada, I was able to put my relational self in secondary place in order to pursue my individual intellectual questions. Finally, I would like to thank my parents—especially my mother. Born in a different era, my mother was unable to continue her studies. As a member of her natal household, her sense of self was deeply rooted in her family role, which did not allow her to pursue education beyond junior college. Instead of pursuing her own dreams, my mother devoted her life to the family business and the education of her children. It is my mother to whom I dedicate this work.
Introduction
It was my first day in the “Introduction to Catholicism” class on Thursdays at Our Lady of the Assumption Church 1 in central Tokyo. I carefully approached a vacant seat that was located near the back of the room so that I could see the entire room. The class was to begin at 10:30 a.m., and there were about forty or so women and a few men present. Surprisingly, the room was full of older people. I was hoping that I was dressed nicely enough to blend in with the people here, who I anticipated were from the affluent strata of Japanese society. Before taking up an empty seat, I asked a woman next to me whether it was okay to sit there. She appeared to be in her sixties or early seventies, wearing her permed hair short. Like so many people in Japan, her hair was dyed, making it darker than it would be naturally. She pleasantly told me that the seat was empty, and when I sat down next to her, she asked whether this was my first day of class. Upon hearing that I was there to conduct ethnographic research on the Japanese Catholic community, she was intrigued and whispered to her neighbor: “Did you hear? She came all the way from Canada to study Catholicism in Japan!” Without being prompted, my neighbor went on to share her story with me.
“Once I started praying, you know, so many wondrous things [ fushigi na koto ] happened around me! They are such trifling things that nobody would care, but I know those things are happening not randomly but as a response to my prayer. This is something I cannot explain with words. You cannot see it, but there exists something that we cannot see with our eyes. They are like, you know, magic! One thing after another, things would happen! I can’t explain how fun it is!”
As if she were a sixteen-year-old, she could hardly contain her excitement. After saying all this, with an expression of slight embarrassment