The Miracles of the Kasuga Deity (RECORDS OF CIVILIZATION) - Hardcover

Tyler, Royall

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0231069588 ISBN 13: 9780231069588

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 1990

Synopsis

In this peerless study of the Kasuga Gongen genki, twenty fourteenth-century picture scrolls illuminating the sacred powers of the Kasuga Shrine on Mount Miyama, Royall Tyler collapses the distinction between high and low forms of medieval Japanese religious practice and argues for reading in the scrolls critical reflections of developments in Japanese history, society, culture, literature, and religion.

About this title

About the Author

Royall Tyler taught Japanese language and literature for many years at the Australian National University. He has a B.A. from Harvard University and a PhD from Columbia University and has taught at Harvard, Stanford and the University of Wisconsin. His translation of The Tale of Genji was acclaimed by publications such as The New York Times Book Review.

Review

A well-researched study that one hopes will spur further inquiry into the complex interplay of art, religion, and politics in the Heian and Kamakura periods. It is highly recommended to a broad readership. (Gary L. Ebersole The Journal of Asian Studies)

This is a remarkable book; it is the mark of a renewed interest in medieval studies by Japanologists and... it opens the way for a refreshing look at medieval cultural production. I highly recommend it not only to specialists of Japan, but to anyone interested in literature and religion. (Allan G. Grapard The Journal of Japanese Studies)

Tyler's informed discussion and skilled translation of the text lays the foundation for further research in literature and art on various aspects of this rich and colorful work. (Bruce Darling Monumenta Nipponica)

I welcome even those details that Tyler himself, in a moment of fatigue, refers to as 'tedious.' They are the fruits of good, honest work... Royall Tyler has given us an outstanding book, and none of it is superfluous. [A] valuable reference about a place and a mode of religious thought and behavior at the very heart of traditional Japanese culture. (Robert E. Morrell Japanese Journal of Religious Studies)

This is the best study we have about the very important matter of miracle stories treated not just as literature but as religious lessons. (George J. Tanabe, Jr. The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese)

The great strength of this book lies in Tyler's ability to weave excerpts from a vast array of literary and historical primary sources... This book will be of great and enduring interest to scholars and students of Japanese religious history. (Reading Religion)

About this edition

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0231069588
• ISBN 13: 9780231069588
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 314