MOURNING THE UNBORN DEAD: A Buddhist Ritual Come To America

light grey hardcover 8vo. (octavo). dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. very fine cond. mint cond. looks new. like new. as new. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of markings. dustwrapper in very fine cond. as new. not worn or torn or price clipped. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking, underlining, remainder markings etc~. first edition. first printing (#1 in # line). 260p. b&w photo illustrations. appendix. notes. references. index. religion. buddhism. social science. history of japan. ~ Many Western visitors to Japan have been struck by the ceremonies for aborted fetuses, which are characterized by throngs of images of the bodhisattva jizo, usually dressed in red bibs or other baby garments, and each dedicated to an individual fetus. Abortion is common and accepted in Japan, and as a consequence, one of the frequently performed rituals in Japanese Buddhism is mizuko kuyo, a ceremony for aborted and miscarried fetuses. Over the past forty years, mizuko kuyo has gradually come to America, where it has been appropriated by non~Buddhists as well as Buddhist practitioners. In this book, Jeff Wilson examines how and why Americans of different backgrounds have brought knowledge and performance of this Japanese ceremony to the United States. Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork in Japan and the United States, as well as the literature in both Japanese and English, Wilson shows that the meaning and purpose of the ritual have changed greatly in the American context. In Japan, mizuko kuyo is performed to placate the potentially dangerous spirit of the angry fetus. In America, however, it has come to be seen as a way for the mother to mourn and experience solace for her loss. Many American women who learn about mizuko kuyo are struck by the lack of such a ceremony in their own culture and see it as satisfying a crucial need. Ceremonies are now performed even for losses that took place many years ago. At the same time, culture warriors on both sides of the abortion divide have appropriated mizuko kuyo as ammunition in their ongoing battles. Wilson's study not only contributes to the growing literature on American Buddhism, but sheds light on a range of significant issues in Buddhist studies, interreligious contact, womens studies, and even bioethics. This book provides indispensable insight into a unique and little~known, but growing, movement in American culture.…