Events International Symposium: “Reconsidering shinbutsu shūgō in English and Japanese: How to Translate into English”

The recent publication of “Shinbutsu yūgō [the combinatory fusion of gods and buddhas] in the History of East Asia” (2021, edited by Yoshida Kazuhiko) presented various examples of religious amalgamation (shinbutsu shūgō) throughout East Asia. The editor and authors suggested substituting the term yūgō for shūgō. This was considered an appropriate substitution for cultures that use Chinese characters, since shūgō was not a common term in many of these cultures. The question remained: how is the term shinbutsu shūgō translated and discussed in the English-speaking context? This symposium will be conducted in Japanese and English to discuss the term/concept shinbutsu shūgō and thus attempt to contribute to advancing research in this area.

Date: 30 June (Sunday), from 13:00 pm Japan time

Schedule (Chair: Hayashi Makoto and Paul Swanson)

13:00    Opening summary 

13:10    Yoshida Kazuhiko, “Shūgō or yūgō of kami and buddhas: Presuppositions for English translation”

13:35   Fabio Rambelli, “The amalgamation of Kami and Buddhas: What we can learn from the Greek and Roman classical civilizations”

14:00   Jacqueline Stone, “Kami-Buddha amalgamations as hermeneutics: Kami, original enlightenment, and medieval understandings of Japan”

14:25   Mark Teeuwen, “Amalgamation of buddhas and deities seen from the perspective of Oku Mikawa's hanadayū priests”

14:50    Break (15 minutes)

15:05    Comments, Matthew McMullen and Ishihara Yamato

15:35    Open Discussion

16:30    Estimated Closing

Those interested in participating in this symposium should register by 28 June by clicking here. You should receive an email confirming your participation and the URL for the Zoom meeting.

For further information or questions please contact us at: shinbutsushugo.saiko@gmail.com