JJRS > Volume 24 Issue 3-4 Liminal Journeys: Pilgrimages of Noblewomen in Mid-Heian Japan

Ambros, Barbara

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Even though Heian noblewomen had very sendentary lifestyles, they still engaged in frequent pilgrimages to temples near the capital. This paper examines the rituals that constituted their pilgrimages, or monomōdē, and their motivations to undertake these religious journeys. These women were of aristocratic background and therefore commanded considerable wealth—a factor that naturally shaped their pilgrimages, turning them not only into expressions of personal faith but also displays of power and status.