Domesticating Buddha: Making a Place for Japanese Buddhist Altars (Butsudan) in Western Homes

Abstract

This paper explores how white, Western followers of Japanese Buddhist schools (primarily Sōka Gakkai) practice Buddhism through acts of purchasing, decorating, and positioning altars (butsudan) in the space of their homes. Drawing on a pilot ethnographic study of altar practice, I detail the oft-overlooked dimension of becoming and being Buddhist that is material consumption. Western consumption of Buddhist popular culture is often critiqued as aesthetically driven and Orientalist. However, aesthetics, “Japanese-ness,” and ease of use are often not the only or primary concerns when crafting an altar. Rather, altar-making can be a continuous process involving significant deliberation, DIY, and compromise. By directing attention to the domestic religious sphere and the concrete artifacts via which Buddhism has crossed oceans, I show how making a place in the home for butsudan is tied up in the process of making Buddhism “at home.”     

铁路影响下的近代哈尔滨城商建设初探（1896-1931）

在近代哈尔滨城市建设中,铁路起到了举足轻重的作用。铁路的建设使哈尔滨迅速从边陲乡村发展成新兴近代城市。该文以铁路兴建到日占前（1896—1931）的哈尔滨为研究对象,分析铁路建设对哈尔滨城市分区、道路系统等影响,以理解这一时段哈尔滨城市建设与铁路的紧密关系。