Recent Trends in the Geography of Religion in Japan

Abstract

Geography of religion aims to clarify the relationships between the environment and religious phenomena. I discuss some characteristics of four major fields of this research which are (1) the relationships between the natural environment and religion, (2) how religion influences social structures, organizations, and landscapes in local areas, (3) pilgrimage forms another major field of research in the geography of religion, and (4) the structure of space which is created by the sacred, through examining the distribution and propagation of religion. Since the 1990s, the geographers of religion in Japan mainly analyze and interpret the distribution or diffusion of religious phenomena including religious experience or practice, spatial structure of religion, and religious landscape. Lastly, three directions of future studies are suggested. First, the geography of religion should contribute more to the elucidation of the religion. Second, achievements of this study field are requested to correspond to the religious situations of contemporary Japan. Third, studies taking the religious characteristics of Japan into consideration are needed.