Japan’s Shifting Position on Maps of the World in the Late Edo Period

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Radu Leca  Sainbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow, Post-Doc Japan’s Shifting Position on Maps of the World in the Late Edo Period After the fall of the Ming dynasty, the validity of the Sinocentric ‘Middle Kingdom’ world view formed an enduring point of contention among intellectuals in Japan. In the late Edo period, the proliferation of ‘Dutch studies’ together with recent contact with foreign ships brought about a renewed awareness of a ‘home territory’ in a wider international context. This led to a variety of cartographic responses, which arguably reflected an anxiety with the role of Japan in the world. On the one hand, geographically accurate world maps were published by the polymath Shiba Kokan and the... DOWNLOAD BOOKMARK     Jesse LeFebvre  Harvard University, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Graduate Student The Rise of Wedding Churches— The " Nonreligious " Transformation of Japanese Christianity The postwar history of Christian wedding ceremonies can be characterized by a massive transformation of Christianity as both traditional Christian churches and the bridal industry seek to meet the religious needs and demands of “nonreligious” individuals. These changes have significantly influenced both the Protestant and Catholic Churches in Japan and given rise to a bridal industry which competes and cooperates openly with religious institutions to provide an authentic religious experience. The demand for Christian weddings has created new religious organizations and, in addition to... DOWNLOAD BOOKMARK