Rituals and Sacrifice: Japanese Views of Nature and Animals

The book is "Ritual and Sacrifice: Japanese Views of Nature and Animals" (2022) by Nakamura Ikuo.

Sacrifice in Japan is a "culture of eating." In contrast to Western sacrifices, in which animals are "offered to the gods," this classic book discusses the culture of Japanese memorial services and sheds new light on the relationship between the prohibition of killing and eating meat and religion. It has now been published in paperback.

This book compares Japanese people's views on nature and animals with those of China, the source of their ideas, and with those of the Christian West. As with the chapter on Kunio Yanagita, the book is difficult to understand if you don't have a certain level of knowledge or interest in folklore and religion, but it carefully unravels and deepens the Japanese character. (Ammel)