* I would like to thank Hiromi Maeda and Suemoto Yõko for extensive assistance in the compilation of statistical information presented in this essay.
關鍵詞
gazetteers (chishi ); local religion; temples and shrines; economy and religion; Edo period
摘要
This study introduces late Edo-period gazetteers (chishi) as valuable sources on the institutional history of Japanese religions. Using two gazetteers of the Kantõ area, it explains how these sources may be used to calculate the number of temples, shrines, and other religious institutions to produce a statistical portrait of religious institutions and their relation to society. Using the gazetteers as a database, we can discover the distribution of Buddhist temples by sect, the head temple of each local temple, as well as information on each sect’s administration of shrines. One can learn how many shrines existed, the identity of their principal deities, and how many shrines of each type existed in a given area. Shrines can be sorted according to their administering agency, whether it be a temple, a village, a shrine priest, or a private individual. Shrines listed in the Engishiki of 927 can be identi³ed, as can shrines traditionally titled ichinomiya and ninomiya, and those regarded as tutelary shrines (chinjusha, ubusunagami). Temples and shrines holding shogunal land grants (shuinjõ) can be identi³ed. It is possible to compile a list of all area shrine priests and to determine how many of them held Yoshida or Shirakawa licenses. Since the gazetteers are arranged by village and state the population of each, it is possible to determine how many temples and shrines existed on average per village, and also how many households on average supported each temple and shrine. These features make it possible to derive an outline of religious institutions in relation to the population.
