This paper analyzes the ritual of launching model junks to send away the spirits of the dead practiced by the Chinese in Nagasaki during the Tokugawa period (1600-1868). It shows that the ritual is an improvisation by the overseas Chinese with the aim of reconciling the conflicting demands of their culture on the one hand, and the reality of Nagasaki under "national seclusion" on the other. The ritual is an improvised practice in that it has no exact precedent in China, but integrates symbols and techniques drawn from a number of sources. It has the function of addressing the Chinese concerns for helping the dead as well as neutralizing their harmful influences under the restrictive circumstances of Nagasaki. The ritual launch is thus a useful case study that sheds light not only on Chinese funerary practices but also on the dynamics of cultural adaptation of overseas Chinese communities.
目次
Abstract 37 THE COMMUNITY 39 THE CHINESE MORTUARY SYSTEM 41 THE SETTING AND THE PERFORMANCE 43 THE SETTING 44 THE PERFORMANCE 45 INTERPRETATION 47 REPATRIATION 47 SALVATION 49 PURIFICATION 50 THE END OF A TRTUAL TRADITION 53 CONCLUSION 55 APPENDIX 56 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 57 NOTES 57 BIBLOGRAPHY 60
