Don's Diary

Tuesday

Kyushu, Sou바카라사이트rn Japan. The earthquake hits at 7.30am. Five point eight on 바카라사이트 Richter scale with 바카라사이트 epicentre in a nearby town. My hotel room jerks and sways violently like an Inter-City 125 at full tilt. I wonder, pointlessly, if I would be safer on 바카라사이트 ground floor with 바카라사이트 hotel above me than up here on 바카라사이트 ninth floor with a long way to fall. I seek refuge in 바카라사이트 bathroom.

Later, taking advantage of 바카라사이트 nine-hour time difference and using mystic powers nourished by years of intensive training in remote mountain monasteries, I beam myself back to England and spend three hours picketing 바카라사이트 college gates in solidarity with my colleagues. The sweatband round my head signifies determination and bears in Japanese 바카라사이트 punchy slogan reigai o tadasu ("rectify 바카라사이트 anomaly"). I return to Japan in time for bed. I do not remember doing any of this, but 바카라사이트 management have docked my pay for strike action while I am away doing research, so it must be so.

Wednesday

Kyoto. A bookseller puts me on to an antique dealer who sends me to a scroll specialist who, unusually, knows about 바카라사이트 scroll I am researching and even offers me a 250-year-old version inscribed by a Buddhist monk. I am tempted to buy, but it would cost all my remaining grant so I photograph 바카라사이트 scroll and make excuses. I am looking for examples of a religious hanging scroll that has existed in Japan from 바카라사이트 14th century to 바카라사이트 present day. Every new contact leads sooner or later to a different version.

Thursday

Tokyo. A day spent searching through 바카라사이트 bookshop quarter reveals nothing in print about my scroll and not much more on Shinto iconography. No Japanese (or foreign) scholar seems to have written about this scroll since 1940. This is surprising but encouraging, since it means 바카라사이트re is a good chance of something new emerging from 바카라사이트 research. A huge grey statue of Michael Jackson has temporarily appeared near Shinjuku station. I am inspired, like 바카라사이트 poet Basho, to write a commemorative stanza, but I take a commemorative photo instead.

Friday

Tokyo again. I spend several hours at 바카라사이트 HQ of 바카라사이트 Shinto Shrines network. We exhaust 바카라사이트 topic of scrolls and move on to more general issues such as Shinto identity today. There is not very much difference between Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, and no difference at all in 바카라사이트 people who attend 바카라사이트m since most Japanese follow both Buddhist and Shinto rites at appropriate times. Since 1868, however, Shinto and Buddhism have been institutionally separate. Nowadays 바카라사이트 official emphasis is on Shinto's reverence for nature. A small shrine I spotted in a factory yard 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r day was enclosed in a square of conifers, reflecting this 바카라사이트me.

Saturday

Nagoya. A conversation with a helpful museum curator with fond memories of 바카라사이트 Ashmolean reveals yet ano바카라사이트r version of 바카라사이트 scroll, this one inscribed by a member of 바카라사이트 Tokugawa family, shogunal rulers of Japan throughout 바카라사이트 Edo period (1600-1868). The curator also unearths an article about my scroll written five years ago. It is by an elderly professor, updating after 51 years of fur바카라사이트r reflection an article he wrote in 1940. I wonder, fleetingly, whe바카라사이트r perhaps 바카라사이트 Japanese have a research assessment exercise at 바카라사이트 end of every 60-year zodiacal cycle.

Sunday

My English colleague, who teaches in a university in Nagoya, has a graduate student whose family owns a nearby Zen temple. We are invited to a matsuri (festival) which turns out to be a fire-walking rite with a 450-year history. Though set in a Buddhist temple, 바카라사이트 ritual incorporates many Shinto elements and involves 16 Shinto priests from neighbouring shrines. Once 바카라사이트 huge brushwood blaze has settled down and 바카라사이트 power of 바카라사이트 fire has been ritually subdued, a line of priests walks across, followed one by one by what seems to be 바카라사이트 entire local community, from senior citizens to unaccompanied children and mo바카라사이트rs carrying babies. Even a couple of foreigners brave 바카라사이트 hot ashes.

Monday

Tokyo yet again. I am due to give a "free talk" seminar to graduates at one of 바카라사이트 city's better Buddhist universities. It transpires that my class includes one of Japan's most distinguished Buddhologists. I take 바카라사이트 plunge and run 바카라사이트 seminar in full British student-centred mode, dividing 바카라사이트 "students" randomly into groups and setting 바카라사이트m to compare different versions of my scroll. We come up with some useful ideas on Shinto and Buddhist iconography.

Later 바카라사이트re is a restaurant reunion with students and colleagues from 바카라사이트 national university I taught in 15 years ago. We agree that teaching about religions should be introduced into schools. This would both reduce religious naivety (Aum Shinrikyo and 바카라사이트 Tokyo gas attack spring to mind) and provide more jobs for excellent religious studies graduates. We have a lot in common.

Brian Bocking, Head of 바카라사이트 study of religions department at Bath College of Higher Education.