THE SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF FOLK RELIDGION AND ETHICS

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In this research and report I outline the sociological research of folk-religion and ethics I have undertaken which has been supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology from spring 2000 until the late spring 2002. I have initially written two new papers for this research project concerned with Japanese religion and ethos. To these I added other research-papers which had been written over the last five years compiling them together to make a book of essays. The subjects include Christian social ethics, the ethics and cultures of Singapore as well as the society and church of Grand Rapids USA.Each paper was written separately and in all ten papers were collected together and edited so that the book itself is the major example of my work, The Sociology of Folk Religion and Ethics, Institute of Industrial and Economic Research, Hannan University, March 2002, over these two years.In the Introduction I wrote for this work, I listed the titles of the differ … More ent experimental research projects I have carried out over these two years, as well as the titles of lectures I delivered about the religious structure and characteristics of Japan. with special attention to the profile for Amagasaki city. Sanda city and Kumamoto city, as well as the guest lecture I delivered at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies.Last summer I participated in an International Conference on Japanese and Korean Religion, held near to Seoul with my colleague who conducts research in the sociology of religion, I was able to participate in a session on how religious differences are related to national characteristics. I thereby had an opportunity to widen my stock of knowledge about religious sentiment in Korea. After the conference, I visited the Yoido Pure Gospel Chapel and the Diet Building as well as Seoul National University, In the book's Introduction I also reported upon some conferences relevant for religious study, for example, the International Conference on Asian Religion under the sponsorship of Kwansei Gakuin University.The Introduction also listed the titles and summarized and explained the content in simple terms. I described, in general terms, the results of some of my research, for example, the research of ltt***en community, and the religious research concerned with the folk religion in the Ikoma mountain region on the border of Osaka and Nara and surrounding districts. In this area we see lots of temples and shrines where many of the common folk pay visits. I estimate that the number of pilgrims to the area numbers more than ten million per year. And I also included some book reviews and a newspaper article which I have written for The Japan Times as well as a short essay published by Reformed Youth Arena.One of my new paper is "Investigating the Framework of Thinking about Religion : Religious Ethos. Norm, and Tacit Understanding". In this paper I deal with the influence of Social Ethos that is in terms of how it plays a patt in decision making about social change. Ethos is a framework for life in this world, and involves the norms we are obliged to obey in various social situationS. Often social behavior is developed with a tacit understanding of social ethos.Another new paper, written recently in the last two years is "Investigating Sacred Places and their Characteristics : the Transformation of Religious Dynamics in Ikoma Mountain Region", This essay is based on one originally delivered as a guest lecture at the Joint Research Group on "The Figures and Places of the Saored" in the International Research Center for Japanese Studies. This essay could not be included because it had already been included in a book, edited by Dr. ＆ Prof, Motohiro YORITOMI, director of research, soon to be published from H z kan Publishing Company in Kyoto. Less