Dissertationsprojekt von Josko Kozic, M.A.

Branding and Performance - the change of Shugendō practice and Mountain ascetics in contemporary Japan (Working title)

In recent years, religiously connoted phenomena and practices deriving from Japan such as Zen, mindfulness, or forest bathing are gaining popular interest, with many of them promising both physical and mental well-being for their practitioners. However, among these there is also an increasing interest in Shugendō, a syncretic religion based on mountain worship and ascetic exercises. Shugendō recently becomes remarkably popular through so-called "Yamabushi workshops" through which laypeople can experience rituals originally deriving from Shugendō. The scope of Shugendō's discourse and practice has expanded to a larger public, thereby attaching Shugendō to the popular belief in so-called "power spots".

In my dissertation, I aim to unveil the latest tides of this religious phenomenon in the discourse of material religion, while also putting a focus on how it lately becomes branded and mediatized through the internet. Shugendō has not only aroused public interest in the media in recent years, it has become a subject of increased academic discourse and research. Interestingly, various practicing groups across the country are expanding beyond their sanctuaries and gather in social networks, even creating new structures and international groups practicing outside of Japan.

In Japanese discourses it is sometimes referred to as a "primordial, original religion" of Japan, which supposedly has the potential to make the world more peaceful and safe, especially during times of crisis. To what extent, however, is Shugendō detached from its original values, rematerialized and staged in the course of its popularization? Would such circumstances indicate a possible decline in values, or does Shugendō, according to the claims of some scholars, represent an “embodiment of Japanese culture” that is worth spreading?

Josko Kozic moved to Japan five years ago after graduating in Japanese & Southeast Asian Studies from Goethe University in his hometown Frankfurt. For his field research, he frequently visits the Sanin and Kansai regions. Next to his PhD project, Josko's research interests are aspects of material religion in contemporary Hinduism and Buddhism, rural revitalization, and linguistics of Central, South and Southeast Asia. Currently, he is active in several research groups, publishing translations, articles, and media commentaries.

Since 2023, Josko engages as a a fellow at the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo: https://uni-heidelberg.academia.edu/joskokozic