CARTER SWIFT CALEB
Organization
Faculty of Humanities Department of Philosophy Associate Professor
School of Letters Department of Humanities（Joint Appointment）
Graduate School of Humanities Department of Philosophy（Joint Appointment）
Title
Associate Professor
Contact information
Profile
Carter specializes in Buddhist Studies and in the medieval and early modern religious history of Japan with a focus on the mountain tradition of Shugendō. More recently, he has begun investigating contemporary religious practices, such as evolving developments in Shugendō and the current phenomenon of ‘power spots.’ His research interests include issues of space and place, narrative and folklore, women and gender, and ecology. Carter received his PhD from UCLA (Buddhist Studies) and a Japan Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins before joining the Faculty of Humanities at Kyushu in 2018. He has published various articles on early modern and contemporary topics in Japanese religions and is the author of A Path into the Mountains: Shugendō and Mount Togakushi (University of Hawai’i, 2022).
Carter teaches introductory undergraduate courses in Buddhism and Japanese religions. His graduate seminars center on themes in Japanese religions such as vernacular figures, women and gender, space and place, folklore and festival, contemporary research methods, textual translation, and critical approaches to the field.
External link
Degree
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PhD
Research History
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2016–2018 Japan Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellow, Program in East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins University (JHU). 2014–2016 Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC), UCLA.
Research Interests・Research Keywords
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Research theme：Caleb Carter specializes in Japanese religions within the broader context of Buddhism and East Asian cultures. He is interested in issues related to space and place, narrative and folklore, women and gender, and ecology. His main research focuses on Shugendo, a mountain-based Buddhist tradition in Japan that developed out of medieval esoteric practices as well as Chinese religious influences and local spirit worship (later identified as Shinto). Carter's work centers on the processes by which Shugendo took shape historically through a matrix of social, economic, and intellectual influences grounded at the level of place. Carter recently published a book (A Path into the Mountains: Shugendō and Mount Togakushi, University of Hawai’i Press, 2022) that explores the historical formation of Mount Togakushi, a religious site located in Nagano Prefecture. His investigation is based primarily on textual evidence, with special focus on the role of narratives, from the late thirteenth through mid-nineteenth centuries. Another project Carter is conducting is on the recent popularity of ‘power spots’ in Japan. Through fieldwork and analysis of print materials, he is studying how this phenomenon has been interpreted, performed, and debated among the general public, local Shinto priests, and the National Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja Honchō).
Keyword：Buddhism, Shugendo, Japanese religions, space and place, narrative and folklore, women and gender, ecology
Research period： 2018.5
Papers
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“The Spread of Shinto and Shugendō in the Eighteenth Century: An Introduction to and Translation of the Shugen Ichijitsu Reisō Shintō mikki” Reviewed
37 151 - 176 2022.12
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“Whose Place Is It? Layers of Community and Meaning in the Land of Shinto and Power Spots.” In Oxford Handbook of Religious Space and Place, ed. Jeanne Kilde. Invited Reviewed
2022.5
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Instituting Bodies: From the Uncanny Yamabushi to the Professionalized Shugenja Invited
Caleb Carter
2021.12
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Adding Value (with Limits): Pilgrimage and Women’s Exclusion in Japan’s Sacred Mountains Invited Reviewed International journal
1 ( 3 ) 2020.6
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Imagining an Ancient Tradition: Eighteenth-Century Narratives of Shugendō at Mount Togakushi Invited Reviewed International journal
2020.5
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The Demonic Landscape: Oni Legends and the Making of Japan’s Early Modern Countryside Invited Reviewed International journal
31 ( 4 ) 467 - 486 2019.12
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Power Spots and the Charged Landscape of Shinto Reviewed International journal
Caleb Carter
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 45 ( 1 ) 147 - 175 2018.6
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乗因の作り変えた山王一実神道―戸隠山の位置をめぐって Invited Reviewed
カーター ケイレブ
季刊日本思想史 82 90 - 106 2017.6
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Constructing a Place, Fracturing a Geography: The Case of the Japanese Tendai Cleric Jōin Reviewed International journal
56 ( 3 ) 289 - 310 2017.3
Books
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A Path into the Mountains: Shugendo and Mount Togakushi
Caleb Swift Carter（ Role： Sole author）
2022.5
Presentations
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“Jikō no kaifuku, yama no kaifuku: Shugendō to tsu-rizumu no kōsaku” 自己の回復、山里の回復：修験道とツーリズムの交錯 Invited
2023.12
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Sacred Graffiti: When Ritual Practice Collides with Cultural Heritage International conference
Caleb Carter, #Raditya Nuradi
American Academy of Religion (AAR) 2023.11
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Numinous Ascents: Mountaineering, Nature, and Ethnospirituality in Modern Japan Invited International conference
Caleb Carter
The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies, Stanford University 2023.11
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Mountaineering, Nature and Spirituality in the Late Meiji and Taisho Eras International conference
Caleb Carter
European Association of Japanese Studies (EAJS) 2023.8
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Foul-ups, Faux pas, and Mishaps: A Roundtable on Ethnography in Japanese Religions International conference
Association for Asian Studies 2022.3
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Reconfigured Bodies: Transforming Uncanny Ascetics into Divine Proxies International conference
Caleb Carter
Association for Asian Studies 2022.3
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Interwoven Threads: Parallels in Early Modern Shugendō and Shintō International conference
2021.8
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遊行の修験道：中世後期の英彦山から戸隠山への伝授の事例 Invited
神仏融合研究会 2021.3
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Beyond and Betwixt: Situating the Demonic and Dragonesque in Japanese Religions International conference
Caleb Carter
American Academy of Religion 2020.12
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Instituting Bodies: From the Uncanny Yamabushi to the Professionalized Shugenja
Caleb Carter, Ellen Van Goethem
2021.10
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Locating Shugendō through Institution, Ritual, and Narrative: The Case of Mount Togakushi Invited
École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) 2020.10
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Placing Early Modern Shugendō: The Case of Mount Togakushi International conference
2019.6
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Demons in the Countryside: Observations on the Relationship between Story and Place International conference
Caleb Carter
Association for Asian Studies 2019.3
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日本山岳修験学会 2018.10
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Imagined Spaces and Encoded Places in the Historical Formation of Shugendō International conference
2015.11
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The Culture of Eastern Radiance: Examining the Impact of the Tōshōgū upon Japan's Early Modern Period International conference
2013.3
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Tracing the Formation of a Dragon Cult in Premodern Japan International conference
Caleb Carter
Association for Asian Studies 2015.3
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Gendered Topographies in Medieval Japan: Faultlines in the Standard Narrative International conference
Caleb Carter
American Academy of Religion 2017.11
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Inventing a History for a Young Tradition: Early Modern Shugendō at Mount Togakushi Invited International conference
2017.9
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Imagining Shugendō in the Eighteenth Century: The Writings and Activity of Jōin Invited International conference
Repositioning Shugendō: New Research Directions on Japanese Mountain Religions 2017.6
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Spirituality and the Contested Nature of Religion, Place, and Identity in Modern Japan International conference
Caleb Carter
Association for Asian Studies 2017.3
MISC
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Caleb Carter
Asian Ethnology 2023.11
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Janine Anderson Sawada. Faith in Mount Fuji: The Rise of Independent Religion in Early Modern Japan (University of Hawai’i Press, 2021).
2023.2
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Translation: “The Necessity of Gender Perspective in Folk Religious Studies: Focusing on Female Practitioners” from (Minzoku shūkyō kenkyū ni okeru jendā shiten no hitsuyōsei: Josei gyōja o chūshin ni 民俗宗教研究におけるジェンダー視点の必要性: 女性行者を中心に), by Kobayashi Naoko 小林奈央子.
小林奈央子, Caleb Carter (translator)
2022.4
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Documentary Film Review: The Buddha Mummies of North Japan, dirs. Shayne Dahl and Satoshi Watanabe (2017).
Caleb Carter
Religion and Society: Advances in Research 2021.12
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Book Review:『現代修験道の宗教社会学−山岳信仰の聖地「吉野・熊野」の観光化と文化資源化』, 天田顕徳 著者 (Tokyo: Iwata Shoin, 2019).
Journal of Religion in Japan 10:1, 89–95. 2020.11
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Book Review: Spirits and Animism in Contemporary Japan: The Invisible Empire, ed. Fabio Rambelli (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019)
Caleb Carter
2020.10
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Book Review: Assembling Shinto: Buddhist Approaches to Kami Worship in Medieval Japan, Anna Andreeva (Harvard University Asia Center, 2017).
Caleb Carter
H-Japan, H-Net Reviews 2019.4
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Book Review: Mountain Mandalas, Allan Grapard (Bloomsbury, 2016)
Caleb Carter
Monumenta Nipponica 2018.8
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Book Review: Women in Japanese Religions, Barbara Ambros (New York University Press, 2015)
Caleb Carter
Japan Review 2016.12
Professional Memberships
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Society for the Study of Japanese Religions
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American Academy of Religion
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Association for Asian Studies
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Japanese Association of Religious Studies
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日本山岳修験学界
Committee Memberships
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American Academy of Religion (Japanese Religions Unit) Steering committee member Foreign country
2023.2 - 2028.2
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Society for the Study of Japanese Religions Chairman Foreign country
2021.3 - 2024.3
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Society for the Study of Japanese Religions President Foreign country
2021.3 - 2024.3
Academic Activities
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Screening of academic papers
Role(s)： Peer review
2024
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Panel Organizer, Presenter International contribution
American Academy of Religion (AAR) （ San Antonio, TX UnitedStatesofAmerica ） 2023.11
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Screening of academic papers
Role(s)： Peer review
2023
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Roundtable organizer and chair International contribution
Association for Asian Studies （ Hawaii (virtual) UnitedStatesofAmerica ） 2022.3 - 2022.6
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Religious Studies in Japan International contribution
2021.3 - 2024.3
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Screening of academic papers
Role(s)： Peer review
2021
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Presenter
Asian Studies Conference Japan （ Saitama University Japan ） 2019.6
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Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University (JAH-Q) International contribution
2019.4 - 2022.3
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Panel Organizer, Chair, and Presenter International contribution
Narrative and Place in Early Modern Japan (Association for Asian Studies) （ Denver, CO UnitedStatesofAmerica ） 2019.3
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Discussant
Nanzan Seminar for the Study of Religion and Culture 2 （ Nanzan University, Nagoya Japan ） 2019.1
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Symposium Co-Organizer (with Prof. Yumi Kim) International contribution
Changing Figures in Japanese Vernacular Religions （ Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD UnitedStatesofAmerica ） 2017.4
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Panel Organizer and Chair International contribution
Spirituality and the Contested Nature of Religion, Place, and Identity in Modern Japan (Association of Asian Studies) （ Toronto Canada ） 2017.3
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Panel Organizer International contribution
Examining Japanese Mountain Asceticism through the Lens of Space and Place (American Academy of Religion) （ Atlanta, GA UnitedStatesofAmerica ） 2015.11
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Discussant International contribution
Mythology and Legitimation in Modern and Premodern Japanese Religions （ University of California, Los Angeles UnitedStatesofAmerica ） 2015.10
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Panel Organizer (with Prof. Satoshi Sonehara) International contribution
（ San Diego, CA UnitedStatesofAmerica ） 2013.3
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Symposium Co-Organizer International contribution
Mapping Japanese Space: Place and Geography in the Study of Japan （ University of California, Los Angeles UnitedStatesofAmerica ） 2008.10
Research Projects
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Numinous Topographies: Mountaineering, Nature, and Spirituality in Modern Japan
2024 - 2025
Authorship：Principal investigator Grant type：Contract research
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Mountains, Religion, and Spirituality: Modern Constructs and Ongoing Reconstructions International coauthorship
2022.4 - 2024.3
Authorship：Principal investigator
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Mountains, Religion, and Spirituality: Modern Constructs and Ongoing Reconstructions
2022 - 2024
Kyushu University Interdisciplinary Program of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Authorship：Principal investigator Grant type：On-campus funds, funds, etc.
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The Historical Formation of Shugendo Through the Study of Regional Sites
Grant number：18H05567 2018 - 2020
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Specially Promoted Research
Authorship：Principal investigator Grant type：Scientific research funding
Class subject
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Japanese Folklore: Methods & Monsters
2024.4 - 2024.9 First semester
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Modernity and the Margins of Religion
2023.10 - 2024.3 Second semester
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Research, Readings, and Methods
2023.4 - 2023.9 First semester
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Japan: Religious Traditions
2023.4 - 2023.6 Spring quarter
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International Humanities VIII
2022.10 - 2023.3 Second semester
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Upper-level Graduate Seminar: B.S. or J.R. Ⅰ
2022.10 - 2023.3 Second semester
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Topics in Religious Practices and Beliefs Ⅰ
2022.10 - 2023.3 Second semester
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Upper-level Graduate Seminar: B.S. or J.R. Ⅱ
2022.10 - 2023.3 Second semester
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Master’s Thesis Guidance
2022.4 - 2022.9 First semester
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Topics in Religious Practices and Beliefs Ⅱ
2022.4 - 2022.9 First semester
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Japanese Humanities Research in Situ
2022.4 - 2022.9 First semester
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PhD Research and Professional Development (Co-instructed with Anton Schweizer)
2021.4 - 2021.9 First semester
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Sources in Japanese Religions
2021.4 - 2021.9 First semester
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Japan: Religious Traditions (Critical Approaches)
2021.4 - 2021.9 First semester
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Master's Thesis Guidance (Co-instructed with Anton Schweizer)
2021.4 - 2021.9 First semester
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Research, Readings, and Methods (Co-instructed with Ellen Van Goethem)
2020.10 - 2021.3 Second semester
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Ideas and Practices in Japanese Religions (International Humanities VII: Introduction to Japanese Religions and Philosophy I)
2020.10 - 2021.3 Second semester
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Place in Japanese Religions
2020.10 - 2021.3 Second semester
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Introduction to Buddhism (International Humanities VII: Introduction to Japanese Religions and Philosophy I)
2020.4 - 2020.9 First semester
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Japan in the Field: Studies and Approaches
2020.4 - 2020.9 First semester
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Master's Thesis Guidance (Co-instructed with Anton Schweizer)
2019.10 - 2020.3 Second semester
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Japanese Folklore: Methods & Monsters
2019.10 - 2020.3 Second semester
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Japanese Humanities Research in Situ (Co-instructed with Ellen Van Goethem)
2019.4 - 2019.9 First semester
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Japan: Religious Traditions (A Survey)
2019.4 - 2019.9 First semester
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Translating Japanese Buddhist Texts
2019.4 - 2019.9 First semester
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Vernacular Figures in Japanese Religions
2018.10 - 2019.3 Second semester
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Research, Readings, and Methods (Co-instructed with Anton Schweizer)
2018.4 - 2019.3 Full year
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Women and Gender in East Asian Religions
2018.4 - 2018.9 First semester
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Introduction to Buddhism
2018.4 - 2018.9 First semester
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Japanese Folklore and Festival
2017.10 - 2018.3 Second semester
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Women and Gender in East Asian Religions
2017.4 - 2017.9 First semester
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Buddhism and the Environment
2016.12 - 2017.2 Winter quarter
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Japanese Civilization
2016.12 - 2017.2 Winter quarter
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Japanese Folklore and Festival
2016.10 - 2017.3 Second semester
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Japanese Civilization
2016.4 - 2016.6 Spring quarter
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Introduction to Buddhism
2016.4 - 2016.6 Spring quarter
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Japanese Civilization
2015.12 - 2016.2 Winter quarter
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Introduction to Buddhism
2015.12 - 2016.2 Winter quarter
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Women and Gender in Japanese Religions
2015.10 - 2015.12 Fall quarter
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Japanese Folklore and Festival
2015.10 - 2015.12 Fall quarter
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Japanese Civilization
2015.4 - 2015.6 Spring quarter
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Introduction to Buddhism
2015.4 - 2015.6 Spring quarter
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Sacred Space in Japanese Religions
2014.10 - 2014.12 Fall quarter
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Japanese Folklore and Festival
2014.10 - 2014.12 Fall quarter
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Introduction to Buddhism
2014.6 - 2014.8 Summer quarter
FD Participation
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2023.6 Role：Moderator Title：Navigating the Undergraduate Classroom: Strategies, Tips & Lessons from the Field (Roundtable)
Organizer：University-wide
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2018.5 Role：Speech Title：中世修験道の展開を再考して：戸隠山の事例
Organizer：[Undergraduate school/graduate school/graduate faculty]
Visiting, concurrent, or part-time lecturers at other universities, institutions, etc.
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2017 Johns Hopkins University Classification:Affiliate faculty Domestic/International Classification:Overseas
Semester, Day Time or Duration：August 2016 - March 15, 2018
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2014 University of California, Los Angeles Classification:Affiliate faculty Domestic/International Classification:Overseas
Semester, Day Time or Duration：June 2014 - July 2016
Media Coverage
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“Reimagining the Path: Buddhist Séances and Oracles on a Japanese Mountain.” May 22, 2023. tricycle.org/article/buddhist-ritual-mount-ontake Newspaper, magazine
2023.5
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a conversation on Shugendō TV or radio program
2022.10
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a discussion on A Path into the Mountains (book) TV or radio program
New Books Network podcast 2022.9
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Beyond Japan Podcast on the topic of ‘power spots’ in contemporary Japan TV or radio program
2021.9
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Interviewed: "Connecting the Past and Present of Shugendo – The Revival of Japan’s Ancient Mountain Ascetic Tradition, Part Two,” by Alena Eckelmann. Newspaper, magazine
2021.3