• Preface Barbara Ruch List of Figures and Tables List of Contributors
• Introduction Karen M. Gerhart
• Part 1 Rituals Related to the Household and Childbirth
• 1 Women and "Moving-House" Rituals in Mid-Heian Japan Karen M. Gerhart
• 2 Devising Esoteric Rituals for Women: Fertility and the Demon Mother in the Gushi nintai sansho himitsu hoshu Anna Andreeva
• 3 Taira no Tokushi's Birth of Emperor Antoku Naoko Gunji
• Part 2 Women and Buddhist Rituals and Icons
• 4 A Female Deity as the Focus of a Buddhist Ritual: Kichijo Keka at Horyuji Chari Pradel
• 5 The Relic and the Jewel: An Eleventh-Century Miniature Bronze Pagoda to Hold the Bones of a Young Queen Hank Glassman
• 6 Connecting Kannon to Women Through Print Sherry Fowler
• Part 3 Buddhist Women and Death Memorials
• 7 Commemorating Life and Death: The Memorial Culture Surrounding the Rinzai Zen Nun Mugai Nyodai Patricia Fister
• 8 Of Surplices and Certificates: Tracing Mugai Nyodai's Kesa Monica Bethe
• Part 4 Female Patronage, Portraits, and Rituals
• 9 Retired Empress and Buddhist Patron: Higashisanjo-in Donates a Set of Icon Curtains in the Illustrated Legends of Ishiyamadera Handscroll Elizabeth Morrissey
• 10 Life After Death: The Intersection of Patron and Subject in the Portrait of Joko-in Elizabeth Self
• Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects in Premodern Japan, edited by Karen M. Gerhart, is a multidisciplinary examination of rituals featuring women, in which significant attention is paid to objects produced for and utilized in these rites as a lens through which larger cultural concerns, such as gender politics, the female body, and the materiality of the ritual objects, are explored. The ten chapters encounter women, rites, and ritual objects in many new and interactive ways and constitute a pioneering attempt to combine ritual and gendered analysis with the study of objects. Contributors include: Anna Andreeva, Monica Bethe, Patricia Fister, Sherry Fowler, Karen M. Gerhart, Hank Glassman, Naoko Gunji, Elizabeth Morrissey, Chari Pradel, Barbara Ruch, Elizabeth Self.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

Although most historical and contemporary religions are governed by men, there are, scattered throughout the world, a handful of well-documented religions led by women. Most of these are marginal, subordinate, or secondary religions in the societies in which they are located. The one known exception to this rule is the indigenous religion of Okinawa, where women lead the official mainstream religion of the society. In this fieldwork-based study, Susan Sered provides the first in-depth look at this unique religious tradition, exploring the intersection between religion and gender. In addition to providing important information on this remarkable and little-studied group, this book helps to overturn our mostly unexamined assumptions that male dominance of the religious sphere is universal, axiomatic, and necessary.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

Although most historical and contemporary religions are governed by men, there are, scattered throughout the world, a handful of well-documented religions led by women. Most of these are marginal, subordinate, or secondary religions in the societies in which they are located. The one known exception to this rule is the indigenous religion of Okinawa, where women lead the official mainstream religion of the society. In this fieldwork-based study, Susan Sered provides the first in-depth look at this unique religious tradition, exploring the intersection between religion and gender. In addition to providing important information on this remarkable and little-studied group, this book helps to overturn our mostly unexamined assumptions that male dominance of the religious sphere is universal, axiomatic, and necessary.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

Although most historical and contemporary religions are governed by men, there are, scattered throughout the world, a handful of well-documented religions led by women. Most of these are marginal, subordinate, or secondary religions in the societies in which they are located. The one known exception to this rule is the indigenous religion of Okinawa, where women lead the official mainstream religion of the society. In this fieldwork-based study, Susan Sered provides the first in-depth look at this unique religious tradition, exploring the intersection between religion and gender. In addition to providing important information on this remarkable and little-studied group, this book helps to overturn our mostly unexamined assumptions that male dominance of the religious sphere is universal, axiomatic, and necessary.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)