The Goddesses' Shrine Family: The Munakata through the Kamakura Era
Loading...
Date
2009-06
Authors
Morley, Brendan Arkell, 1982-
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This thesis presents an historical study of the Kyushu shrine family known as
the Munakata, beginning in the fourth century and ending with the onset of Japan's
medieval age in the fourteenth century. The tutelary deities of the Munakata Shrine
are held to be the progeny of the Sun Goddess, the most powerful deity in the Shinto
pantheon; this fact speaks to the long-standing historical relationship the Munakata
enjoyed with Japan's ruling elites. Traditional tropes of Japanese history have
generally cast Kyushu as the periphery of Japanese civilization, but in light of recent
scholarship, this view has become untenable. Drawing upon extensive primary source
material, this thesis will provide a detailed narrative of Munakata family history while
also building upon current trends in Japanese historiography that locate Kyushu
within a broader East Asian cultural matrix and reveal it to be a central locus of
cultural production on the Japanese archipelago.
Description
viii, 137 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.