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Many Western visitors to Japan have been struck by the numerous cemeteries for aborted fetuses, which are characterized by throngs of images of the Bodhisattva Jizo, usually dressed in red baby aprons or other baby garments, and each dedicated to an individual fetus. Abortion is common in Japan and as a consequence one of the frequently performed rituals in Japanese Buddhism is mizuko-kuyo, a ceremony for aborted and miscarried fetuses. Over the past forty years, mizuko-kuyo has gradually come to America, where it has been appropriated by non-Buddhists as well as Buddhist practitioners. In this book, Jeff Wilson examines how and why Americans of different backgrounds have brought knowledge and performance of this Japanese ceremony to the United States. Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork in Japan and the U.S., as well as the literature in both Japanese and English, Wilson shows that the meaning and purpose of the ritual have changed greatly in the American context. In Japan, mizuko-kuyo is performed to placate the potentially dangerous spirit of the angry fetus. In America, however, it has come to be seen as a way for the mother to mourn and receive solace for her loss. Many American women who learn about mizuko-kuyo are struck by the lack of such a ceremony and see it as filling a very important need. Ceremonies are now performed even for losses that took place many years ago. Wilson's well-written study not only contributes to the growing literature on American Buddhism, but sheds light on a range of significant issues in Buddhist studies, interreligious contact, women's studies, and even bioethics.
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Mourning the Unborn Dead
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Mourning the Unborn Dead A Buddhist Ritual Comes to America
jeff wilson
2009
Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Copyright © 2009 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wilson, Jeff, 1975– Mourning the unborn dead : a Buddhist ritual comes to America / by Jeff Wilson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–19–537193–2 1. Fetal propitiatory rites—Buddhism. 2. Fetal propitiatory rites—United States. 3. Abortion—Religious aspects—Buddhism. 4. Buddhism—Social aspects—United States. I. Title. BQ5030.F47W55 2008 294.3’4388—dc22 2008017072
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
This book is dedicated to the many consultants, in both the United States and Japan, who so generously shared with me their time and insights; and to all those, wherever they may be, who have suffered the loss of a pregnancy.
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Acknowledgments
It is impossible to list all of the assistance that contingently produces a work such as this one. Most especially I wish to thank the consultants whose generosity made this work possible. Among the many people who assisted me in this capacity I would particular