Major Academic Activities

Shinto Company Ritual in Japan

Company and religion generally do not coexist in Christian traditions. In Japan, however, we find many rituals and ceremonies in company life. I have already presented 2 case studies on this topic for the previous JAWS meeting; first, company memorial rituals on Mt. K_ya (Leiden Meeting in 1990) and second, company funeral (Minpaku Meeting in 1999). These rituals are mostly officiated by Buddhist priests. This time I will focus on Shinto rituals conducted in companies and compare them with Buddhist rituals above mentioned.
Ground breaking ritual is usually Shinto style, in which safety during the construction work is prayed. There are periodical rituals conducted in front of a small Shinto shrine erected by the company. A conspicuous sight of the company shrine is a vermilion colored one on the roof of a building, dedicated to Inari, though there are various divinities enshrined besides Inari. The names of divinities vary from company to company, but what is common is that in these Shinto rituals prosperity and safety in business are collectively prayed.
The Buddhist rituals are dedicated to the deceased members of the company, either during in service or after retirement. These rituals are conducted and financed by the company under the name of the company. The sentiments are ambiguous; on the one hand, grieving the loss of members, but on the other hand, glorifying the deceased.
The Shinto and Buddhist company rituals are distinctive in their functions and this is closely related with the notions of kami and hotoke. A company manages with kami and hotoke separately, just as a household deals with Shinto and Buddhist altars in accordance with different purposes. Emic notions of kami and hotoke are used as a key to decipher company rituals. Its continuity from the household rituals is also discussed critically from the managerial perspectives, i.e. going concern, crisis management and etc.
The anthropological approaches to the companies and sarariiman lives have been promoted by the research group of keiei jinruigaku or kaisha jinruigaku based in Minpaku. Dr. Sumihara's presentation on company museum is also a product of this group.

'The Recent Revival of the Lunar Calendar in Japan'

In recent years lunar calendars are becoming popular. Several new books on lunar calendars are sold in the shops. It seems that there is an unobtrusive revival of the lunar calendar. These phenomena are the focus and will be discussed in reference to business success and life style as well as annual events and the appreciation of the seasons.