CRN 16291 Religious Studies 303 Japanese Religions, Fall 2026
Lectures: TYK 233; MW 2:00-3:50 pm; Lecture/Discussion Instructor: Mark Unno
Office Hours - Zoom: Mon
4:30-5:15 pm https://tinyurl.com/mr2z8yd6; Tues 1:00-1:45 pm https://tinyurl.com/2v67atjx or by appointment (email).
Email: munno (at) uoregon.edu Home Page: pages.uoregon.edu/munno/
See University
Course Policies
This course explores prominent themes in Japanese Religions from
their ancient origins through their modern expressions via multiple genres:
philosophy, sacred scriptures, stories, fiction, autobiography, and film. These
include the worship of the kami, or gods and goddesses, the creation of
state religion, and multiple streams of Japanese Buddhism including Zen and
Pure Land. Through these explorations, we will see how they unfold in history,
how ideas come to life through stories and practices, and how they relate to
cultural themes such as gender, sexuality, and cultural identity; ritual
practice, mythology, and self-cultivation.
Requirements
1. Attendance: This is an in-person class with
lecture/discussion format. Students
can have two total unexcused absences including lecture and discussion without
penalty. Each class missed thereafter will result in 1/2 grade penalty for the
course grade.
2. Short exams: Two short exams based on readings, lectures, and
course web site, administered on Canvas. First half of first exam is on writing
papers.
3. Short papers: Two short papers on the readings. More specific
instructions and topics will be provided on the course web site.
4. Medium-length paper: Each student will hand in a medium length
final paper of 5-7 pages double-spaced. Suggested topics will be provided.
Students may choose to create their own topics with the consent of their
discussion section leader. In the case of the latter, a one-paragraph
description of the topic must be submitted by email to the instructor one week
prior to the due date.
5. Late policy on written assignments: Three grace days total will
be allotted excluding the medium-length paper for which no extensions will be
given. For all other assignments, a cumulative total of three late days will be
allowed without penalty. Thereafter, each late day will result in a two-point
deduction from the course grade.
6. Email Protocol. Suggestion: Begin the term using one of the
following when addressing the instructor: Dear,
Hello, Hi + Prof. Unno, Mr. Unno. If you like, you might later change to: Hello
Mark, Hi Mark, etc., when you have established a working relationship with the
instructor. Do NOT use: "Hey...." either with the instructor or with
the GEs.
Learning Outcomes
In this
course, you will: 1) gain a sampling (not a survey) of primary texts, ideas,
and scholarship on prominent strands and themes in Japanese religions, 2) delve
into the assigned readings and materials, uncovering layers of potential
meaning, 3) gain an understanding of the historical contexts and contemporary expressions
of the course materials, and 4) further develop in your ability to write papers
as well as read texts closely and reason critically.
Grades (Grading Critera
link)
- Short
exam I 10%, Short exam II 10%., Short paper I 15%, Short paper II 15%
- Medium-length
paper 35%, Attendance and Discussion 15%
Required Texts (RT)
(Information listed here is given in footnote/endnote format.)
1. Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind,
Beginner’s Mind (Boulder, CO: Shambhala Press, 2020) (Knight Lib res +
online).
2. Maura “Soshin” O’Halloran, Pure
Heart, Enlightened Mind (Knight Library reserve + online).
3. Shinmon
Aoki, Coffinman, (Anaheim, CA: Buddhist
Education Center, 2002).
4. Course Reader Pack, Religious Studies 303 Japanese Religions,
online through Canvas (see Files section).
Course Reader (CR)
1. Hayao KAWAI, "Japanese Mythology: Balancing the
Gods," in his Dreams, Myths and Fairy Tales in Japan (Einsiedeln,
Switzerland: Daimon Verlag, 1995) 67-97.
2. Joseph Kitagawa, "Chapter 6. The
Shadow and the Sun: A Glimpse of the Fujiwara and the Imperial Families in
Japan," in his On Understanding Japanese Religion (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1987), 98-116.
3. Carmen Blacker, The Catalpa Bow (London:
George Allen & Unwin) 104-126, 127-139.
4. Peter Harvey, An Introduction to
Buddhism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990) 9-26.
5. Robert A. F. Thurman, trans., “The Goddess,” The Holy
Teaching of Vimalakirti (University Park:
Pennsylvania State University Press, 1987) 56-63.
6. Helen Craig McCullough, tr. The Tale
of the Heike (Stanford: Stanford Univ. Press, 1988), 1-37.
7. Hayao KAWAI, “Torikaebaya: A Tale of
Changing Sexual Roles,” in Dreams, Myths, and Fairly Tales in Japan (Daimon
Verlag, 1995) 123-152.
8. William LaFleur, "Chapter
2: In and Out of the Rokudo," in his The Karma of Words (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1986) 26-59.
9. Mark
Unno, Shingon Refractions: Myōe and the Mantra of Light (Boston: Wisdom
Publications: 2004) 1-11, 111-146.
10. Theodore M. Ludwig, "The
Way of Tea: A Religio-Aesthetic Mode of Life," History of Religions (1974) 28-50.
11. Mark Unno, "Key Terms - Philosophical Terms in the Zen
Buddhist Thought of Dogen"; Norman Waddell and
Masao Abe, trans., "Shobogenzo Genjokoan," by Dogen Kigen, The
Eastern Buddhist 5:2 (10/1972) 129-140.
12. Steven Heine, The Zen Poetry of Dogen (Boston: Tuttle, 1997), 1-34.
13. Barbara Ruch,
"The Other Side of Culture in Medieval Japan," in The Cambridge
History of Japan - Volume 3 Medieval
Japan, 500-511.*
14. Henry Shukman, "Light and Dark: Koans and Dreams," Spring: A Journal of
Archetype and Culture, vol. 89, 15-23.
15. Mark Unno, “The Original Buddhist Rebel,” Tricycle (Winter
2017) 1-16. (15-Shinran-Rebel.pdf)
16. Taitetsu Unno, trans. Tannisho:
A Shin Buddhist Classic (Honolulu, HI: Buddhist Study Center Press) 4-9,
14.
17. Mark Unno, "The Nembutsu of
No-Meaning and the Problem of Genres in the Writings and Statements of Gutoku Shinran," The Pure Land 10-11 (12/1994) 1-9.
18. Karen Smyers, “’My Own Inari’ -
Personalization of the Deity in the Inari Worship." Japanese Journal of
Religious Studies 23:1-2 (1996) 85-116.
19. Inoue YASUSHI, "Sekitei," trans. Mark Unno. Kyoto Journal 4
(Fall 1987) 1-8.
20. Nishitani Keiji, "Ikebana," Kyoto Journal 4
(Fall 1987) 33-35.
REL 303 Japanese Religions –
Class Schedule
Read assigned texts by the class meeting date indicated.
(CR: Course Reader; CR
1 = Course Reader Selection No. 1; RT:
Required Text)
Week 1 – Introduction; Japanese Kami worship, Shinto, and
State Religion
09/28 Mon: Introduction:
Syllabus; What is “Japan”? What is “Religion”? What is “Japanese Religion”?
09/30 Wed: The World of the Kami: Gods and Goddesses. Read: Kawai,
"Japanese Mythology," CR 1 (Focus: 69-77).
Week 2 – The Formation of
State Religion; Japanese Shamanism; Buddhism Background
10/05 Mon: The Formation of State Religion
Kitagawa, “The Shadow of the
Sun: A Glimpse of the Fujiwara,” CR 2; “Shinto,” Wikipedia entry:
“Shinto,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto (Read
through “Cosmogony”); Blacker, The Catalpa Bow, 104-139, CR 3.
10/07 Wed: Buddhism Background
Early Buddhism: The Buddha and
His Teachings; Mahayana Buddhism “The Buddhism of the Great Vehicle”
Read: Peter Harvey, An
Introduction to Buddhism, CR 4; The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti,
CR 5 (Focus pages: 58-63).
Week 3 – Medieval Japanese Buddhist Stories and Ideas
10/12 Mon: Two Tales: The Tale
of the Heike and the Changelings (Torikaebaya)
Read: The Tale of the
Heike, CR 6 (focus 1-6,
17-19, 23-37); “Torikaebaya: A Tale of Changing Sexual Roles” CR 7.
10/14 Wed: Lafleur, The
Karma of Words, CR 8 (focus 48-54).
Week 4 – Myōe the Dreamkeeper;
Medieval Japanese Art of the Way of Tea
10/19 Mon: Unno, Shingon Refractions, CR 9. Short
exam A
10/21 Wed: Ludwig, “The Way of
Tea: A Religio-Aesthetic Mode of Life,” CR 10.
Week 5 – Dōgen and Zen Buddhism: Medieval
Origins and Modern Manifestations
10/26 Mon: Read: Unno,
"Philosophical Terms in the Zen Buddhist Thought of Dogen,"
"Shobogenzo Genjokoan,"CR
11; Heine,
Zen Poetry of Dogen, CR 12; Ruch, “The Other Side
of Culture in Medieval Japan, CR 13 (focus 500-511)..
10/28 Wed: Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, RT (also Knight Lib). Short paper
I due
Week 6 – Shinran and Shin Buddhism: Ancient
Influences and Medieval Origins
11/02 Mon: Read: Shukman, "Light and Dark: Koans and Dreams," CR 14; Unno, The Original Buddhist
Rebel, CR 15.
11/04 Wed: Read: Unno, Tannisho, 4-9, 14, CR 16; Unno,
“The Nembutsu of No-Meaning,” CR 17.
Week 7 - Zen Buddhism – A Contemporaray Irish-American Account
11/09 Mon: Veteran’s Day (No
class)
11/11 Wed: The Zen life of
Maura “Soshin” O’Halloran
Read: Maura “Soshin”
O’Halloran, Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind, RT (also Knight Lib).
Week 8 – Shin Buddhism – A Contemporary Japanese Account
11/16 Mon: Aoki the Coffinman and the film Departures Short
paper II due
Read: Aoki Shinmon, Coffinman, “Preface,
1-72, RT; Film: Departures.
11/18 Wed: Discussing the Memoir and Film
Read: Read: Aoki Shinmon, Coffinman, 73-131, RT.
Week 9 – Stories of Transformation: The Fox Deity and Modern Anime
11/23 Mon: Inari: The Fox as a Trickster Deity: Film, Paprika. Short
exam B
11/25 Wed: Discussing the “My
Own Inari” and Paprika
Read: Karen Smyers, “My Own Inari,” CR 18.
Week 10 - Modern Manifestations: The Zen Rock Garden and Zen Arts
11/30 Mon: “Sekitei” (Rock Garden) by Yasushi Inoue, a modern Zen
romance?
Read: Yasushi Inoue, “Sekitei,” CR 19; Nishitani, “Ikebana” CR 20.
12/02 Wed: Wrap-up lecture and
discussion Final papers due