Discourses of the Vanishing: Modernity, Phantasm, Japan by Marilyn Ivy

Author:Marilyn Ivy
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-02-19T23:42:00+00:00

Jizo became a deity standing guard between worlds, especially as the savior of dead children. In folktales he often functions as a miga-wari, as a literal substitute for one's body, a scapegoat who takes on human sufferings. Jizo has the ability to intercede in hell; he is a mediator who can cross the line between life and death, which he himself institutes by his presence. On closer examination, it is clear that Jizo stands for signification itself. This savior of the dead marks a boundary between presence and absence; as a signifier he is the mark of a separation, of a difference. Like the toba or grave markers which sometimes bear his name, the presence of Jizo substitutes for the absence of death. Giving stones to Jizo or to any phallic prominences is thus similar to setting up memorial stupas. These acts institute a division between presence and absence within the round of memorialization, and the markers become substitutes for the untoward memory of the dead person.','

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.