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News Release 12-13-10 Contacts:
Eric Waite, left, and Nikki Bado Iowa State professor, graduate student to study, film noted Japanese pilgrimageAMES, Iowa – A religious studies faculty member and a graduate student will spend half of 2011 in Japan conducting research and filming a documentary about a renowned pilgrimage that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Nikki Bado and Eric Waite will do research related to the Shikoku Pilgrimage on the southern island of Shikoku. One of the most famous pilgrimages in Japan, people walk, ride a bike, or take a bus or another vehicle as they trek nearly 800 miles around the island to visit 88 temples, following in the footsteps of Kukai. A cultural icon similar in status to DaVinci or Galileo in the West, Kukai is the revered eighth-century Japanese philosopher monk and scholar who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism. "What Kukai did on Shikoku island is the stuff of legend," said Bado, an associate professor of religious studies. "People say, 'Here is where Kukai dug a well overnight, with only his staff. There is where two trees bent to form a bridge so Kukai could ford a river.' The pilgrimage is rich with opportunities to study folklore and ritual practice in place." Both Bado and Waite, an interdisciplinary graduate studies student, will each hold the title of visiting research fellow at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture in Nagoya, Japan. Waite will be the first graduate student to have that title at Nanzan, Bado said. In addition to filming festivals and temple sites on the pilgrimage, Bado will conduct research at Nanzan on religious practices and rituals, and interact with philosophers and religious studies scholars from around the world. Her research will yield material for her third book, exploring the role of the body in ritual practice. Waite will participate in the pilgrimage by foot. He will walk the full distance, taking some two months to film the pilgrimage for a documentary, and expects to find many stories along the way. "People go on the pilgrimage for many reasons, some of them private," said Waite. "Some do it to mourn the loss of a loved one or for forgiveness, and some do it annually." "It's about human transformation," Bado added. "People can be significantly changed by the pilgrimage, having profound experiences in which they feel spiritually or physically transformed." The documentary will look at the journey of the pilgrimage itself, but it also will concentrate on the folklore and festivals found along the route. Bado said the documentary will be the first high-definition film in English about the pilgrimage. "It's been extensively covered on film in Japan, but there is a gap in the United States," she said. "A lot of Americans don't know anything about Kukai." Bado said it is important to know about other cultures, including their religions. "We want students at Iowa State to be knowledgeable about the world, and one of the important things to be educated about are the world's religions. Kukai is an excellent case in point. Although he is an ancient figure, his philosophy still influences Japanese political and business leaders today." Dennis Chamberlin, assistant professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, and Nathaniel Wade, associate professor of psychology, also are involved in the project. Chamberlin will spend some time in Japan to film temple and festival sites, adding his expertise as a visual ethnographer. Wade conducts research on forgiveness. They will lay the groundwork for future exploration of the role of pilgrimage in human forgiveness and transformation. -30- |
