Matsuri

Le shinto connait des changements depuis les trente dernières années au Japon. Depuis la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et l’application de la nouvelle Constitution, le shinto est limité à l’espace privé et religieux. L’attentat d’Aum Shinrikyō changera la perception que la société japonaise a de la religion, ce qui forcera la prêtrise shinto à s’adapter. Plus présents dans l’espace public, les dirigeants shinto veulent présenter leurs croyances en tant qu’éléments traditionnels et culturels japonais. La conception de la religion au Japon est différente de celle de l’Occident. Le mot religion, shūkyō (宗教), a une histoire qui affecte la façon dont les Japonais conçoivent les religions ainsi que le shinto. Dans ce contexte, il est important d’observer la connexion entre le shinto et l’identité. L’objectif principale de cette recherche est d’analyser les liens entre le shinto et l’identité à deux niveaux, local et national, et ce, spécialement chez les jeunes. Cet essai mettra l’accent sur un type d’activité shinto : les matsuri. D’un point de vue anthropologique, l’intérêt de ces événements est dans leur popularité, leur dynamique intergénérationnelle et leur place qu’ils peuvent avoir dans l’espace public.
La collecte de données s’est déroulée dans le cadre d’une ethnographie de trois mois dans la région de Sapporo et plusieurs festivals ont été observés durant cette période. Les observations portaient sur l’espace social, les comportements, les relations de genre et intergénérationnelles, les vêtements, les activités et les rituels. Ces éléments nous aident à comprendre la place des matsuri dans la culture japonaise contemporaine, et ultimement, nous informent sur la conception du shinto. Ces festivals traditionnels nous donnent aussi de l’information à propos de l’identité japonaise. Autant des éléments de l’identité locale que nationale peuvent être observés et analysés à travers ces événements. Ce mémoire fait ressortir les éléments pertinents et les met en relation avec le contexte religieux contemporain.

The role of Shinto has changed through the last thirty years in Japan. Since the end of World War II and the adoption of the new Constitution, Shinto has been limited to private and religious space. The Aum crisis changed the perception of religion in Japanese society, and Shinto priesthood had to adapt. More present in public space, Shinto leaders want to present Shinto beliefs as central to Japanese traditions and culture. The conception of religion in Japan is different than the one in Western countries. The word religion, shūkyō (宗教), has an interesting history affecting the way Japanese perceive all religions and Shinto in particular. In this context, it is important to analyse the connection between Shinto practices and identity. The main objective of this research is to analyze the links between Shinto and identity at two levels, local and national, with a focus on youth. To do so, this paper will focus on one type of Shinto activities: matsuri. From an anthropological point of view, the interest about these developments comes from their popularity, their intergenerational dynamics, and the place they occupy in the public domain.
The data were gathered during ethnographic research that spanned for three months in the Sapporo area. Multiple festivals were observed during this period. The focus of the observation was on social space, behavior, gender and intergenerational relations, clothing, activities, and rituals. Those elements help us understand the place of matsuri in contemporary Japanese culture, and ultimately, give information about the conception of Shinto. Shrine festivals also provide information about Japanese identity. Both local and national identity elements can be observed and analysed though these events. This paper points out those elements and puts them in relation to the actual religious context.

Le tir à l'arc à cheval au Japon et son équipement apparaît au premier abord comme un sujet technique, il se révèle aussi être un voyage instructif au fil du temps dans la société japonaise grâce à deux révélateurs de celle-ci : l'équitation et le tir à l'arc. L'association de ces deux pratiques, d'une redoutable efficacité, réservées l'une comme l'autre à l'élite, a rythmée des siècles durant les rapports de forces politiques au sein de l'archipel avant l'introduction du mousquet au Japon au XVIe siècle, pour ensuite se sublimer en un art martial dédié au contrôle de soi. L'archer à cheval pose une problématique complexe afin de faire coexister deux impératifs principaux : la monte et le tir et deux impératifs secondaires : l'affichage du statut social du cavalier ainsi que la protection de celui-ci et de sa monture. Cette étude permet d'analyser d'un point de vue archéologique les choix techniques qui ont été retenus pour résoudre les problèmes posés. Le pivot du système autour duquel tout doit s'organiser, étant l'arc japonais démesurément grand et donc parfaitement inadapté à son usage à cheval.

Özet: Japon sosyal ve dinî yaşayışının önemli bir yönünü oluşturan dinî bayramlar, uzun bir geçmişe sahip ve modern dünyada varlığını devam ettiren Japon kültürünün dikkate değer bir parçasını teşkil etmektedir. Dinlerdeki “kutsal zaman” kavramının Japon inancına yansıması niteliğinde olan dinî bayramlar bilinmezse, Japon kültü- rü ve dinî yaşamını anlamak zorlaşacaktır. Çünkü Japoncada matsu- ri kavramıyla karşılanan dinî bayramlar, Japon insanının geçmişteki inançlarını, düşünce tarzını, tarımsal faaliyetlerin Japon yaşamın- daki değerini, çocukların yetişmesine verilen önemi, üstün güç ola- rak inanılan varlıkların insanlar üzerindeki etkisini ve Japonların dünya anlayışlarını en açık şekliyle göstermektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı da, Japon dinî bayramlarının sosyal hayattaki yerini tespit etmek ve bu bayramların genel özelliklerini belirlemektir.

Abstract: Religious festivals, which constitute an important aspect of Japanese socio-religious life, have a long history and persist to be a part of Japanese culture. Without knowing the social impacts of religious festivals it will be difficult to understand the Japanese culture and religious life. Because, religious festivals, which means matsuri in Japanese, illustrate in the clearest way the beliefs of the Japanese people in the past, their mentality, the value of the agri- cultural activities in Japanese life, the importance given to the education of children, the effects on humans of assets which are believed to be superior powers, Japanese world insights. The aim of this study is to determine its position the social life of Japanese religious festivals and to identify general characteristics of these festivals.

Özet: Japon sosyal ve dinî yaşayışının önemli bir yönünü oluşturan
dinî bayramlar, uzun bir geçmişe sahip ve modern dünyada varlığını
devam ettiren Japon kültürünün dikkate değer bir parçasını teşkil
etmektedir. Dinlerdeki “kutsal zaman” kavramının Japon inancına
yansıması niteliğinde olan dinî bayramlar bilinmezse, Japon kültü-
rü ve dinî yaşamını anlamak zorlaşacaktır. Çünkü Japoncada matsuri kavramıyla karşılanan dinî bayramlar, Japon insanının geçmişteki
inançlarını, düşünce tarzını, tarımsal faaliyetlerin Japon yaşamındaki değerini, çocukların yetişmesine verilen önemi, üstün güç olarak inanılan varlıkların insanlar üzerindeki etkisini ve Japonların
dünya anlayışlarını en açık şekliyle göstermektedir. Bu çalışmanın
amacı da, Japon dinî bayramlarının sosyal hayattaki yerini tespit
etmek ve bu bayramların genel özelliklerini belirlemektir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Matsuri, Şintoizm, Budizm, Japonya, Japon
Dini Bayramları.

The General Characteristics of Japanese Religious Festivals
and Its Role in the Social Life

Abstract: Religious festivals, which constitute an important aspect
of Japanese socio-religious life, have a long history and persist to
be a part of Japanese culture. Without knowing the social impacts
of religious festivals it will be difficult to understand the Japanese
culture and religious life. Because, religious festivals, which means
matsuri in Japanese, illustrate in the clearest way the beliefs of the
Japanese people in the past, their mentality, the value of the agricultural activities in Japanese life, the importance given to the education of children, the effects on humans of assets which are believed to be superior powers, Japanese world insights. The aim of this
study is to determine its position the social life of Japanese religious
festivals and to identify general characteristics of these festivals.
Key Words: Matsuri, Shintoism, Buddhism, Japan, Japanese Religious Festivals.