Musicalizing the Heart Sutra: Buddhism, Sound, and Media in Contemporary Japan
In Japan, explicitly religious content is not commonly found in popular music. Against this mainstream tendency, since approximately 2008, ecclesiastic and non-ecclesiastic actors alike have made musical arrangements of the Heart Sutra. What do these musical arrangements help us to understand about...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/759 |
| _version_ | 1827681479313850368 |
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| author | Duncan Reehl |
| author_facet | Duncan Reehl |
| author_sort | Duncan Reehl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Japan, explicitly religious content is not commonly found in popular music. Against this mainstream tendency, since approximately 2008, ecclesiastic and non-ecclesiastic actors alike have made musical arrangements of the Heart Sutra. What do these musical arrangements help us to understand about the formation of Buddhist religiosity in contemporary Japan? In order to answer these questions, I analyze the circulation of these musical arrangements on online media platforms. I pursue the claim that they exhibit significant resonances with traditional Japanese Buddhist practices and concepts, while also developing novel sensibilities, behaviors, and understandings of Buddhist religiosity that are articulated by global trends in secularism, popular music, and ‘spirituality’. I suggest that they show institutionally marginal but publicly significant transformations in affective relationships with Buddhist religious content in Japan through the mediation of musical sound, which I interpret as indicative of an emerging “structure of feeling”. Overall, this essay demonstrates how articulating the rite of sutra recitation with modern music technologies, including samplers, electric guitars, and Vocaloid software, can generate novel, sonorous ways to experience and propagate Buddhism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:15:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a05885096316456da1628eadd1cc364c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:15:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-a05885096316456da1628eadd1cc364c2023-11-22T15:04:14ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-09-0112975910.3390/rel12090759Musicalizing the Heart Sutra: Buddhism, Sound, and Media in Contemporary JapanDuncan Reehl0Department of Musicology and Ethnomusicology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USAIn Japan, explicitly religious content is not commonly found in popular music. Against this mainstream tendency, since approximately 2008, ecclesiastic and non-ecclesiastic actors alike have made musical arrangements of the Heart Sutra. What do these musical arrangements help us to understand about the formation of Buddhist religiosity in contemporary Japan? In order to answer these questions, I analyze the circulation of these musical arrangements on online media platforms. I pursue the claim that they exhibit significant resonances with traditional Japanese Buddhist practices and concepts, while also developing novel sensibilities, behaviors, and understandings of Buddhist religiosity that are articulated by global trends in secularism, popular music, and ‘spirituality’. I suggest that they show institutionally marginal but publicly significant transformations in affective relationships with Buddhist religious content in Japan through the mediation of musical sound, which I interpret as indicative of an emerging “structure of feeling”. Overall, this essay demonstrates how articulating the rite of sutra recitation with modern music technologies, including samplers, electric guitars, and Vocaloid software, can generate novel, sonorous ways to experience and propagate Buddhism.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/759BuddhismmusicmediaBuddhist ethicsJapanese modernitysecularism |
| spellingShingle | Duncan Reehl Musicalizing the Heart Sutra: Buddhism, Sound, and Media in Contemporary Japan Religions Buddhism music media Buddhist ethics Japanese modernity secularism |
| title | Musicalizing the Heart Sutra: Buddhism, Sound, and Media in Contemporary Japan |
| title_full | Musicalizing the Heart Sutra: Buddhism, Sound, and Media in Contemporary Japan |
| title_fullStr | Musicalizing the Heart Sutra: Buddhism, Sound, and Media in Contemporary Japan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Musicalizing the Heart Sutra: Buddhism, Sound, and Media in Contemporary Japan |
| title_short | Musicalizing the Heart Sutra: Buddhism, Sound, and Media in Contemporary Japan |
| title_sort | musicalizing the heart sutra buddhism sound and media in contemporary japan |
| topic | Buddhism music media Buddhist ethics Japanese modernity secularism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/759 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT duncanreehl musicalizingtheheartsutrabuddhismsoundandmediaincontemporaryjapan |