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Accepted Paper:
How to offend a Kami and not die trying: agricultural rituality during Japanese Protohistory
Irene M. Muñoz Fernández
(International University Isabel I, Complutense University of Madrid)
Agricultural rituality during Japanese antiquity was based on the belief that any setback that could negatively affect the harvest are a consequence of the wrath of an offended Kami. Texts and archaeological remains provide a list of "effective" rituals to repair the damage and save the harvest.
Paper long abstract:
Agricultural rituality during Japanese antiquity was based on the belief that plagues, droughts, floods, or any other setback that could negatively affect the harvest are a consequence of the wrath of a Kami, probably feeling offended by something. That is why it was paramount to carry out a series of standardized rituals during the planting and growing season to ensure the approval and protection of the crops by the kami. However, sometimes, something can go wrong and deities may be offended –consciously or unconsciously– by a human action which results in the sending of a punishment with fatal consequences for the harvest. However, the evil can be corrected by carrying out a series of rites to appease or expel the evil spirits that caused such catastrophes. The classical texts, together with the archaeological remains, provide an interesting list of "effective" rituals to repair the damage and try to save the harvest in extremis, some of which will be analyzed in this work.