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Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies 7.2 (2024): 333–359; https://dx.doi.org/10.15239/hijbs.07.02.10
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ritual and Materiality in Buddhism and Asian Religions)
Embedding Prayers in Cotton, Ramie, and Silk: The Symbolism of Textiles in Datsueba Worship
Chihiro SAKA 坂知尋
International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)
Abstract: This paper explores the function and symbolism of cloth in rituals devoted to Datsueba, focusing in particular on types of fabric. The Japanese Buddhist folk deity Datsueba is well known as the ugly old woman who takes away clothes from the deceased by the Sanzu River, which people are supposed to cross after death. Cloth has long been associated with Datsueba since her earliest appearance in religious texts from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. In addition to her role of taking clothes of the deceased, some religious texts relate that Datsueba allows the deceased to keep their clothing if they make a cloth offering while living. Inspired by such narratives, the rituals and worship practices dedicated to her often involve fabric. The types of fabric utilized in such practices include cotton, ramie, and silk, which have contributed to developing diverse, multifaceted aspects of the deity.
Keywords: Datsueba, Ubason, Clothes, Tateyama, Agano, Shōjuin
About the Author: After completing her M.A. in Pacific and Asian Studies at the University of Victoria, Chihiro Saka received her Ph.D. in Japanese Studies from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies. She published Datsueba the Clothes Snatcher: The Evolution of a Japanese Folk Deity from Hell Figure to Popular Savior (Brill, 2022) which explores the evolution of Datsueba, the old hag who appears by the river which people are supposed to cross after death.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
