SLU group to visit Japan
CANTON — When the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March, three St. Lawrence University students and a professor thought their chances to study a medieval Buddhist pilgrimage were over.
Owing to the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the resultant meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, St. Lawrence called off a spring research expedition to the Chichibu Pilgrimage in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The trip, which was organized by Mark W. MacWilliams, a professor of religious studies at SLU, is now back on and will take place Aug. 8 to 16.
"They were really upset when it had to be canceled because we'd been planning all semester," Mr. MacWilliams said about the students signed up for the trip.
"For them, it's a one in a lifetime opportunity. It doesn't sound off the beaten path because it's a short ride from Tokyo up to Chichibu, but very few foreigners know about it. It's kind of a hidden treasure," he said.
The Chichibu pilgrimage consists of a 56-mile loop of 34 temples, all of which are devoted to the Buddhist Bodhisattva (enlightened being) Kannon. Especially popular during the 18th and 19th centuries, the temple circuit still sees anywhere from 60,000 to 300,000 visitors annually and can be reached by high-speed train from Tokyo in less than 90 minutes.
During the trip, Mr. MacWilliams and the St. Lawrence students will visit each of the Chichibu temples in turn, traveling by foot and public transportation and lodging at inns along the way. They also will record details about the temple sites and collect religious talismans and other information for an autumn exhibit at the college's Owen D. Young Library.
"We're not just going to be tourists," he said. "Basically we're going to each temple on the circuit and doing a photographic record of the sites. These temples change over time, and it'll be interesting to get a snapshot of what they look like in 2011. I've been going on this pilgrimage for about 20 years, so I've seen how the pilgrimage changes over time."
The Chichibu trip is being funded through a $200,000 grant from the Freeman Foundation, which was awarded to the St. Lawrence University Asian Studies Initiative and has benefited a number of the department's research initiatives. Mr. MacWilliams said he is not unduly worried about the Fukushima nuclear reactor, as no radiation has been recorded in the Saitama Prefecture.
Jillian H. Locke, a rising senior from Canton, said she is also unconcerned about the aftereffects of the March earthquake and is looking forward to the chance to revisit Japan. Having studied abroad in Tokyo during her sophomore year at St. Lawrence, the history and Asian studies major said the nuclear disaster should not discourage people from visiting the country.
"I was really glad that we're still able to go on the trip," Ms. Locke said. "There's lot of Buddhist temples throughout Japan, but it'll be interesting to see what's involved with each temple and what makes them all important to the pilgrimage route. I think it'll be a great opportunity for more St. Lawrence students to learn about Japan."
