Women of the Sacred Groves: Divine Priestesses of Okinawa

by Susan Sered and Susan Starr Sered

Book Overview

Okinawa is the only contemporary society in which women lead the official, mainstream, publicly funded religion. Priestesses are the acknowledged religious leaders within the home, clan, and village--and, until annexation by Japan approximately one hundred years ago, within the Ryukyuan Kingdom. This fieldwork-based study provides a gender-sensitive look at a remarkable religious tradition. Susan Sered spent a year living in Henza, an Okinawan fishing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195124871
• ISBN13: 9780195124873
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.1"