Yetkin Karaoğlu
15 Eyl 2026
Being upon Water in Japanese Religious Traditions: Existence, Transition, and Sacred Legitimacy
I’m pleased to share the publication of my book chapter, “Being upon Water in Japanese Religious Traditions: Existence, Transition, and Sacred Legitimacy,” published in Turkish by Vizetek Publishing (2026).
The chapter examines three interconnected forms of sacred presence: standing above water, existing upon water, and journeying across it. Bringing together creation myths, kami traditions, imperial narratives, Buddhist accounts, and the biographies of modern religious founders, it explores how encounters with water shape cosmic order, religious identity, and legitimate authority.
From Izanagi and Izanami’s relationship with the primordial waters to the maritime journeys of Emperor Jimmu and Empress Jingū, water becomes a medium through which worlds are ordered and sovereignty receives sacred justification. In narratives surrounding En no Gyōja and Nichiren, crossing the sea becomes a test that reveals the power of ascetic practice and sacred utterance. In the journeys of Deguchi Nao and Deguchi Onisaburō, passage into sacred space validates religious vocation and charismatic leadership.
The central argument is that encounters with water disclose the sacred potential within nature. Water holds danger, uncertainty, and formlessness alongside the possibilities of purification, birth, renewal, and transformation. Crossing its boundaries can mark a decisive change in cosmic, political, or religious status.
By reading these narratives together, the chapter offers a framework for understanding how sacred presence becomes visible, moves across boundaries, and acquires legitimacy in Japanese religious history.
I look forward to conversations with colleagues working on Japanese religions, the history of religions, mythology, sacred geography, and religious authority.