Prayer and Play in Late Tokugawa Japan

"By investigating the economy and cultural politics of Sensoji Nam-lin Hur shows that the Buddhist culture of prayer and play exemplified by this temple reflected the changes taking place in Tokugawa Japan, particularly in the urban environment of Edo. Play was an integral part of the business of religion at Sensoji, and it supplied both in equal measure to the often rootless Edoites.

Hur's reappraisal of prayer and play and their inherent connectedness provides a cultural critique of conventional scholarship on Tokugawa religion and shows how Edo commoners incorporated cultural politics into their daily lives through the pursuit of prayer and play."--BOOK JACKET.