As Above, So Below — Cosmological Knowledge & the Acculturation of the Kamakura Shogunate
Professor Kristina Buhrman University of Binghamton
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Debates about how to define the religious tradition of Onmyōdō persist in part because the taboos, rituals, and cosmology differed depending on the follower’s social connections and status. This variegated nature, however, makes it an excellent lens through which to examine identity formation of Kamakura housemen in the 13th century. Drawing on examples of ritual care and divination in the Azuma kagami, this presentation makes the case that the adoption of royal court culture in Kamakura did not weaken a distinct warrior identity but rather helped to refine it.