Mourning the Unborn Dead: A Buddhist Ritual Comes to America

by Jeff Wilson

Many Western visitors to Japan have been struck by the numerous cemeteries for aborted fetuses, which are characterized by throngs of images of the Bodhisattva Jizo, usually dressed in red baby aprons or other baby garments, and each dedicated to an individual fetus. Abortion is common in Japan and as a consequence one of the frequently performed rituals in Japanese Buddhism is mizuko-kuyo, a ceremony for aborted and miscarried fetuses. Over the past forty years, mizuko-kuyo has gradually come to America, where it has been appropriated by non-Buddhists as well as Buddhist practitioners.

In this book, Jeff Wilson examines how and why Americans of different backgrounds have brought knowledge and performance of this Japanese ceremony to the United States. Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork in Japan and the U.S., as well as the literature in both Japanese and English, Wilson shows that the meaning and purpose of the ritual have changed greatly in the American context. In Japan, mizuko-kuyo is performed to placate the potentially dangerous spirit of the angry fetus. In America, however, it has come to be seen as a way for the mother to mourn and receive solace for her loss. Many American women who learn about mizuko-kuyo are struck by the lack of such a ceremony and see it as filling a very important need. Ceremonies are now performed even for losses that took place many years ago. Wilson's well-written study not only contributes to the growing literature on American Buddhism, but sheds light on a range of significant issues in Buddhist studies, interreligious contact, women's studies, and even bioethics.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

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Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really thorough, well-balanced treatment of the mizuko kuyo ceremony and how it is practiced in America. it surprised me how people on both the pro-choice and pro-life side have embraced the ritual, which is a ceremony to show mourning for an aborted child. it seems pretty pro-life to me. I've learned a lot about what the ceremony is like, how it is performed, and how it is different in America from how it is done and what it means in Japan. I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about water baby or mizuko kuyo ceremonies.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both the scholarship and the practices (as it comes to the US) is layered and complex (problematic?), but both the scholarship and the practices are also well-presented and enticing. As far as scholarly accounts of ritual go, and particularly one that is dedicated to women's pain, this is well done.

[Kristenwilson1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the intersection of East and West, pro-life and pro-choice, patriarchy and feminism, by a handsome and talented man. ;)