Souls of Zen (2012)

This documentary presents perspectives on Buddhism as practiced by clergy and millions of families in Japan today by drawing on ethnographic fieldwork about prayer practice and mortuary ... See full summary »

Directors:

Tim Graf, Jakob Montrasio

Writer:

Tim Graf

Stars:

Tomonori Abe, The Dalai Lama, Taio Kaneta

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tomonori Abe	...	Himself
The Dalai Lama	...	Himself
Taio Kaneta	...	Himself
Toshiaki Kimura	...	Himself
Misako Kubo	...	Herself
Shoju Kuwahara	...	Himself
Pedro Meiyo	...	Himself
Katsuhiro Nakamura	...	Himself
Kohaku Nakazawa	...	Himself
Susumu Shimazono	...	Himself
Yoshiaki Shoji	...	Himself
Shoko Takagi	...	Himself
Issey Takahashi	...	Herself (as Issei Takahashi)
Seikai Takahashi	...	Himself

Storyline

This documentary presents perspectives on Buddhism as practiced by clergy and millions of families in Japan today by drawing on ethnographic fieldwork about prayer practice and mortuary rituals "on the ground". "Souls" of Zen thereby refers to one of Japan's most enduring traditions - the commemoration of ancestral spirits. We visit rural graveyards, urban temples, modern funeral halls, and public events to trace the rapid change this tradition is undergoing in the last decades and, most recently, in the wake of the tsunami.

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Plot Keywords:

japan | graveyard | temple | buddhism | tsunami | 

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Taglines:

Buddhism, Ancestors, and the 2011 Tsunami in Japan

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Germany

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

6 March 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Souls of Zen: Ancestors and Agency in Contemporary Japanese Temple Buddhism

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

€100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

m&r Kreativ

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tim Graf wrote Souls of Zen in numerous locations: In airplanes between Frankfurt and Tokyo; in his parents' kitchen, in downtown Tokyo coffee shops; in hostels; at Jakob Montrasio's place, at m&r Kreativ headquarters, and during his long-term research at Zen temples where he shot additional footage for the film throughout the year 2011.

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Quotes

Pedro Meiyo: Our main teacher, a teacher that I met, also in Europe, is Zazen.

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Alternate Versions

A 50 minute conference cut with more focus on the disaster was produced for the 'American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting' in Chicago, USA as well as the 'Salvage and Salvation - Religion, Disaster Relief, and Reconstruction in Asia' conference at the National University of Singapore.

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