Family Networks and Rituals

Conférence de Bettina Gramlich-Oka, Professeure à l’Université Sophia, dans le cadre du séminaire « Histoire du Japon moderne : périodisation en chantier » animé par Aleksandra Kobiljski (CRJ-CCJ) et Noémi Godefroy (Inalco).

"I address in this presentation the family records of Rai Shunsui (1746–1816), Confucian scholar of the Hiroshima domain. The records are extensive and offer ample material for investigation, in particular for network analyses. To observe one of the family networks, I make use of records related to the Confucian Family Rites which were performed throughout the year.

The records that display the practice of the Confucian Rites do not easily mix with our images of Tokugawa society but present the Rai family rather as a peculiar household. However, when scrutinizing the form, content, and participants in their performances of the rites—we discover various explanations for the central position these rituals took within and outside the Rai household. When visualizing these events in the Japan Biographical Database (jbdb.jp)—an open access relational database—we find even many more indications.

By linking the data to the database I hope to demonstrate the advantages of combining a more traditional historical analysis and a network analysis with help of digital tools."