Pilgrimage, Modernity, Tourism, and Nostalgia: Tenrikyō’s Ojibagaeri in Post-colonial Taiwan

This article examines the practice of ojibagaeri as a means of gaining personal experience of spiritual development, self-empowerment, modernity, and nostalgia. Ojibagaeri is a pilgrimage holding a central position within the Tenrikyō tradition, attracting pilgrims both inside and beyond the geographical boundaries of Japan to embark on a journey to Tenri, the sanctuary said to be the original birth place, eventual destination, and home of humankind. This article will present Taiwanese perspectives on ojibagaeri and an ethnographic account of the pilgrimage in the present post-colonial Taiwanese situation. The author conducted fieldwork in Taiwan in 2009, 2011, and 2015, collecting evidence concerning religious journeys to Tenri and interviewing Taiwanese followers.