Culture of “Cuteness” (Kawaii) and Japanese Religions – МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ

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Anna D. BERTOVA
Saint Petersburg State University
7-9, Universitetskaya embankment, Saint Petersburg, 199034 Russian Federation
Senior Lecturer
PhD (in Philosophy)
e-mail: aihong@mail.ru
ORCID: 0000-0002-2376-5022

Culture of “Cuteness” (Kawaii) and Japanese Religions

Abstract: Culture of «cuteness» began its rapid spread in the 1970-ies, and became almost omnipresent at the end of the 1980-ies. If originally the word «cute» (or kawaii in Japanese) was used towards small objects or non-adolescent people, especially children and small animals, today it can be applied to both animate and inanimate objects, starting from personal belongings and accessories – toys, clothes, shoes, stationery, up to children, celebrities, politicians, elder people, and the Japanese emperor. Main principles of the culture of cuteness have influenced even spheres that earlier seemed to be absolutely inaccessible to it, including the sphere of religion. This article aims at analyzing various examples of the adoption of the culture of cuteness in Japanese religious organizations. The author considers reasons of using of religious accessories and souvenirs with famous «cute» characters in Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, as well as motives of creating their own specific «cute» heroes representing the temple and aimed at renovation of the familiar image of the religious organizations and at attraction of new believers and tourists. Also examples of using cute characters in Japanese Christian churches are analyzed. Despite less intensive use of the cute characters than in traditional Japanese religions, Christian organizations are rather positive towards referring in their activities to books, manga comics, and anime created by secular artists and designers, where Christian doctrines and way of life are demonstrated through principles of the culture of «cuteness».

Key words: culture of cuteness, kawaii, religion, Japan, Bud-dhism, Shinto, Christianity, Islam, pop culture, man-ga, souvenirs, accessories, Hello Kitty.

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For Citation:

Bertova, A. (2023) Culture of “Cuteness” (Kawaii) and Japanese Religions. International Journal of Cultural Research, 1 (50). 87–102. DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2023_1_87

DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2023_1_87