Tokyo Shoseki Co., Ltd.
A beautiful visual book that reveals the gods and sacred nature! “Pagans Encyclopedia of Polytheistic Representations” will be released on August 6th.
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Tokyo Shoseki Co., Ltd. released the book “Pagans: Encyclopedia of Polytheistic Representations” (authored by Ethan Doyle White, Japanese version supervised and translated by Eriko Kasai, translated by Daisuke Sadaki) on August 6, 2024.
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Explanation
A beautiful visual encyclopedia that invites you to the unknown world of Pagan – sacred nature, goddesses and gods, witchcraft,
fortune-telling, and festivals!
A beautiful encyclopedia that introduces history and culture while deciphering the “representations” of the world’s polytheistic beliefs, myths, and iconography of gods. It is richly illustrated with paintings, sculptures, rituals, amulets, and magical tools from many of the religious communities that Christians have labeled as “Pagan.” 450 full-color illustrations. “Although there are significant differences in culture, language, and aesthetics among the many religious communities that Christians have labeled as “pagan,” there are also many recurring characteristics that can be considered side by side. This provides deeper insight into the complexity of human relationships. ” (from the “Introduction” of this book)
Preface: Supervision and translation of the Japanese version Some of you may be seeing the word “Pagan” for the first time. This word does not have exactly the same meaning as the subtitle
“polytheism.” It was sometimes translated as “paganism,” perhaps to imply that it was different from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. But a Pagan is a Pagan. As mentioned throughout this book, there are many people around the world who have such an identity and engage in religion or faith. Pagan in a narrow sense is limited to Europe, but in a broader sense it includes religious traditions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Islam around the world. From this perspective, here you can gain knowledge of and visualize the world of diverse faiths from various eras and regions. Descriptions about Japan can also be found here and there. Because Japan is depicted in relative terms and objectively explained without looking at it in absolute terms, I think you will gain new awareness about things that are familiar to you. Dr. Ethan Doyle White, author of Pagans: The Visual Culture of Pagan Myths, Legends + Rituals (2023), on which this book is based, gave a lecture at University College London in 2019. He holds a PhD in medieval history and archaeology, as well as research in contemporary Pagan practices. When I consulted with him about words he was having trouble translating, he also gave me a message for Japanese readers. I am honored that my book will be translated into Japanese, and I hope that it will be of interest to many readers in this wonderful country. When I visited Japan previously, I was fascinated by the experience of a society that was never dominated by Abrahamic religions, and I really hope to return in the next few years. The words “Abrahamic religion” in the message appear repeatedly after this. This refers to the religions that believed in the God that the prophet Abraham believed in, namely Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. One of the words I found difficult to translate was modern pagan. According to Dr. White, it existed before World War II, so he translated it as “modern Pagan.” The other one is (Old) Norse. Old Norse is Old Norse, and although there is some ambiguity, Norse refers to speakers of Old Norse and their descendants (speakers of Icelandic and Norwegian), but it can also be translated as Old Norse. That’s how I translated it. Also, in the original text, there is a distinction between modern and past pagan, but the translation did not
differentiate between them. I’m sure there are other translations that I’m not familiar with. For example, the country known as “United Kingdom” in Japan consists of the Island of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but the expressions “Britain” (= Great Britain Island) and “Ireland” (= Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) are often used. I’m translating it exactly as it appears. Also, male gods are sometimes simply called “gods,” but basically G(g)oddess refers to goddesses, G(g)od refers to male gods, and (G)gods refers to gods of both sexes. Gods, deity translated as God. Words whose language notation is shown are placed within < [Image 2:
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Author information
author
ethan doyle white
A researcher of pre-Christian European religions and modern Paganism. in Medieval History and Archeology from University College London (UCL). He also serves on the editorial board of the American Academy of Religion’s “Reading Religion” site.
His major publications include Pagans: The Visual Culture of Pagan Myths, Legends and Rituals (Thames & Hudson, 2023), which is the original work of this book, and Wicca: History, Belief and Community in Modern Pagan Witchcraft (Sussex Academic Press 2015). He is also co-editor of Magic and Witchery in the Modern West: Celebrating the Twentieth Anniversary of ‘The Triumph of the Moon’ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).
Japanese version supervisor/translator
Eriko Kawanishi
Assistant Professor, Academic Resources Research and Development Center, National Museum of Ethnology. Majoring in cultural
anthropology and sociology of religion. In particular, his research areas include alternative spirituality, paganism, modern pilgrimage, and spiritualism. Completed doctoral course at Kyoto University Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies. Ph.D. (Human and Environmental Studies). After working as a lecturer at International Fashion College, he assumed his current position.
His major publications include “The Goddess of Glastonbury: An Ethnography of British Alternative Spirituality” (Hozokan, 2015) and “The Anthropology of Sensuality” (co-edited, Nakanishiya Publishing, 2022). , “Sacred Land Pilgrimage Tourism” (Kobundo, 2012), “Modern Religion and Spiritual Markets” (Kobundo, 2020), and “Anthropology of Religiousness” (Hozokan, 2021).
translator
Daisuke Sadaki
Translation business. Dropped out of Waseda University Faculty of Law. Translated books include Oranges of Agony, Blues of Madness by David Murrell (Kashiwasha, 2005), The Hanged Man’s Dozen by David Alexander (Ronsosha, 2006), and Warcraft by Christy Golden. ” (SB Creative, 2016), written by Susanna Cotica and Luca Paparelli, supervised by Masumi Suesaki, “Horse Traditions and Cultures of the World” (Midori Shobo, 2019), “Illustrated Encyclopedia of Tricks and Cheats” by Matthew L. Tompkins: History of Psychics, Psychic Powers, and Illusions (Nikkei National Geographic, 2020), “World History from Assassinations” by John Whittington (Tokyodo Publishing, 2022), and others.
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“Pagans Encyclopedia of Polytheistic Representations”
■Ethan Doyle White/Author Eriko Kasai/Japanese version supervision and translation Daisuke Sadaki/Translator
■List price 4,180 yen (3,800 yen + tax 10%)
■B5 variant/256 pages
https://www.tokyo-shoseki.co.jp/books/81664/