Query: Secondary literature on Kara Kami

[Jason Josephson]

Greetings.

I'm working on very short section of a chapter on "Kara kami" variously written  韓神,漢神. I know that this deity (or class of deities) is referred to in the Kojiki, Shoku Nihongi, the Nihonryoiki,  and a prohibition describing sacrificing oxen to it is recorded in the Ruiju Sandai kyaku and elsewhere. I'm trying to think a little bit more about why it may have been banned. The conventional explanation offered that animal sacrifices were "foreign to Japan" is clearly bunk as various texts like the Engishiki recommend deer sacrifices. The explanation that it was banned because Emperor Kanmu was born in the year of the ox seems possible but ultimately unsatisfying. Also, 9th century banns in China don't work as explanations for earlier periods of Japanese history. So I'd appreciate suggestions about why ox sacrifices may have been outlawed and why Kara kami might have fallen into disrepute in this context.

Regardless, however, I'm even looking for secondary literature on Kara Kami (or the Japanese ban ox sacrifices) in Japanese, English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, or Dutch. Unfortunately, my normal electronic search methods produce too many false hits. 

Thanks in advance!

--

Jason Ānanda Josephson

Assistant Professor of Religion

Williams College

302 North Academic Building

85 Mission Park Drive

Williamstown, MA 01267

email: Jason.J...@williams.edu

[Greve Gabi]

園神と韓神の資料
http://homepage2.nifty.com/mino-sigaku/page264.html

as KIGO for haiku
Sonokarakami Matsuri 園韓神祭 (そのからかみまつり) Court Ceremony
Sonokara Futakami no Matsuri 園韓両神祭（そのからふたかみのまつり）、
Sonokami Matsuri 園神祭（そのかみまつり）、Karakami Matsuri 韓神祭（からかみまつり）

I have to check about this a bit more!
Gabi