Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no Kai

The small town of Minamata is infamous for the industrial disease named after the city. This disease resulted from having ingested methyl mercury, a substance released for more than three decades by a factory owned by the Chisso Corporation. Upon entering the human body, mercury affects the nervous...

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Main Author: Yuki Miyamoto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-05-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/5/166
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spelling doaj-01e7ae38baa34b8a9588438aae2ed6752020-11-24T21:19:51ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442018-05-019516610.3390/rel9050166rel9050166Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no KaiYuki Miyamoto0Department of Religious Studies, DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60614, USAThe small town of Minamata is infamous for the industrial disease named after the city. This disease resulted from having ingested methyl mercury, a substance released for more than three decades by a factory owned by the Chisso Corporation. Upon entering the human body, mercury affects the nervous system, resulting in paralysis, and often leading to a slow death. Examining how such violence was inflicted on human beings and on the environment involves a complex array of economic, environmental, and sociocultural issues, all revolving around the notions of justice and responsibility. This article analyzes the local residents’ responses to the irreparable damage done to them, focusing in particular on the thoughts and actions put forward by Ogata Masato and a group called Hongan no kai, who chose to carve bodhisattva statues. Investigating the victims’ religiosity, the author argues that the praxis put forward by the Minamata people resonates with the perspective articulated by Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben. After having witnessed how justice had been exhausted and their case had been lost in the Japanese legal system, the victims showed their resilience in coming up with original responses, which also offer valuable insight into current discussions centered on environmental ethics.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/5/166environmental violencenonviolent responseMinamata diseasemercury poisoningChisso corporationmoral responsibilityethicsGiorgio AgambenJizō bodhisattva statuesjustice
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Yuki Miyamoto
spellingShingle Yuki Miyamoto
Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no Kai
Religions
environmental violence
nonviolent response
Minamata disease
mercury poisoning
Chisso corporation
moral responsibility
ethics
Giorgio Agamben
Jizō bodhisattva statues
justice
author_facet Yuki Miyamoto
author_sort Yuki Miyamoto
title Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no Kai
title_short Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no Kai
title_full Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no Kai
title_fullStr Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no Kai
title_full_unstemmed Environmental Violence in Minamata: Responsibility, Resistance, and Religiosity in the Case of Ogata Masato and Hongan no Kai
title_sort environmental violence in minamata: responsibility, resistance, and religiosity in the case of ogata masato and hongan no kai
publisher MDPI AG
series Religions
issn 2077-1444
publishDate 2018-05-01
description The small town of Minamata is infamous for the industrial disease named after the city. This disease resulted from having ingested methyl mercury, a substance released for more than three decades by a factory owned by the Chisso Corporation. Upon entering the human body, mercury affects the nervous system, resulting in paralysis, and often leading to a slow death. Examining how such violence was inflicted on human beings and on the environment involves a complex array of economic, environmental, and sociocultural issues, all revolving around the notions of justice and responsibility. This article analyzes the local residents’ responses to the irreparable damage done to them, focusing in particular on the thoughts and actions put forward by Ogata Masato and a group called Hongan no kai, who chose to carve bodhisattva statues. Investigating the victims’ religiosity, the author argues that the praxis put forward by the Minamata people resonates with the perspective articulated by Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben. After having witnessed how justice had been exhausted and their case had been lost in the Japanese legal system, the victims showed their resilience in coming up with original responses, which also offer valuable insight into current discussions centered on environmental ethics.
topic environmental violence
nonviolent response
Minamata disease
mercury poisoning
Chisso corporation
moral responsibility
ethics
Giorgio Agamben
Jizō bodhisattva statues
justice
url http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/5/166
work_keys_str_mv AT yukimiyamoto environmentalviolenceinminamataresponsibilityresistanceandreligiosityinthecaseofogatamasatoandhongannokai
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