Spatial Structure of Japanese Religion - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 128

3.2.6 Discussion

This study of the religious catchment area has developed from folklore and the sci-
ence of religion. Miyata ( 1970 ) suggested that the catchment area of mountain reli-
gion has a zonal structure. However, subsequent studies describe a process of the
formation, development and form of each religion and take little interest in the
distribution of believers. Few studies have described the distribution of religion
from a spatial viewpoint. Geographers have tried to defi ne religious catchment
areas since the 1980s; for example, Iwahana ( 1981 , 1983a , b , 1992 ) and Nagano
( 1987 ). These authors described the spatial characteristics of the religious spheres
of Mts. Dewa-sanzan, Togakushi, Iwaki, Hiko , and Tsukuba. However, it is not suf-
fi cient to reveal the spatial structure of a religious catchment area, and we should
ask if the catchment area has zonal structure, and if so, and how far each zone is
from the religion center.
This information is superfi cial, and we also need to clarify the spatial structure of
the religious catchment area by analyzing an aspect of some religions at the same
time. Many rural communities in Japan are home to many religions, and we need to
clarify the relation between religions and regions. In this section, I have demon-
strated the spatial structure of the religious catchment area by comparing the
Kanamura faith with other faiths, and I was able to explain the area differentiation
of the religious catchment area.

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