Kinpusen temple
Jon Thumas traveled to Japan this past summer for his Summer Scholars project, “Nature in the Shugendo Amalgam: An Example of Contemporary Japanese Folk Religion”. This was Jon’s first experience with an independent research project and the idea for this project was sparked from a 2009 documentary, Shugendo Now, which looks at the Shugendo tradition in modern times. Jon stayed in the Kii Peninsula in Japan for two and a half weeks where he visited many temples and sacred sites for field work and interviews as well as to be able to observe and participate in some of the customs in order to better understand Shugendo in its own context.
Jon’s faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Marwood Larson-Harris of the Religion and Philosophy department. Dr. Larson-Harris did not travel to Japan as he was in India at the time but Jon points out that they still collaborated closely throughout and that “it was very helpful having someone more familiar with something of this scale”. Dr. Larson-Harris mentions that working one on one with a student is the “best and most rewarding part of being a professor.” Jon also points out that research with a topic in the humanities is similar to research with a topic in science in that “you put forth an initial hypothesis and research, and then the interpretation is grounded in field work and research.” Dr. Larson-Harris notes that “research in the humanities is very challenging because you can’t always know where you will find relevant materials so you have to cast a wide net.”
Jon was able to travel to Japan thanks in part to the Dean’s Travel Fund which he notes is “one of the best ways to go out and do field work…I would strongly encourage students to get out of the library and be within the realm of what you are studying.” The Dean’s Travel Fund allows students the opportunity to request funds to travel to do research or to travel to present research at conferences. You can follow this link to apply for funding: https://tiny.cc/travelfund
Also, please be sure to plan on attending the Roanoke College Student/Faculty Showcase of Research & Creativity Friday, September 28 from 6-8pm in Smoyer Gallery, Olin Hall. Jon will be among one of the many students there showcasing research.
Ryusen temple