IMPURE GENDERS: THE QUESTION OF FEMININE FILTH IN JAPANESE RELIGIONS Analysing the place of women, or perhaps more specifically ‘the feminine’ in Japanese religions requires an awareness of the multitudinous ways in which gender affects religious practice: ‘at the level of individuals, institutions, and discourses in religions of modern and contemporary Japan’ (Schrimpf, 2015, p. 1). Ergo, it is crucial to think beyond doctrinal commentaries or interpretations on – or of - Religious Practice in Japan: Texts, Rituals and Believers 15PSRC071 552695 Lucia Dolce Assignment 1 Word Count:3,615