Central to the human experience both as a definer of identity and as a means for social interaction, bodies - real or imagined, individual or collective - are also essential to our per-ception of what surrounds us. Starting with the earlest records of human expression, bodies have been at the core of manifold discourses spanning from epistemology and religion to art and literature, creating connections between the myriad aspects of human experience while separating the phenomenal and the metaphysical realms. At the same time, they have also functioned as a privileged site for practices aimed at controlling, disciplining, and punishing individuals, groups of people, or entire nations. This volume brings together scholars from philosophy, art history, literature, linguistics, gen-der studies, religious studies, and history to discuss discourses and practices connected with the body as they relate to Japan.