From June 26–28, 2025, PhD candidate Joe Decker joined Lewis & Clark College’s Kumano Kodo excursion, an optional part of their summer overseas study program Art and Religion in Korea and Japan. Led by Professors Jessie Starling (Japanese Religion) and Dawn Odell (East Asian Art History), the program brought 16 participants—including students, faculty, and family members—on a three-day immersive journey along one of Japan’s famous pilgrimage routes.
During the excursion, Decker delivered a lecture on the religious and cultural significance of pilgrimage in the Kii Peninsula, highlighting the Kumano region’s syncretic traditions and UNESCO World Heritage designation. He guided students up Daimonzaka, through Seiganto-ji and Nachi Taisha, offering insights into the cultural landscape and historical and contemporary development of theses sacred sites.
On the final day, Decker accompanied the group on a hike over the Magose-toge pass, a forested section of the Iseji route traditionally used by pilgrims traveling to Kumano. This immersive experience gave students a rare chance to engage with pilgrimage as a living cultural tradition that shapes landscapes, identities, and rural revitalization. Walking the trail, visiting sacred sites, and learning from local guides allowed them to witness firsthand how religion, heritage-making, and rural life intersect in contemporary Japan.
The excursion and Decker’s involvement were featured in local newspapers, highlighting the significance of such educational pilgrimages in fostering cross-cultural understanding and heritage preservation.
The College of Arts