2023-2025 Shinjo Ito Postdoctoral Fellow in Japanese Buddhism
Dr. Lazzerini received her Ph.D in Religious Studies from Stanford University in 2023. Her dissertation, “Mother of Demons and Dharma Protector: Tracing Hārītī’s Worship in East Asia,” explores the different manifestations and worship of the goddess Hārītī in China and Japan, covering a period spanning from the fourth century CE to modern times.
Before completing her Ph.D., Simona spent a year in Japan doing fieldwork in Nichiren temples with the generous support of BDK (Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai 仏教伝道協会). Simona’s fields of interest include demonology, female deities, East Asian visual...