Paper short abstract:

This paper considers the development of theories of 'religious music' in Meiji era public discourse. In particular it examines the influence of Protestant Christian music making on Japanese Buddhist communities, and the ways that religious developed in relation to the Japanese nation state.

Paper long abstract:

The reintroduction of Christianity into Japan in the early Meiji era profoundly affected the musical practices of Japanese Buddhist communities. The widespread dissemination of Protestant Christian hymns from the early 1870s provided a strong incentive for Japanese Buddhist organizations to provide what Mervyn McLean has termed an 'adjustive response' (McLean 1986) to Protestant musical culture. Buddhist organizations quickly began to produce 'Bukkyō shōka' (Buddhist educational songs), and a new organization, the Bukkyō shōka-kai (Buddhist educational song group) published the first collection of new Buddhist songs in 1889. Within the context of these new musical activities, attempts also began to theorize the proper relationship between music, Buddhism, and religion in general, and how 'religious music' might fit within the contexts of individual religious life and the Japanese nation state. The earliest extended thesis of this kind came in 1894 with the publication of the Jōdo sect priest Iwai Chikai's (1863-1942) monograph Bukkyō Ongaku-ron (theory of Buddhist music). Iwai was schooled in Christianity and Western music theory, and his wide learning is reflected in his writing. Iwai's emphasis on Indian music reflects a more general interest in India among Japanese Buddhist thinkers from the late 19th century onwards. Following Iwai's initial monograph, we can see the development of conceptions of religious music both within religious publications and in the popular press. Wada Daien's extended article in the Shingon Buddhist newspaper Rokudai Shinpō in 1909, for example, positions Japanese Buddhist music within the context of world religious traditions. Conversely, non-religious publications such as the music magazine Ongaku no Tomo frequently featured articles by religious figures such as the Japanese Christians Ebina Danjō and Uchimura Kanzō that explored the importance of religious faith for secular music-making.

In this paper I examine the development of concepts of 'religious music' in Meiji era public discourse. I examine the period as one of vigorous exchange between various religious communities in Japan, and one that produced a discourse that frequently transcended individual religious sects, while developing ideas of the relationship between music, religion, and Japanese national identity.