Paper short abstract:

Why religions in Japan remained relevant in a secularist state? This paper argues that weekly and monthly papers revolutionized religious proselytism in the 1920s and 1930s, becoming the most adequate outlets for self-legitimization and expansion of religions in twentieth-century Japan.

Paper long abstract:

In the early twentieth century, religions risked becoming irrelevant because of the pressure to conform to the international standards of the modern nation, in which science-based thought was considered superior and more adequate to the new era. However, religious organizations found a way to legitimize their belief systems in modern Japan and potentially attract new followers: regular publishing. By the 1930s, magazines had become a medium of national mass consumption. Production and distribution of religious magazines/newspapers started as early as the 1890s but became widespread only after the 1920s. Recently, scholarship on media and religions has focused particularly on digital media, often overlooking the role of print, especially in the case of newer religions (known in religious studies as New Religions and New-New Religions) which became popular in the 1900s. Yet, to understand the dynamics behind the growth of New Religions, it is imperative to explore the historical significance of print media in shaping their success.

By investigating the history and content of newspapers and magazines published by three New Religions (Tenrikyō, Ōmoto, and Kurozumikyō), I argue that increased circulation of monthly and weekly papers in the late Taishō (1912 – 1926) and early Shōwa (1926 – 1989) Japan became the base for a revolution in proselytism and helped religions maintain currency. This paper concludes that religious propaganda underwent a revolution for three main reasons: 1) to answer the demand coming from a modern society of consumers by adapting to the market requests: i.e. people loved magazines, religious organizations provided them; 2) subscription-based papers eliminated the necessity of proximity to conduct propaganda, facilitating national (and even international) scale expansion through doorstep delivery service; 3) finally, magazines and newspapers dethroned (Buddhist) scriptures from their long-held monopoly of religious print by providing fresh content, being affordable enough to attract followers, and especially conveying religious teachings in a light, palatable format while also creating print-based religious communities.

[Note: this paper is based on a chapter from my in-progress doctoral dissertation on religious publishing in the twentieth century, which touches upon three periods (the early 1930s, early 1960s, and late 1980s)]