Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses the meanings attributed to pilgrimage in The Japan Times (TJT), a private Japanese-run English-language newspaper founded in Tokyo in 1897, from the moment of its inception to 1933.

Paper long abstract:

This paper analyses the meanings attributed to pilgrimage in The Japan Times (TJT), a private Japanese-run English-language newspaper founded in Tokyo in 1897, from the moment of its inception to 1933. TJT emphasized Japanese perspectives and pursued an agenda of modernization and promotion of the country. Until 1933, TJT was a private Japanese institution that largely conducted its own affairs, while not enjoying full-fledged autonomy. In 1933, however, TJT came under intense government control, and mostly became a mouthpiece of the state. The purpose of this paper is to examine the approach of TJT towards pilgrimage as a hybrid voice during the time that it was separate from the state while connected to it by a network of ties.

During this period, TJT reported and commented abundantly on all types of pilgrimage events. These included cases of court and government pilgrimage, mass pilgrimage on specific occasions, such as New Year or the cold season (kanmairi), and to destinations such as Mount Fuji, and individual pilgrimage to various places. TJT also included articles that analysed specific situations of pilgrimage in Japan from an abstract perspective. In these many references, three aspects stood out in terms of the approach towards the topic. One was the frequent identification and condemnation of superstition as a component of popular pilgrimage. Another was the association of pilgrimage with rationality. A third was the inclusion of elements of morality in the description of individual cases of pilgrimage. It is the intention of this paper to scrutinize these streaks and to understand whether, in this respect, TJT was ultimately acting as an echo of the state.