Paper short abstract:

This presentation examines how Mikkyō (Japanese esoteric Buddhism) was reevaluated and reinterpreted under the apocalyptic mood of 1970s Japan, especially with regard to the group titled the “Association of Priests for Death-cursing the Head of Companies that Pollute [the Environment].”

Paper long abstract:

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the public perception of pollution-related issues (kōgai mondai) such as the Minamata and Itai-itai diseases became very prominent, as did the realization that such environmental problems were the result of a modern civilization that put too much emphasis on materialism. In addition to these domestic issues, the ongoing Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States gave the Japanese a very keen sense of crisis, which culminated, in 1973, with the publication and popular success of a series of apocalypse-themed works, such as Komatsu Sakyō’s Japan Sinks (Nihon chinbotsu), and Gotō Ben’s The Great Prophecies of Nostradamus (Nosutoradamus no daiyogen). In the context leading to the publication of these very popular books, a group named the “Association of Priests for Death-cursing the Head of Companies that Pollute [the Environment]” (Kōgai kigyōnushi jusatsu kitō sōdan) was founded to denounce those companies that caused harm to Japanese society. Established in 1970 by priests of different Buddhist schools as well as members of civil society, this group repurposed traditional Mikkyō —Japanese esoteric Buddhism— as a weapon for protesting not only against polluting businesses, but also the Japanese state that supported them. For instance, members of this association reinterpreted the figure of Fudō Myōō (Skt. Acala), one of the fiercest dharma-protecting Buddhist deities. In their perspective, only Fudō Myōō could respond to the sorrow and anger of the population who had perished due to pollution-related illnesses. This association also developed ideological connections with the contemporary student movement, styling themselves as a “Zenkyōtō of the Dead.” Considering Mikkyō’s long-term association with “Aristocratic Buddhism,” the association’s interpretation of Esoteric Buddhism as a religion for the unprivileged people marks an important shift in modern Mikkyō discourses. In this presentation, I will explore the historical meaning of the association’s ideas and activities, especially how their emphasis on the revolutionary possibilities of Esoteric Buddhism’s magical aspects in an era of pending apocalypse contributed to Mikkyō’s postwar revival and the development of the 1970s’ “Occult Boom.”