Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

This paper reconsiders narratives of "modern Buddhism" in Japanese scholarship, focusing on the historiography of the field. By examining earlier foundational works, the paper aims to review how the modernization perspective is applied and to explore moments that complicate it from within.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines and problematizes the narrative of "modern Buddhism" in recent studies of Buddhism in modern Japan.

Since the 2000s, "modern Buddhism" studies in Japan have made significant progress in terms of both research objects and scope, and continue to develop in various directions, with some critical reflection on the very idea of "modern Buddhism" itself.

Considering what has been assumed to be "modern," some have already pointed out a modernization perspective characterized by that presupposes an evolutionary, progressive model of religion in the field, sometimes prioritizing the inner ethics or spirituality of the individual over the social and institutional activities of religious organizations. While this emphasis is understandable given the history of relations between the state and religious organizations—especially during the wartime period—it is notable that no major alternative perspectives have been presented.

To seek possible alternatives for writing the history of Buddhism in modern Japan, this paper will revisit some foundational works on "modern Buddhism," such as those by Ikeda Eishun, who pioneered research on the interaction between Buddhists and Christians in modern Japan, to reconsider their narrative frameworks and also to identify latent possibilities that complicate the modernization perspective.

These reflections must be made in light of the modernization perspective in the historiography of religion in general in the postwar period, which, to some extent, was established as a standard by historians of Christianity in modern Japan. This paper will consider the uniqueness of writing the history of Buddhism in modern Japan compared with writing the history of other religious traditions, such as Christianity and new religions in the same period.

Additionally, as Yoshinaga Shin'ichi and others already pointed out, one of the important developments in the field is to situate Buddhism in modern Japan within the dynamics of global Buddhism in the same period. This paper will examine the continuity and discontinuity between the narratives of "modern Buddhism" in Japanese scholarship and those of "Buddhist modernism" in anglophone works, aiming to offer a comparative examination of the historiographies and to seek better alternative(s) for writing the history of religions in modern Japan.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

The presentation examines five museums founded by Japanese NRMs, conceptualizing the museum as a medium of religion. It shows how NRMs use the art museum format to communicate religious doctrines, practices, and worldviews through not only exhibits, but also architecture, and geography.

Paper long abstract

For the past decades, Japanese New Religious Movements (NRM) have become active participants in civil society. Incorporating secular institutional forms, they not only show interests in schools and universities, but also employ the educational potential of museums.

Within religious studies research, museums have long been of interest. Approaches of material religion explore the (re)contextualization of religious objects and their employment as historical, ethnographic, or aesthetic specimens in order to disseminate knowledge about religion.

My research investigates five museums founded and curated by NRM. Drawing on the close reading and analysis of museum ephemera, participant observations, and museum visits, as well as ethnographic encounters and formal interviews with staff, curators, and practitioners on site, I show that these organizations employ the seemingly impartial and secular format of the art museum to reflect on religious doctrines, practices, and worldviews. Rather than relying on the presentation of religiously significant objects, meaning is not only embedded in the exhibits, but also in the museum format itself.

As my findings show, the curating organisations envision their museums as singular experiences to be presented to prospective visitors. Among the deliberate choices made in founding a museum, geography and architecture are as important as the collection and curation of objects. Spatial interactions beyond the boundaries of the museum building include the proximity to places of religious significance, the interaction of architecture and nature in accordance with religious doctrine, and the placement of museum buildings within whole neighbourhoods dominated by the respective NRM.

This approach not only sheds light on the motivations and strategies of religious organisations employing the institutional format of the museum, but also invites us to consider how architecture and geography contribute to the lasting appeal of museums in the 21st century.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

I examine wartime Japanese religion-state relations through the lens of Konkōkyō, a Japanese new religion and Shinto sect. I focus on the state’s role in resolving Konkōkyō’s internal conflicts to show how the Religious Organizations Law of 1939 was not just oppressive but potentially liberative.

Paper long abstract

This paper analyzes religion-state relations in wartime Japan (1931-1945) through a case study of Konkōkyō, a Japanese religious organization founded in 1859. Although traditionally classified as a new religion and/or folk religion, in 1900, Konkōkyō obtained recognition as a Sect Shinto religion under the Meiji state. While some new religions, such as Ōmotokyō and Sōka Gakkai, faced violent state persecution in wartime Japan, Konkōkyō expanded at this time, becoming one of the largest Sect Shinto groups by the end of WWII. However, in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Konkōkyō became embroiled in a series of internal conflicts and media scandals that threatened the group’s survival. My paper shows how Konkōkyō leaders utilized the Religious Organizations Law (hereafter ROL) of 1939 to demand state intervention in internal affairs and resolve these conflicts.

In traditional English-language scholarship, the ROL of 1939 has often been dismissed as a wartime measure to oppress religious organizations. Konkōkyō’s case reveals a complicated dynamic: For Konkōkyō leaders caught in an internal stalemate, the ROL was a surprisingly fortuitous event. The ROL’s requirement for a new charter enabled Konkōkyō leaders to push for internal reforms, including a more democratic leadership selection process. Konkōkyō utilized the ROL as a reason to demand Ministry intervention in Konkōkyō’s internal affairs. State religious policy changes such as the ROL of 1939 necessitated increased communication exchanges between religious organizations and the state, opening the door for Konkōkyō leaders to use such policies as an impetus for drastic internal reforms. Konkōkyō faction leaders leveraged the ROL’s pressure to comply and the threat of potential disbandment to end internal disputes.

This paper demonstrates how historical case studies of particular religious organizations complicate understandings of wartime Japan and state religious policy. Many studies rely on established narratives that focus on state oppression of marginalized groups. While the historical experience of Ōmotokyō and other persecuted organizations show the danger that the Japanese wartime state and police posed toward so-called new religions, a case study of Konkōkyō suggests a more complex, diverse array of religion-state relations that challenges dominant narratives in the field.