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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.