Politics and Religion in Modern Japan : Red Sun, White Lotus

Politics and Religion in Modern Japan addresses crucial religious, socio-political and cultural issues raised by the troubled relationship between religion and the Japanese state from the mid-nineteenth century until the present day. It analyzes political dynamics of both of the two major Japanese religious traditions: the 'red sun' of national Shinto as well as the 'white lotus' of Buddhism. From a richly diverse range of disciplinary perspectives, the authors illuminate the overall history of modern Japanese political religion, while also focusing in depth on certain key moments and issues: the Meiji Restoration, the fascist 1930s, the postwar age of new religions, the Yasukuni Shrine controversy, and two major incidents of religiopolitical violence in late twentieth century Japan. The work will appeal to students and scholars of Japanese politics, religion, history, literature, and culture, as well as to anyone interested in the currently pressing topic of the relation between politics and religion in the modern world. Preface : the transdisciplinary significance of Red Sun, White Lotus / Roger Griffin Introduction : politics and religion in Japan / Roy Starrs Ritual, purity and power : rethinking Shinto in restoration Japan / Yijiang Zhong The Mikado's august body : 'divinity' and 'corporeality' of the Meiji emperor and the ideological construction of imperial rule / Kyu Hyun Kim Does Shinto history 'begin at Kuroda'? : on the historical continuities of political Shinto / Klaus Antoni Sada Kaiseki : an alternative discourse on Buddhism, modernity, and nationalism in the early Meiji period / Fabio Rambelli Carry the Buddha out into the street! : a sliver of resistance to Japanese militarism / Brian Daizen Victoria The atmosphere of conversion in interwar Japan / Alan Tansman A naked public square? : religion and politics in imperial Japan / Kevin M. Doak 'The Gakkai is faith, the Komeito is action' : Soka Gakkai and 'Buddhist politics' / Erica Baffelli From Mishima to Aum : religiopolitical violence in late twentieth-century Japan / Roy Starrs Voices of rage : a critical approach to the problem of Yasukuni / John Breen Afterword : a comparative glance at politics and religion in Japan / Prasenjit Duara. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction: Politics and Religion in Japan....Pages 1-27 Ritual, Purity, and Power: Rethinking Shinto in Restoration Japan....Pages 28-53 The Mikado’s August Body: ‘Divinity’ and ‘Corporeality’ of the Meiji Emperor and the Ideological Construction of Imperial Rule....Pages 54-83 Does Shinto History ‘Begin at Kuroda’? On the Historical Continuities of Political Shinto....Pages 84-103 Sada Kaiseki: An Alternative Discourse on Buddhism, Modernity, and Nationalism in the Early Meiji Period....Pages 104-142 Carry the Buddha out into the Street! A Sliver of Buddhist Resistance to Japanese Militarism....Pages 143-161 The Atmosphere of Conversion in Interwar Japan....Pages 162-184 A Naked Public Square? Religion and Politics in Imperial Japan....Pages 185-215 ‘The Gakkai is Faith; the Kōmeitō is Action’: Sōka Gakkai and ‘Buddhist Politics’....Pages 216-239 From Mishima to Aum: Religio-political Violence in Late Twentieth-Century Japan....Pages 240-277 Voices of Rage: Six Paths to the Problem of Yasukuni....Pages 278-304 Afterword: A Comparative Glance at Politics and Religion in Modern Japan....Pages 305-313 Back Matter....Pages 315-331 Written by leading scholars in the field, this book provides new insights, based on original research, into the full spectrum of modern Japanese political-religious activity: from the prewar uses of Shinto in shaping the modern imperial nation-state to the postwar 'new religions' that have challenged the power of the political establishment. This text addresses crucial religious, socio-political and cultural issues raised by the troubled relationship between religion and the Japanese state from the mid-19th century until the present day