日本皇民化運動對臺灣佛教的衝擊=A Study of the Impact on Taiwanese Buddhism under Japanese Colonial Policy Based on Politics of Identity Formation during the Colonial Period.
Buddhism is founded in the late 6th century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama (the "Buddha"). It began to spread southwards from its place of origin in northern India to China in Han dynasty. After that, it has being flourished in China since then. Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the Chinese people, affecting their literature, aesthetics, philosophy and culture and has become part of Chinese culture. The inclusiveness of Buddhism makes it overcome the barriers of different countries and cultures. It is always able to grow up new thoughts and move forward. There must be many issues to explore and discuss during the process. The background of this study is Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period. And it focuses on the interaction of the policy of 「Japanization」 and the Buddhism. There are three main issues in this study: The development of Buddhism in Taiwan before and after Japanese colonial period、「Japanization」 and its policy of religion, and the challenges Buddhism facing under 「Japanization.」 1. The development of Buddhism in Taiwan before and after Japanese colonial period: We analyze the religious situation of Taiwan during Qing Dynasty and Japan's attitude towards Taiwanese religions after Japan took over Taiwan. 2. 「Japanization」 and its religious policy：We discuss the content of 「Japanization」, its Implementation steps, how 「Shinto」 affected Japanese religious policy through 「Japanization,」 and the role of Japanese Buddhism in Taiwan. 3. The challenges Buddhism facing under 「Japanization」: We analyze how all the temples in Taiwan retained strength during the『The movement in researching and registering Taiwanese temples', how Japanese Buddhism affected Taiwanese Buddhism, and the difficulties that Zhaijiao faced when it spread. This study is based on the three points above to discuss how 「Japanization」 affected all the religions in Taiwan during Japanese colonial period. Also, it investigates how the Buddhism in Taiwan, Japan, and China bred the unique characteristics of Taiwanese Buddhism.
