Isomae Jun’ichi is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Japan Women’s University.
關鍵詞
"Japanese Religion"; westernization; indigenization; transcendence; Emperor system
摘要
The term “Japanese religion” was first coined by Anesaki Masaharu in 1907 for readers of English, and then introduced into Japanese society. Originally, this term has a dual meaning: one refers to a unified religion particular to Japan, the other refers to the diverse religions in Japan. The former is exclusive, the latter is inclusive. Most Japanese scholars have deliberately avoided the term in the former, exclusive, sense. In their research they have, at times, understood Japanese religion in the latter sense. The discourse on “Japanese religion” becomes a dialogical and hybrid space between diverse religions that have existed in Japan as a result of the dynamic movement of exchange and conflict between Westernization and indigenization within religious traditions— Christianity, Buddhism, Shinto, new religions, and folk religions. Through such an attempt to deconstruct “Japanese Religion,” the exclusive sense can be clarified in contrast to the inclusive, heterogeneous sense.
