Katō Totsudō 加藤咄堂; religious studies; Japanese religion; Buddhism; Asia–Pacific War; view of life and death; preparing to die
摘要
This paper argues how the study of religion in Japan influenced the nation’s conduct during the Asia-Pacific War (1931–1945). Specifically, the paper addresses the wartime national indoctrination texts of Katō Totsudō 加藤咄堂 (a.k.a. Katō Yūichirō 加藤熊一郎, 1870–1949). Although Katō was not strictly a religious scholar, analyzing Katō’s texts is significant in understanding the influence of religious theory and religious studies discourse on Japanese society during the war. To illustrate this point, this paper introduces previous studies that have discussed the movements of religious scholars during the war. It then clarifies the significance of discussing Katō’s texts, followed by an introduction to what has been revealed about Katō so far. The paper then examines Katō’s wartime texts that discuss the relationship between war, faith and the readiness to die. The East–West comparison of views of life and death used by Katō was characterized as a wartime application of comparative religion. It was intended to emphasize Japan’s superiority over other countries. Such features agitated Japanese readers to proactively enter the fight to the death through spiritual mobilization in a total war system.
目次
Abstract 1 Keywords 1 1. Introduction 1 2. Background of the Research Question 2 3. Previous Research on Katō Totsudō 4 4. War and Faith 5 4.1. “Immortal Belief Even after Death” 6 4.2. “Belief in a Divine Japan” 6 4.3. “The Buddhist View of War” 7 4.4. “Samurai and Faith” and “Emerging Spirit and Faith” 8 5. Confronting Death 9 6. Conclusions 10 Notes 10 References 11
