- 著者
-
呉 佩遥
- 出版者
- 宗教哲学会
- 雑誌
- 宗教哲学研究 (ISSN:02897105)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.39, pp.60-73, 2022 (Released:2022-06-05)
During the mid-Meiji period, the narrative that Buddhism was corrupt, and thus had to be “reformed” to suit modern times, became a growing trend. While previous scholarship has focused on several prominent individuals who engaged in the discourse on the “reform” of Buddhism such as Inoue Enryō and Nakanishi Ushirō, this paper explores how the discourse spread to local Buddhist communities and was interpreted in various ways through Buddhist media.
Specifically, this paper focuses on the discourse on the “reform” of Buddhism in the journal Ryōchikai Zasshi, which was established in 1884 and aimed at the philosophical studies of Buddhism. Furthermore, this paper examines how the idea of “reform” was conceived by a lay Buddhist named Tajima Shōji (1852-1909), a renowned journalist and intellectual during this period. Based on the understanding of “religion” as “mokujūkyō” which emphasized obedience to a god, Tajima predicted the decline of Buddhism, with the belief that it could not attract the faith (shinkō) of people. It is noteworthy that with the emphasis on the element of shin in the teaching of Shinshū, Tajima considered this denomination along with Christianity to be the most suitable “religion” for modern Japanese society. Therefore, the cases of the Ryōchikai Zasshi and the work of Tajima reveal the dynamism of the debate of the “reform” of Buddhism, as well as the multifaceted relationship between this discourse and changing views towards Christianity in the mid-Meiji period.