513. Ishikawa Rikizan

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513. Ishikawa Rikizan

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• Arts

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• Publié par: iwudawap
• Nombre de lectures: 55
• Langue: Français

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Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1998 25/1–2

The Social Response of Buddhists to the Modernization of Japan The Contrasting Lives of Two Sõtõ Zen Monks

I SHIKAAW Rikizan Íëj[

What was the response of Sõtõ Buddhist priests to the social situation fac- ing Japan at the beginning of the twentieth century? What inµuence did their religious background have on their responses to the modernization of Japan? This article examines the lives and thought of two Japanese Sõtõ Buddhist priests–Takeda Hanshi and Uchiyama Gudõ–both with the same religious training and tradition, yet who chose diametrically opposite responses. Takeda Hanshi supported Japan’s foreign policies, especially in Korea; Uchiyama opposed Japanese nationalism and militarism, and was executed for treason. What led them to such opposite responses, and what conclusions can be drawn concerning the inµuence of religious traditions on speci³c individual choices and activities?

T HE MEIJI GOVERNMENT , having put an end to the Tokugawabakuhan system through militar y force and thus bringing about the Meiji Restoration, turned its efforts to catching up with the West. Among the measures it took to modernize and strengthen Japanese society were the establishment of a new system of education, the enactment of a new law regulating family registration, and the preparation of an entirely new legal system. It also reformed the industrial structure, forced the adoption of capitalism, expanded the reach of the military, and promoted the concept of a uni³ed nation-state. At the same time

* This essay,ÕûuCÖ5o[îéuçlíÁñ—Ì^ug…7Ru´S¾¤°^m, was written by Ishikawa Rikizan for this special issue of theJapanese Journal of Religious Studiesshortly before his untimely death in the summer of 1997. It was translated into English by Paul L. Swanson. We would like to thank Kumamoto EininhûÄ^of the Institute for Sõtõ Zen Studies at Komazawa University for assisting us with proofreading the translation and check- ing the readings of proper names in the absence of the author.

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Japanese Journal of Religious Studies25/1–2

the ideal of moder nization, succeeded in reviving the ancient politi - cal system based on the unity of r eligion and state (ø©sO) and the autocratic sovereignty of the emperor. The combined forces of these initiatives resulted in, among other things, the development of State Shinto, the rise of ultranationalism, and the adoption of a policy of colonization. Heading down the r oad to imperialism and nationalism, Japan r ushed into wars of aggr ession, another undeniable par t of Japan’s modernization. The policy of the Meiji gover nment with regard to religion began to take shape with the promulgation of the Edict for Distinguishing between Kami and Buddhas (Shinbutsu hanzen r eiP[|5|) on 28 March 1868. The stor my and often violent movements to separate the kami and the buddhas (shinbutsu bunriP[_?) and to reject and destroy Buddhism in Japanese society (haibutsu kishaku/[8ö) that followed had a strong social and economic impact on Buddhist or gan- izations that shook them to their foundations. Then came the Move - ment to Promulgate the Great Teaching (Taikyõ senpu undõØîè+ ±{which aimed to disseminate the Shinto teachings center),  on ed the emperor, and the establishment of the Shinto-Buddhist Daikyõ-in Øespectorgan for teaching the Japanese people to r, the  the kami and love their countr y (keishin aikoku’P(³), to learn the divine principles and way of humanity (tenri jindõú7^Š), and to learn to revere the emperor and obey the regime (kõjõ hõtai chõshi jun- shuyî´þ†Š†!) as proclaimed in the Three Standards of Instruc- tion (Sanjõ no kyõsokuXûÖî’). The Buddhist world was buf feted and tossed about by the policies of the gover nment. The Daikyõ-in organization was abandoned in May of 1875, bringing an end to their promulgations, but the damage was done. The Buddhist world had experienced a sense of helplessness and defeat at the hands of a pow - erful state authority, and for a long time thereafter continued to be mesmerized by the imperial system. The academic study of Buddhism in post-Tokugawa Japan quickly incorporated the textual studies and methods of W estern Buddhology and made great strides in developing moder n Buddhist research. The doctrinal and sectarian studies of the sectarian Buddhist or ganiza- tions, however, continued to languish. During the ³fteen years that Japan was at war, the teachings of the sectarian Buddhist or ganizations (sometimes called the “war time doctrines”ì´î¿) were for the most part developed under the principles of the moder n emperor system, best represented by an interpretation of the “two tr uths theor y” (shin- zoku nitai ronOšÌáÇ) which justi³ed submission to the “imperial law” as an expression of the “Buddhist law.” Some famous examples of h r r li h r h r hi i i n f r in m n l