Conflict and Integration of Confucianism and Religions in Modern Japan

Dear Colleagues,

Between 2020 and 2021, Nihon Shunsha published the six-volume History of Religions in Modern Japan, edited by Susumu Shimazuma, Bunmeishi Sueki, Eiichi Otani, and Akira Nishimura. This set of books examines modern Japanese history since the end of the Edo shogunate and the Meiji Restoration period from a religious perspective, with extensive attention devoted to the development trends of Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity, and emerging religions, providing theoretical materials for the overall grasp of profound changes in the religious and ideological fields of modern Japan (2020-2021); however, due to the long-standing debate on whether Confucianism is a religion or not in Chinese and Japanese history, as well as the changes in the shape of Confucianism since the modern era, the book does not explicitly take Japanese Confucianism as the object of research and study. Despite this, as Chinese scholar Yuebing Liu points out, Confucianism is “the prerequisite and fundamental existence of modern Japanese intellectual history”, and, as "a submerged current that surges in the depths of various currents of thought", it plays "an unignorable historical role" in modern Japan (2003). Therefore, based on the perspective of Confucianism, a discussion of the conflict and integration between Confucianism and various religions in Japan since the middle and late 19th century can not only provide new directions and new ideas for the study of modern Japanese ideological history and religious history, but also expand and deepen the knowledge system in the field of Japanese modern history research.

In recent years, studies on the conflict and integration between modern Confucianism and religions in Japan have shown a diversified development. Among them, some analyze the existing form of Confucianism in the Meiji period and its overall influence on the development of religions (2016); some emphasize the characteristics of modern Confucianism and religions that "put aside their enmity and grudges" and jointly constitute the part of Japan's militaristic ideology (2003); some focus on the process of Confucianism's religiosity and its impact on the development of religions in imperial Japan through its attachment to Shinto (2004); and some introduce the conflict between Confucianism and Christianity under the "Imperial Rescripton Education system" (2009). However, compared to the importance of Confucianism and religions, these studies are not sufficient. For example, the pluralism and inclusiveness of Confucianism has not been sufficiently analyzed: there is a lack of analysis of the interaction between Confucianism and religions from the perspective of daily religious practice, and insufficient examination of historical events or personalities related to Confucianism and religions in modern Japan. In addition, the core of East Asian intellectual history lies in Confucianism, and the complex dynamics of conflict and integration between Confucianism and religions in countries other than China and Japan, such as South Korea, Vietnam, and North Korea, deserve further exploration.

In light of this, we apply for a Special Issue to collect papers on "The Conflict and Integration of Confucianism and Religions in Modern Japan", with the aim of building an interactive community for authors and readers to deepen their multidimensional understanding of religious thought and practice in modern Japan and East Asia. Original research articles and reviews are welcome in this Special Issue. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following areas:

1. The pluralism of modern Japanese Confucianism;
2. Criticism of religious practice in modern Japanese Confucianism;
3. The influence of modern Japanese religions on Confucian thought and ethics;
4. Conflicts and negotiations between Japanese modern Confucianism, Shinto, Buddhism, emerging religions, and folk beliefs;
5. The influence of religious reform and national policies on Confucianism in the process of Japanese modernization;
6. Demonstrating the interaction between Confucianism and religions in modern Japan through case studies of specific historical events or figures.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor Loretta Chen, [email protected], of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References

Susumu Shimazono, Fumihiko Sueki, Eiichi Otani, Akira Nishimura, eds, History of Religion in Modern Japan (6 volumes), Shunjusha, 2020-2021.

Yuebing Liu, Studies on Modern Confucianism in Japan, The Commercial Press, 2003, p. 6.

Bunmeishi Sueki, A History of Religion in Japan, trans. Zhou Yiliang, Social Sciences Academic Press, 2016, pp. 191-194.

Yuebing Liu, Studies on Modern Confucianism in Japan, Commercial Press, 2003, p. 98.

Dongyu Han, The Religionization of Confucianism and Imperial Japan, Reading, No. 8, 2004.

Yuebing Liu, A History of Modern Japanese Thought, World Knowledge Press, 2009, p. 114.

Prof. Dr. Haozhi Dong
Dr. Lianxing Qin
Guest Editors

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• Confucianism
• Shinto
• Buddhism
• Christianity
• emerging religions
• religious ethics
• religious practices
• reformation
• folk religion