Search Results (3)

This paper examines how Korea’s Buddhist community accepted the ‘Imperial Way’ (J. kōdōshugi; K. hwangdojuui 皇道主義), the wartime ideology of the Japanese Empire, during the colonial period and how it supported and contributed to the war waged by the Japanese Empire. In the process, it analyzes the ways in which the Buddhist community transformed Buddhist theory in order to justify its collaboration with the Japanese war effort. In this paper, the Buddhist doctrinal basis of this wartime collaboration is examined regarding three of its core aspects. First, when the colonial Korean Buddhist community accepted the ideology of the ‘Imperial Way’ and advocated secularism, it did so by means of the logic of the ‘non-duality of the real and the conventional’ (K. jinsokbuli 眞俗不二). Second, when colonial era Korean Buddhism encouraged its own participation in the war, it regarded war as a site of practice that ‘transcends life and death’ and thus affirmed it. Third, the colonial Korean Buddhist community proposed the concept of ‘Buddhist totalitarianism’ (K. Bulgyo Jeonchejuui 佛敎全體主義) to inquire into a totality that transcends individuality in Buddhism. Accordingly, this paper’s goal is to examine how the Buddhist community in colonial Korea transformed Buddhist doctrine for non-Buddhist purposes in a particular historical situation where its cooperation in war was demanded. Additionally, as a starting point for discussion, this issue will also be explored in parallel with the logic of Japanese Buddhism’s war contributions at the time. Full article

This study explores the transformation of Buddhist culture in the Jiangnan region (present-day southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang), driven by wartime disruptions during the transition from the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming. The Yuan Dynasty witnessed the flourishing of Buddhism, and in Jiangnan, the thriving Zen tradition carried on the legacy of the Southern Song Dynasty. Buddhism found many adherents among the affluent gentry class in Jiangnan, fostering a culture of generous charity that sustained and expanded Buddhism in the region. However, the conflicts toward the end of the Yuan Dynasty inflicted considerable damage on the temples, causing monks to flee. Temples, recognizable landmarks during conflicts, were susceptible to military occupation. Visiting Goryeo monks Muhak Jacho and Naong Hyegeun, and Japanese monks Mumon Gensen and Ginan, were forced to abandon their travels and return to their respective homelands, disrupting the once-thriving Buddhist exchange between Jiangnan and broader East Asia. The chaotic environment also fostered alliances between influential monks and regional powers, providing refuge for monks and an opportunity for both sides to forge beneficial connections. Anti-Yuan factions strategically protected revered monks, leveraging their influence to attract literati and intellectuals, who shared common ethical and spiritual values. This dynamic showcased the mutual benefits derived from such collaboration. Through an exploration of the interplay between politics, social forces, and Buddhism, this paper examines the impact of wartime turmoil on the development of Buddhism in the Jiangnan region. Full article

In wartime Japan, folklore studies (minzokugaku) as an academic discipline emerged at the same time as the rise of the culture film (bunka eiga). Both helped mobilize peripheral areas and firmly created the image of a unitary nation. This paper focuses on Living by the Earth (Tsuchi ni ikiru, 1941), directed by Miki Shigeru, and its spinoff photo album titled People of the Snow Country (Yukiguni no minzoku, 1944). Miki filmed rural life and ordinary people in the Tohoku region under the strong influence of Yanagita Kunio, a founder of Japanese folklore studies, and published the photo album in collaboration with Yanagita. In this project, vanishing customs were paradoxically regarded as objects impossible to photograph. However, that paradox enhanced the value of the project and made it easier to construct an imagined national community through the discourse of folklore studies. Full article