The Transformation of the Religious City of Ise and the Development of the Policy Separating Shinto and Buddhism in Urban Prefectures, Domains, and Rural Prefectures During the Meiji Restoration

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02187
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Religious studies
• Research Institution: Kogakkan University
• Principal Investigator: KAWANO Satoshi 皇學館大学, 文学部, 教授 (20329907)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 田井 健治 皇學館大学, 文学部, 助手 (10781312)
• Research Collaborator: Nitta Keizo
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 神仏分離 / 廃仏毀釈 / 宗教都市 / 伊勢 / 神仏習合

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project was conducted through documentary investigation and field surveys on the Jingu shrine complex in Ise, which contains 125 shrines of varying sizes and importance located primarily in and around modern-day Ise City (i.e. Uji and Yamada). Building upon work performed in a previous study on the abandoned temples and the small shrines and temples, this project clarified how the religions conditions in Ise city were significantly transformed at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. In addition, through documentary investigation, document collection, and field surveys of mountains that were considered sacred in urban prefectures (fu), domains (han), and rural prefectures (ken) where a policy for oppressing Buddhism, called haibutsu-kishaku, was carried out intensely, this project clarified the unique circumstances for each location and the differences observed due to the timing and scale of activities, and the results were contained in a report.

Free Research Field

宗教学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

現在は日本の神道の中心の一つとなっている伊勢（宇治・山田）について、近世の神仏習合の状況を確認した上で、近世の寺院や神祠・仏堂の分布に加え、神宮関連の125社についてもその所在・性格等と明らかにし、近世から明治維新にかけての伊勢の宗教状況を明らかにした。また、明治維新政府の神仏分離政策にともない日本各地で激しい廃仏毀釈が見られたが、その展開の様子、個別の特徴などを文献・資料調査と現地調査で明らかにした。