The History of Calendars in Terms of the Religious Policies of Meiji Japan

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16706
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Religious studies
• Research Institution: Toyo University
• Principal Investigator: SHIMOMURA Ikuyo 東洋大学, 人間科学総合研究所, 客員研究員 (00723173)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 近代の暦 / 太陽暦 / 頒暦 / 神宮大麻 / 神社神道 / 祝祭日

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Very few studies have focused on the history of calendars in modern Japan, except for history related to the Calendar Reform of 1872. This study, however, focuses on how Ise Jingu was given the authority to distribute calendars in Japan from 1882 to the end of the Pacific war, for which I conducted a historical investigation to find out the relationship between the history of calendars, religious policies and the Modern Emperor System in Meiji Japan.Focusing on this point of view, (1) the modern history of calendars can be mapped to the history of religion in Japan, and (2) the significance of the calendar for the Nation, when the calendar’s contents, manufacturing and distribution were controlled during the pre-war period in Japan, can be grasped.

Free Research Field

宗教学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

明治改暦以降の暦の歴史は、これまで研究の俎上にほとんどのぼらなかった。改暦の開化的側面が強調された結果、それ以外の側面は看過されてきた。しかし暦は皇紀、天長節、紀元節といった天皇にかかわる祝祭日などを全国の人々に知らせる機能を有したとともに、先の敗戦まで伊勢神宮から神宮大麻と共に頒布され続けた。近代の暦の歴史は宗教史に位置づけることができ、暦の歴史から神社を「国家の宗祀」とし「宗教」外のものとする行政的過程などを理解する、すなわち神社神道史を再考することに繋がる。