A study on the history of overseas propagation by Japanese Buddhist sects

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K03052
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Historical studies in general
• Research Institution: Ryukoku University
• Principal Investigator: NAKANISHI NAOKI 龍谷大学, 文学部, 教授 (20412687)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 仏教史 / アジア / 植民地

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Since the Meiji era, many Japanese have traveled abroad due to immigrants and migrant workers. Everywhere in the world where Japanese people go, Buddhist priests who had aspirations for missionary escort were always accompanied. They sometimes became the light of the minds of Japanese people overseas and built a mission base overseas, and at one time, they played a role as a visiting agency for Japanese overseas expansion.
However, many of the records were incinerated with the defeat, and the related materials were scattered after that, making it difficult to know the actual situation. In this research, Japanese Buddhist factions reprinted valuable materials in order to understand the actual conditions of the missionary practice in Manchuria and other parts of Asia.

Free Research Field

日本史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

戦前における仏教の海外での活動は、日本民間の国際交流のなかでも大きな役割を担っていた。今日、アジア情勢が緊迫化し混迷の度合いを深めるなかで、戦前期の日本仏教の民間レベルでの国際交流のあり方を改めて問うことは、日本仏教の国際化を考えるだけでなく、今後の日本のアジア交流の進むべき道を探る上でも参考になると考える。
学術的に言えば、仏教学や歴史学、さらには異文化交流史、移民史、比較宗教学等の研究領域の発展に及ぼす波及効果は計り知れないものがあり、特にこれまで、ほとんど知られてこなかった資料集成の刊行は、これら研究の進展に資する点が少ないと考えられる。