A Sociological Research of "Religious" Facilities Located on Public Land in Post-war Japan: Understanding the Current Situation and Analysing their Perception as "Religious"

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26870578
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Sociology; Religious studies
• Research Institution: Kokugakuin University
• Principal Investigator: TSUKADA HOTAKA 國學院大學, 研究開発推進機構, 助教 (40585395)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 政教分離 / 宗教社会学 / 公有地 / 宗教施設 / 神社神道 / 自治体と宗教 / 国家と宗教 / 日本国憲法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I investigated and clarified through a nationwide post-war historical survey of "religious" (in broad terms) facilities located on public land the number of such facilities and the reasons for their existence.
More specifically, in 2016, I conducted the 'second national survey of religious and folk belief-related facilities located on public land', to which 900 out of 1,765 municipalities responded.
In addition, I conducted fieldwork and bibliographic surveys on the Supreme Court case of the Shinto shrine located on land owned by the city of Sunagawa (Hokkaido), which was found to be violating the Constitution. I published the results of that survey in a chapter entitled 'Sociology of Court Cases Surrounding the Separation of Politics and Religion: The Case of the Shrine Located on Land Owned by the City of Sunagawa in Hokkaido.'

Free Research Field

宗教社会学