Research on the administrative temple system and its regional foundations in early modern Japanese Buddhist institutions

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00960
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03020:Japanese history-related
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: UENO Daisuke 慶應義塾大学, 文学部(三田), 准教授 (90632117)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 日本史 / 近世史 / 仏教史 / 触頭 / 組合 / 講 / 寺社奉行 / 真宗

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I was able to advance my research on the administrative temple system (furegashira seido) of Buddhist institutions in early modern Japan, based on historical documents from temples in Kaga domain, Choshu domain, and Edo. In doing so, I researched not only the administrative temples connected to the head temple, shogunate and domains, but also the temple associations (kumiai) and confraternities (ko) that formed the regional foundations of the administrative temples. Thereby I highlighted the form of Buddhist institutions that were regionally organized and operated.
I was also able to review the relationship between the feudal lords and Buddhist institutions as a mutual relationship that involved the separation of politics and religion, rather than unilateral domination by the former.
Based on the above results, I gave several conference reports and lectures, compiled papers and books, and had a fulfilling research period.

Free Research Field

日本近世史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で取り上げた触頭制度は、幕藩領主の支配下での教団運営を成り立たせた重要な要素であり、寺院組合や講などの地域的基盤も視野に入れて検討することで、教団の自律的な運営実態が明らかとなり、幕藩領主と教団の関係についても見直しを進めることができた。
日本の近世は地縁的共同体が発達した時代であり、関連する村や町の史料が多く伝来し、それらをもとに村や町の自律的な運営実態が明らかにされてきたが、仏教教団もこうした問題と無関係ではないことが一層明確となった。現代社会に生きる私たちが、伝統社会における人々の生き方や政教関係（政治と宗教の関係）をよりよく理解し、踏まえる上でも、本研究は裨益するはずである。