Bulletin > Volume 26 Religious Nationalism in the Modernization Process: State Shinto and Nichirenism in Meiji Japan

Okuyama Michiaki

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The following essay treats two examples of the rise of religious nationalism in Japan from the last half of the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. State Shinto and Nichirenism show how movements within Shinto and Buddhist traditions met the challenges of modernization by invoking time-honored elements from their respective pasts and putting them to the service of nationalistic interest. The essay was originally prepared for presentation at the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations, held at Port Antonio, Jamaica, from 29 May to 2 June 2002.