Ugo Dessi - The Global Repositioning of Japanese Religions

Ugo Dess is Adjunct Professor at the Institute for the Study of Religion at the University of Leipzig, Germany, and Honorary Research Associate at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is the author of Japanese Religions and Globalization (2013) and Ethics and Society in Contemporary Shin Buddhism (2007), and editor of The Social Dimension of Shin Buddhism (2010).

Global Connections

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Glocal Pharma

International Brands and the Imagination of Local Masculinity

Ericka Johnson and Ebba Sjgren

The Socio-Political Practice of Human Rights

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The Global Repositioning of Japanese Religions

An Integrated Approach

Ugo Dess

Ugo Dess

First published 2017

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2017 Ugo Dess

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dess, Ugo, author.

Title: The global repositioning of Japanese religions : an integrated approach / Ugo Dess.

Description: New York : Routledge, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016004024 | ISBN 9781472480798 (hardback) | ISBN 9781315557601 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: JapanReligion. | GlobalizationReligious aspects.

Classification: LCC BL2209 .D47 2016 | DDC 200.952dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016004024

ISBN: 978-1-4724-8079-8 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-55760-1 (ebk)

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This study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the research project Japanese Religions in the Context of Globalization and Secularization at the Institute for the Study of Religion, University of Leipzig (March 2012September 2015). This would not have been possible without the support of Prof. Christoph Kleine, chair of the study of religion and head of the same institute. During this period of research, I have benefitted from the hospitality and support of other institutions in Japan, Hawaii, and South Africa. In this connection, I wish to extend my gratitude to Prof. Shimazono Susumu from the Department of Religious Studies at Tokyo University (AprilMay 2012), and to Prof. Dennis Hirota from Rykoku University (MayJune 2012) for the invitations as Visiting Scholar; to Bishop Eric Matsumoto and Rev. Kevin Kuniyuki for the time spent as Scholar in Residence at the Buddhist Study Center of the Hawaii Kyodan (FebruaryJune 2013) and for their precious help during my fieldwork; to Prof. Kohara Katsuhiro for facilitating my stay at the Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Monotheistic Religions, Dshisha University (September 2013August 2014); and to professors Abdulkader Tayob and Sadyya Shaikh, who have hosted me as Honorary Research Associate at the Department of Religious Studies, University of Cape Town (September 2014present).

I am greatly indebted to professors Christoph Kleine, Galen Amstutz, Fujiwara Satoko, James Mark Shield, Kohara Katsuhiro, Cristina Rocha, George Tanabe, and John Breen for kindly reading the manuscript, or parts of it, and providing their detailed and invaluable feedback. Needless to say, all remaining errors and inaccuracies are mine alone. Moreover, I would like to thank Rev. Kawamoto Kichi and Rev. Fujita Kichir of the Ch Academic Research Institute, and Osaka Kazumasa and Lee Saho for their precious support at the Rissh Kseikai headquarters in Tokyo; professors Eish Nasu and Inoue Yoshiyuki for facilitating my research at Rykoku University and the Honganji-ha headquarters, and Rev. Kiribayashi Sanmi for his help at the International Center; Prof. Fujimoto Kiyohiko and Rev. Tomatsu Yoshiharu for their kind collaboration at the Jdosh Research Institute in Tokyo; Rev. Okuwaki Toshiomi and Idogawa Yukito for their help at the moto and Ska Gakkai headquarters, respectively; Rev. Tatsuo Muneto, Rev. Thomas Okano, Rev. Chikai Yosemori, Rev. Earl Ikeda, Rev. Ai Hironaka, Alan Goto, Marj and Joel Determan, Miles Okumura, Lynn Higashi, Glenn Hamamura, Jamie Itokazu, Jake Chang, Jerry and Rose Broughton, Fred and Nancy Nonaka, Mel Hayase, Al Bloom, Jane Iida, and Raymond Takiue of the Hawaii Kyodan; Kurihara Masami; professors John Nelson, Jrn Borup, and still others for their inspiring book reviews of my previous monograph on Japanese religions and globalization; Andrea Brigaglia and other colleagues at the Department of Religious Studies, University of Cape Town, for providing valuable suggestions along the way; Neil Jordan of Ashgate for his continuous support in the production of the book; an anonymous reviewer for helpful suggestions; and Pamela Bertram for her careful editing work. So many people have contributed to the making of this book that is not possible to list all of them. I apologize for any that have been omitted.