Religion played a central role in Japan's emergence as a modern empire, representing a crucial site of negotiation between the state and its representatives on one hand and adherents of a diverse group of religions on the other. In both Japan and Korea, religionists grappled with dramatic changes to their worlds, and actively engaged with imperial rule, debating the religious implications of the broader political, social, and economic transformations they confronted, and casting alternative visions for themselves, their nations, and their place in the empire.
Bringing together the work of leading scholars of religion in imperial Japan and colonial Korea, this collection addresses the complex ways in which religion served as a site of contestation and negotiation among different groups, including the Korean Choson court, the Japanese colonial government, representatives of different religions, and Korean and Japanese societies. It addresses the complex religious landscape of imperial Japan and colonial Korea as well as the intersection of historical and political contexts that shaped the religious beliefs and practices of imperial and colonial subjects. It also oofers a constructive contribution to contemporary conflicts that are rooted in a contested understanding of a complex and painful past. The current diplomatic problems between Japan and China and South Korea over a range of issues, from territorial disputes to the outcry over current Prime Minister Abe's visit to Yasukuni Shrine and efforts to change the Japanese constitution are the latest reminder of the unresolved history of Japan's colonial and imperial presence in Asia.
Religion is a critical aspect of the current controversies and their historical contexts. Examining the complex and diverse ways that the state, and Japanese and colonial subjects negotiated religious policies, practices, and ministries in an attempt to delineate these “imperial relationships”, this cutting edge text sheds considerable light on the precedents to current sources of tension.
