Publication Date
Summer 6-1-2016
Description
The late Meiji period (1868-1912) witnessed the birth of various forms of “progressive” and “radical” Buddhism both within and beyond traditional Japanese Buddhist institutions. This paper examines several historical precedents for “Buddhist revolution” in East Asian—and particularly Japanese—peasant rebellions of the early modern period. I argue that these rebellions, or at least the received narratives of such, provided significant “root paradigms” for the thought and practice of early Buddhist socialists and radical Buddhists of early twentieth century Japan. Even if these narratives ended in “failure”—as, indeed, they often did—they can be understood as examples of what James White calls “expressionistic action,” in which figures act out of interests or on the basis of principle without concern for “success.” Although White argues that: “Such expressionistic action was not a significant component of popular contention in Tokugawa Japan”—that does not mean that the received tales were not interpreted in such a fashion by later Meiji, Taishō and Shōwa-era sympathizers.
Journal
Journal of Religion in Japan
Volume
5
Issue
1
First Page
3
Last Page
21
Department
Comparative Humanities
DOI
10.1163/22118349-00501002
Recommended Citation
Shields, James. "Peasant Revolts as Anti-authoritarian Archetypes for Radical Buddhism in Modern Japan." Journal of Religion in Japan (2016) : 3-21.
Included in
Asian History Commons, Buddhist Studies Commons, Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, History of Religion Commons, History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Japanese Studies Commons, Political History Commons, Political Theory Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Social History Commons