Category of ‘Religion’ in Contemporary Japan

Mitsutoshi Horii is Professor, Shumei University, Japan and Shumei Representative, Chaucer College, UK.

“Mitsutoshi Horii’s The Category of ‘Religion’ in Contemporary Japan raises fundamental questions about researching religion that should be of interest for anyone in the field, and can definitely be recommended for anyone interested in ‘religion’ in Japan, or anywhere else for that matter. It was probably not Horii’s intention, but I must admit that reading the book has taught me a lot about ‘religion’ in Japan.” (Daniel Enstedt, Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, Vol. 32 (2), 2019)“Horii combines in his book a critical reading of written materials with a solid sociological fieldwork conducted among Buddhist priests of the Nichiren sect of Temple Buddhism. … Horii’s work has a number of strengths which makes it an important contribution to the critical study of religion in Japan.” (Ernils Larsson, Contemporary Japan, December 10, 2018)

• 1. Introduction.- 2. A 'Critical Religion' Approach to Japanese 'Religion(s)'.- 3. Critical Reflections on the Category 'Religion' in Japan. - 4. 'Religion' in the Popular Discourse. - 5. Temple Buddhism and the Japanese Social Classification: A Brief Historical Overview. - 6. The Construction of Shūkyōka. - 7. Life Stories and Identities of Nichiren-shū priests. - 8. Negotiating with ‘Shūkyō’ in the Context of the ‘Religious Corporation’. - 9. Conclusion.