Modern Buddhism in Japan

Modern Buddhism in Japan is a collection of essays on the development of Buddhism in Japan in response to the West during the “modern” period from the time of the Meiji Restoration to the end of World War II (1868–1945). From Shin Buddhists and the Japanese enlightenment movement to Kaneko Daiei’s struggle to establish a modern Shin Buddhist Studies; the “New Buddhism” movement; the role of Buddhism in the development of modern education and the impact of religiously affiliated universities; Suzuki Daisetsu’s association with Swedenborg; the tragic story of a Shin priest falsely accused of a plot to assassinate the Emperor—these themes and more are studied from the perspectives of intellectual history, education, politics, Buddhist studies, and institutional authority.