When Modernity Hits Hard: Redefining Buddhism in Meiji-Taisho-Early Shōwa Japan

This conference aims to present new research on the turbulent period between the Meiji Restoration and the onset of full-scale warfare in 1931 when the central government of Japan expressed open hostility toward Buddhism for the first time since its introduction in the 6th century. These papers explore various efforts made in response to powerful pressures to redefine Buddhism’s place in a redefined Japanese society.

Speakers: Mark Blum, UC Berkeley; Melissa Curley, University of Iowa; Jessica Main, University of British Columbia; John Maraldo, Indiana University; Ama Michihiro, University of Alaska Anchorage; Yoshinaga Shin’ichi, Maizuru National College of Technology; George Tanabe, University of Hawaiʻi
Panelist/Discussants: Jim Heisig, Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture; Richard Jaffe, Duke University

Sponsors: Center for Japanese Studies (CJS), Center for Buddhist Studies, BDK America

Event Contact: cjs-events@berkeley.edu, 510-642-3415