Introduction: Religion, Secularism, and Japan 1. The Birthplace of Japan: Kashihara Jingu and the Home Islands 2. The Northern Capital: Hokkaido and Karafuto in the Near Periphery 3. A Model Colony: Taiwan at the Far Periphery 4. Of the Same Lineage: Korea as Annexed Territory 5. A Multiethnic Empire: Manchuria and Asia outside of Japan 6. A Distant Land: Hawai?i on the East-West Border 7. Conclusion Bibliography Index
Uses postcolonial theories of secularism to explain how modern overseas Shinto shrines facilitated the colonization and modernization of new Japanese lands and subjects.
Karli Shimizu is an affiliated researcher at the Research Faculty of Media and Communication of Hokkaido University, Japan.
Engaging with wider debates on the difficult divide between secular
patriotic ritual and religious ritual, this monograph presents the
first full-length study of Shinto shrines established in the
ever-expanding Japanese sphere of influence between the late 19th
and mid-20th centuries. Through her well-researched study, Shimizu
discusses how Japan attempted to construct a multiethnic
Shinto-based secularity and used the overseas Shinto shrines to
instill new senses of time, space and morality in their newly
acquired territories.
*Ellen Van Goethem, Professor of Japanese History, Kyushu
University, Japan*
Overseas Shinto Shrines presents a significant and much-needed
contribution to not only Shinto studies but also Asian studies,
religious studies, and modern history more broadly. The book is a
great resource for courses on religion, law, and politics, as well
as colonialism, migration, and globalization. ... The historical
narratives are engaging, and the contents are clear, comprehensive,
and accessible for students and non-specialists. I strongly
recommend Overseas Shinto Shrines and hope that it inspires further
interest in Shinto research abroad.
*Japanese Religions*
Shimizu skilfully demonstrates how a detailed and comprehensive
understanding of the developments during the imperial period and
the role of Shinto in Japanese colonialism is conducive to gaining
a more nuanced understanding surrounding the public role of Shinto
in Japanese society today.
*Reading Religion*
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