Empire of the Dharma : Korean and Japanese Buddhism, 1877-1912 / Hwansoo Ilmee Kim.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kim, Hwansoo Ilmee, 1970- author.

Series:

Harvard East Asian Monographs ; 344.

Harvard East Asian Monographs ; 344

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Buddhism--Japan--History--1868-1945.

Buddhism.

Buddhism--Korea--History--19th century.

Buddhism--Korea--History--20th century.

Korea--Social conditions--20th century.

Korea.

Korea--Social conditions--19th century.

Japan--Social conditions--1868-1912.

Japan.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxvi, 415 pages :) illustrations, map ;

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Asia Center, [2012]

Summary:

Empire of the Dharma explores the dynamic relationship between Korean and Japanese Buddhists in the years leading up to the Japanese annexation of Korea. Conventional narratives cast this relationship in politicized terms, with Korean Buddhists portrayed as complicit in the "religious annexation" of the peninsula. However, this view fails to account for the diverse visions, interests, and strategies that drove both sides.Hwansoo Ilmee Kim complicates this politicized account of religious interchange by reexamining the "alliance" forged in 1910 between the Japanese Soto sect and the Korean Wonjong order. The author argues that their ties involved not so much political ideology as mutual benefit. Both wished to strengthen Buddhism's precarious position within Korean society and curb Christianity's growing influence. Korean Buddhist monastics sought to leverage Japanese resources as a way of advancing themselves and their temples, and missionaries of Japanese Buddhist sects competed with one another to dominate Buddhism on the peninsula. This strategic alliance pushed both sides to confront new ideas about the place of religion in modern society and framed the way that many Korean and Japanese Buddhists came to think about the future of their shared religion.

Contents:

Preliminary Material

Introduction

The History of Buddhism

Encounters between Japa nese Priests and Korean Monks

Japa nese Buddhist Missions to Korea

Regulations, Alliances, and Backlash

Takeda Hanshi as a Sōtōshū Missionary

The Wŏnjong and Sōtōshū's Attempted Alliance

The Alliance's Failure and the 1911 Temple Ordinance

Toward a New History

The Enduring Impact of the 1911 Temple Ordinance

Glossary

Works Cited

Index

Harvard East Asian Monographs.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [375]-402) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-68417-520-8

OCLC:

1132227113

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9781684175208 DOI