PACIFIC WORLD - The Institute of Buddhist Studies

20Pacific WorldChristian missions and their educational institutions. Christianity was asignificant element in the encounter between Japan and Western culture,since Western governments pressed the Japanese for toleration and religiousfreedom, demanding the abolition of the designation of Christianityas an evil religion and the policy of prohibiting its practice. 1 Toleration ofChristianity became a major stipulation in granting Japan equal treatyrecognition. 2 Nevertheless, despite persistent restrictions on the spreadof Christianity among the Japanese populace, it gradually penetratedJapanese society through the freedom of religious practice granted toforeigners. 3Together with the various external challenges Buddhism was alsofaced internally with decadent conditions, resulting from governmentsupport under the Tokugawa and the policy of enforced membership intemples. Through the danka or parish system, priests virtually becamegovernment representatives. Scholarship was formalized and confinedwithin sectarian boundaries because the Tokugawa regime prohibitedreligious conflict.Attacks on Buddhism came from several angles. In addition to Christiandisparagement, there were Confucian and Shintø criticisms. The Shintø NationalLearning (kokugaku) school stressed the foreignness of Buddhism andits otherworldliness as incompatible with Japanese culture. The Confucianspointed to its economic drain and its contribution to the decline of the nationin the encounter with the West.The Meiji government promoted the disestablishment of Buddhismwhich had been a virtual state religion under the Tokugawas. They endeavoredto separate it from Shintø, in order to employ Shintø as the basis ofnationalism. 4 The hostile attitude of the government inspired destructiveviolence against temples resulting in the loss of priceless treasures ofJapan’s Buddhist heritage through the indiscriminant destruction oftemples, texts, and images. The slogan haibutsu kishaku ( ! DestroyBuddha, cut down Ûåkyamuni) and the numerous destructive incidentsreflect the intensity of the pent-up hostility toward Buddhism that attendedthe restoration of Emperor Meiji in 1868.In order to demonstrate their loyalty Buddhist sects and priests at firstsupported the government-sponsored Daikyøin ( Academy of GreatTeaching) which aimed to make Shintø the state religion. The Shin Buddhistdenominations later withdrew in opposition to the Shintø domination,followed by other sects. 5Increasing Westernization led eventually to a nationalistic reactionwhich benefited Buddhism. Outstanding Buddhist exponents such asInoue Enryø (1858–1919) and Murakami Senshø (1851–1929), both membersof the Øtani sect, defended Buddhism. They were dedicated tocountering the growing strength of Christianity.