Syncretic Interpretations of Islam in Japan: A Historical-Phenomenological Critique

Authors : Hatice Acar

Pages : 171-191

Doi:10.37697/eskiyeni.1790774

View : 309 | Download : 519

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The study approaches the development of Islam in Japan from a phenomenological perspective, examining the emergence of syncretic interpretations that arose in this process. The Japanese religious landscape is multi-layered, flexible, and open to multiple faith affiliations. The research focuses on how the religion was received, transformed, and reinterpreted within the Japanese cultural context. The Japanese religious tradition, shaped through the shinbutsu-shūgō 神仏習合 (kami-Buddha amalgamation) of Shintoism and Buddhism, provides a syncretic foundation that allows various beliefs to coexist. Within this framework, Japanese intellectuals such as Ōkawa Shūmei 大川周明, Tanaka Ippei 田中一平, and Ahmad Bunhachirō Ariga有賀文八郎アフマド advocated reinterpreting Islam in harmony with indigenous spiritual systems. This approach sought conceptual parallels with Daijō Bukkyō 大乗仏教 (Mahayana Buddhism) and Shintoism to facilitate the religion’s cultural adaptation. After World War II, intellectual interest in Islam re-emerged, leading to new discourses on “Japanese Islam.” From the 1970s onward, institutions such as Nihon Isurāmu Kyōdan, 日本イスラーム教団 (the Japanese Islamic Congress (JIC), Japan Islamic Movement) contributed to the institutional reconfiguration of Islamic thought. During this period, the concept of Daijō Islam 大乗イスラーム (Mahayana Islam) was articulated by Haruo Abe as an ideological model, gaining an institutional framework. Today, the image of Islam in Japan continues to evolve amid tensions between historical prejudices and efforts toward cultural accommodation. In conclusion, this study examines the historical, intellectual, and institutional dimensions of Islam in Japan, revealing the transformation of the religion into a localized and syncretic form of belief. The findings indicate that the flexibility of Japanese culture allows universal religions to acquire new meanings within local contexts.
Keywords : Dinler Tarihi, Japonya’da İslam, Japon Müslümanlar, Mahāyāna İslam, Senkretizm

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