@article{ART002554311},
author={YAGYU MAKOTO},
title={The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’},
journal={Religions of Korea},
issn={1738-3617},
year={2019},
volume={46},
number={0},
pages={85-100}
TY - JOUR
AU - YAGYU MAKOTO
TI - The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’
JO - Religions of Korea
PY - 2019
VL - 46
IS - 0
PB - The Research Center of Religions
SP - 85
EP - 100
SN - 1738-3617
AB - This paper examines the new religions that can be called the ‘kaebyŏk (Great Opening) religions’ in the Japanese variant. These new religions, among numerous new religions that arose from the period of the collapse of the Bakuhan (幕藩) system of Tokugawa (德川) from the 19 century to early modern times in Japan, particularly rejected the old social order of feudalism and resisted the calls for Western modernization that the Meiji government strongly promoted, instead advocating a new ideal world in a fashion that was unique to these religions.
The main contents of this paper include the following three points.
First, the idea of Yonaoshi (世直し, “straightening the world”) is examined. This concept contains the desire to transform the world that arose spontaneously among the poor and oppressed as the system of feudalism was undermined and faltered. The Yonaoshi was originally a mantra calling for misfortunes to be transformed into something good, but it became a key precept among those who were dissatisfied with system of the feudalism and who dreamed of a new world from around the mid-period of Edo. These aspirations materialized in events such as ‘itki (一揆)’, uprisings and riots gainst the ruling class by the common people, or ‘uchikowashi (打壊し)’, whereby the houses and warehouses of wealthy merchants, landlords, and usurers were attacked and destroyed, or ‘eejanaika’, spontaneous disturbances, or ‘okagemairi’, that took the form of a pilgrimage movement.
Second, this paper investigated the Hujiko (富士講) as a folk faith movement that embraced and systematized such energy and resistance among the downtrooden and advocated a vision of a new world and proposed the idea that all human beings are equal. This paper also sought to identify the leaders who arose among the masses such as Nakayama Miki (中山みき), Ito Rokurobei (伊藤六郎兵衛), Deguchi Nao (出口なお), and Deguchi Onisaburo (出口王仁三郎), as well as recording the religions of the Great Opening such as Tenri-kyo (天理敎), Maruyama-kyo (丸山敎), and Oomoto-kyo that they created.
Third, this paper examined the new ideal worlds proposed and the new human characteristics of the religions of the Great Opening. It also investigated how the masses sought to implement their ideals, and how they protested and reacted against the drive for Western modernization and the national Shito system that the Meiji government advocated. All groups among the masses bitterly criticised the existing social system where the strong abused and exploited the weak, and instead, they argued for the equality and dignity of human beings. Predicting the coming of a bright new world where ordinary people would enjoy years of plenty, mild climates, the absence of illness and death, and happiness, they devoted all their efforts to aiding the many displaced persons who existed in this chaotic period of the history.
KW - yonaoshi (“straightening the world”);religions of Great Opening (kaebyŏk);Tenri-kyo (天理敎);Maruyama-kyo (丸山敎);Oomoto-kyo (大本敎)
DO -
UR -
ER -
YAGYU MAKOTO. (2019). The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’. Religions of Korea, 46(0), 85-100.
YAGYU MAKOTO. 2019, "The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’", Religions of Korea, vol.46, no.0 pp.85-100.
YAGYU MAKOTO "The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’" Religions of Korea 46.0 pp.85-100 (2019) : 85.
YAGYU MAKOTO. The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’. 2019; 46(0), 85-100.
YAGYU MAKOTO. "The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’" Religions of Korea 46, no.0 (2019) : 85-100.
YAGYU MAKOTO. The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’. Religions of Korea, 46(0), 85-100.
YAGYU MAKOTO. The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’. Religions of Korea. 2019; 46(0) 85-100.
YAGYU MAKOTO. The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’. 2019; 46(0), 85-100.
YAGYU MAKOTO. "The Kaebyŏk (Great Opening) Movement of Japanese New Religions ―Focusing on the ‘Yonaoshi’" Religions of Korea 46, no.0 (2019) : 85-100.
