Nationalism in Japanese New Religions: What are the National Conceptions of Japanese New-New Religion in the Post-Bubble Era? A Case Study of Konohana Family Community

Lilia Shahar Griffin^1,

¹Kyoto University, Japan

Cite this paper:
Lilia Shahar Griffin. Nationalism in Japanese New Religions: What are the National Conceptions of Japanese New-New Religion in the Post-Bubble Era? A Case Study of Konohana Family Community. Journal of Sociology and Anthropology. 2021; 5(1):17-24. doi: 10.12691/jsa-5-1-3

Abstract

Nationalism in Japanese New-new religions (NNR) was evident since the establishment of such religious groups in the 1970s. While before the price bubble burst and Japan's economy stagnated, the justification for national supremacy relied heavily on Japan’s economic power, since the 1990s, nationalist ideas stems from the cultural superiority of Japan, justified by the Shinto religion, the role of Japan as the land of the Buddha and the country which world peace will rise from, and the role of the Japanese as the chosen people. This study investigates a new justification for Japanese nationalism in a NNR established in the 1990s, Konohana Family Community (KH). The justification this group offers to the superiority of the Japanese is by the fact they are the descendants of the Katakamuna Civilization, the mythological inhabitants of Japan, which existed 13,000 years ago, had a supreme spirituality, and that could sense phenomena prior to their existence. The similarities between KH’s and other current NNR’s nationalism and the distinctiveness of KH’s nationalist ideas will be discussed.

Keywords:
nationalism New-new religions Konohana Family community Japan Shinto Buddhism

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