Dynamism and the Ageing of a Japanese 'New' Religion: Transformations and the Founder

“This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book examines the trajectory and development of the Japanese religious movement Agonshu and its charismatic founder Kiriyama Seiyu. Based on field research spanning 30 years, it examines Agonshu from when it first captured attention in the 1980s with its spectacular rituals and use of media technologies, through its period of stagnation to its response to the death of its founder in 2016. The authors discuss the significance of charismatic leadership, the 'democratisation' of practice and the demands made by movements such as Agonshu on members, while examining how the movement became increasingly focused on revisionist nationalism and issues of Japanese identity. In examining the dilemma that religions commonly face on the deaths of charismatic founders, Erica Baffelli and Ian Reader look at Agonshu’s response to Kiriyama's death, looking at how and why it has transformed a human founder into a figure of worship. By examining Agonshu in the wider context, the authors critically examine the concept of ‘new religions’. They draw attention to the importance of understanding the trajectories of 'new' religions and how they can become ‘old’ even within their first generation.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures Acknowledgements Note on Japanese names, terms and transliteration Introduction 1. Situating Agonshu: the concept of 'new religions' in modern Japan 2. The story of a religious founder: Kiriyama Seiyu, turmoil, charisma and experience 3. Teaching as practice: ritual, benefits and the costs of devotion 4. From the world to Japan: the nationalism of an ageing movement 5. Transcending death: the birth and spiritual messages of the second Buddha 6. Concluding comments: founder worship and the problem of the 'new' Notes References Index

About the Author :
Erica Baffelli is Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at The University of Manchester, UK. She is co-editor of the forthcoming Bloomsbury Handbook of Japanese Religions (2019) and her most recent book is Media and New Religions in Japan (2016). Ian Reader is Professor Emeritus at The University of Manchester, UK. He is the author or co-author of ten books and co-editor of several volumes.

Review :
An excellent study that uses the case of Agonshu to effectively connect with broader research questions in the study of Japanese religions and will with no doubt benefit any potential reader who is concerned with the question of what is ‘new’ about ‘new religions’ in Japan and elsewhere. Reader and Baffelli raise critical questions about the concept of new religion in Japan, which encompasses religious movements from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries … This is also a valuable reference for scholars of Japanese religions both in Japan and abroad. I wondered whether one day a comprehensive book, in English, would be published about this important Japanese “new religion,” and one updated to its post-charismatic phase inaugurated by the death of the founder, Kiriyama Seiyu (1921-2016). My wish was granted by this fascinating, splendid book, which will remain the definitive treatment of Agonshu for many years. Offers an excellent overview of the main themes and findings on the religious organizations founded during the past one hundred and fifty years commonly known as “new religions” in Japan. Focusing on Agonshu, it contributes fascinating insights ... A very important contribution to field of Religious Studies. The first longitudinal study of a Japanese new religious movement, Dynamism and the Ageing of a Japanese ‘New’ Religion, by Ian Reader and Erica Baffelli, is a superb study of Agonshu that sets a new standard of excellence. Based on thirty years of research, it documents the history of an influential religion, contextualizing Agonshu within the broader issues of Japanese religious life and social change. Highly recommended. An excellent introduction to the landscape of new religious movements in Japan in general ... well-argued and thoroughly accessible. This book offers a fascinating portrayal of the Japanese Buddhist organization Agonshu with a focus on its founder. For students, it is an engaging introduction to Japan’s so-called "new religions”. For scholars, it is the best book to date for understanding religious leadership in contemporary Japan and for showing us the problems with characterizing a religion as “new”. Both authors, who have co-worked already successfully on a couple of topics, are a perfect match for this particular publication. […] A highly recommendable monograph on a rather recent development in the Japanese religious landscape with additional interest in general questions in Religious Studies and the Sociology of Religions. An excellent and inspiring publication! The authors are a perfect match for this publication. Excellent and inspiring! The book offers many new insights into Agonshu ... This book is an excellent starting point for future comparative research on the aging of contemporary movements. I highly recommend this book to scholars and students in the field of religious studies and to a general audience with an interest in contemporary society and politics in Japan.