Transformations of Tenrikyo in Taiwan: An Anthropological Study

• Main Authors: Hiroaki YAMANISHI, 山西弘朗
• Other Authors: Hui-tuan, CHANG
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/97165587768220259954

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 民族研究所 === 99 === According to the research of Fujii Takeshi, professor at Tokyo Gakugei University, there are 19 kinds of Japanese new religious organizations carrying out mission works in Taiwan now, and the earliest of them is Tenrikyo. Tenrikyo started their mission works during Japanese rule of Taiwan, and had acquired Taiwanese believers. Therefore, Tenrikyo is a very suitable example for the study of Japanese new religion’s development and changes in Taiwan. The object of this paper is the unique religious phenomena that is found during my study in Taiwan, the temple(natives call ‘miao’ in their language), namely the religious center of Taiwanese popular beliefs but used to be Tenrikyo’s branch in Japanese colonial period. This paper analyzes the syncretism of their religious ceremonies and beliefs, which have elements of both Chinese popular beliefs and Tenrikyo. It bases on qualitative interviews, participant observation and methods of textual analysis to make clear the historical and cultural contexts, changes of Japanese new religions there, to interpret their meanings and explicate causes of the transformations. This paper contains four chapters besides the introduction and conclusion. Its organization and summary are presented as follows. In chapter one, it explains teachings, the organization and history of Tenrikyo, focuses on the relations between god and human, influences of Japanese religious policy and the related socio-cultural system during the latter half of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. According to the classification proposed by Masako Watanbe, Tenrikyo is define as of “Vertical axis Parent-child model” and “Laity-focused propagation model”. This paper shows that one can find the same pattern working in missions in Taiwan. In chapter two it analyzes the methods of Tenrikyo’s mission work during the colonial period in Taiwan, especially the so-called “individual mission” and “organizational mission” and explains its manner of training for native elite believers. It also focuses on the intercultural processes in the mission work, which adapt to the differences between diverse cultural contexts and religious schemas, and the transformed interpretations of Tenrikyo’s doctrine and meanings of ceremony for Taiwanese native believers. Based on the analysis of historical materials and statistic records, characteristics of the development of Tenrikyo in the colonial period are presented as well. It finally presents accounts for some Toroku churches, which used to belong to Tenrikyo and have changed their identification in the postcolonial period after the World War II. In chapter three, this paper attempts to explain causes and the background of transformations of Tenrikyo beliefs and ceremony. One reason is due to the cultural policy of KMT government, and influences of the policy to Tenrikyo in Taiwan are analyzed. It also makes clear other related historical and cultural situation and context. For the adaptations under changes of the social and political situation, this paper especially draws attention to the unique process of decolonization in Taiwan. In chapter four, based on the author’s participant observation, it focuses on some religious practices in related temples and rituals, analyzes their transformations and provides interpretations of the changes and their meanings. With reference to the concept and schema about Chinese popular beliefs provided by previous Japanese scholars and the concept of ‘bricolage’ by Levi-Strauss, this paper’s contribution and interpretation will be able to lead the author for the research in the future. Despite many Japanese new religions implement their mission works in Taiwan, there is few research so far to mention it. This paper has introduced previous researches on it, and tries to point out the value and position of the study on Japanese new religions in Taiwan. Focusing especially on tasks and difficulties special for Japanese new religions, it actually has provided suggestions about prospects for anthropological study of Japanese new religion and Chinese popular beliefs in Taiwan.