The Invention of Japanese Religions

In recent years, the academic study of religion has begun to challenge the usefulness of the concept of ‘religion’ itself. This article examines the extension of this critical turn to the issue of Japanese religion. It traces the history of the invention of Japanese religions as conceptual categories and discusses debates about the continuities and discontinuities of ‘religion’ (shūkyō) in Japan. Finally, it surveys the Japanese invention of ‘religion’ as a legal and political category.