Reorienting the Pure Land: Nisei Buddhism in the Transwar Years, 1943–1965
Michael Kenji Masatsugu, "Reorienting the Pure Land: Nisei Buddhism in the Transwar Years, 1943–1965 "
English | ISBN: 0824895533 | 2023 | 272 pages | PDF | 3 MB
English | ISBN: 0824895533 | 2023 | 272 pages | PDF | 3 MB
Post–World War II historical developments, including Japanese American resettlement, the US occupation of Japan, the Cold War, and decolonization in an emerging “Third World,” created both a climate of uncertainty and possibility for the future of Japanese American Buddhism in the United States. As both a racial minority and as adherents of a non-Christian religious tradition with roots in Asia, Nikkei Buddhists faced distinct challenges in asserting their religion as part of their ethnic heritage. Adaptations associated with Nisei Buddhism sought to prioritize cultural assimilation as prescribed by US government officials and other proponents of racial liberalism, while also seeking to maintain Shin Buddhist tradition, claiming it as integral to Nikkei heritage and part of a tradition of American religious freedom. Nisei also presented Buddhism as a world religion, which served as more than a rhetorical strategy, since many Nisei extended their vision of the
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