Islamic Studies As Seen from Comparative Religion(<Special Issue>Islam and Religious Studies)

Abstract

Comparative religion, or the history of religions, has so far developed with little reference to Islam. As a result, it is often critically said that it is theoretically partial. On the other hand, it is mainly historians, especially those majoring in Oriental history, that have contributed to Islamic studies in Japan. Few historians of religions have participated in it. Accordingly, this gave rise to some problems from the viewpoint of the history of religions. After explaining the main principles of the history of religions, I will try, in this article, to clarify concretely the problems involved in Islamic studies in Japan, as represented by Dr. Y. Kosugi, a major researcher in this field in Japan.