Past literature on Motoori Norinaga has considered him a critic of Buddhism, and he himself has not mentioned Buddhism's influence on his work. Thus, previous research on Motoori Norinaga does not consider Buddhism at all. Simultaneously, past research has analyzed Chinese classics since Motoori studied them as part of his medical training in Kyoto. However, the study of Motoori is deeply connected to Buddhism; if we research his connection with Buddhism, the research on this connection can lead to unconventional insights. It is also to research what Buddhism was for Motoori. This paper deals with the theory on the pathos of things, which was the starting point of the study of Motoori. It attempts to show that the formulation of Motoori's theory was deeply connected with Buddhist philosophical thinking. While much research exists on the theory on the pathos of things, some aspects lack clarity. Specifically, Motoori has said that his theory triggered Fujiwara Toshinari's waka, but previous research could not probe how it was formulated from Fujiwara Toshinari's waka. This paper will show that the formulation of Motoori's theory is connected with the Buddhist philosophical thinking about state of mind and feeling in the Makashikan.

This paper examines the existence of Ubusuna-gami in the philosophy of Hirata Atsutane (1776-1843) and reconsiders its role, dissecting the deviations that Atsutane identified in the acceptance of Ubusuna-gami in the Edo society. My analysis clarifies the position and role of Ubusuna-gami in the cosmology that Atsutane created based on his interpretation of mythology. Atsutane believed that Ōkuninushi took charge of human beings' afterlife based on the will of the Musubi-gods, the root gods of world creation, and delegated this role to Ubusuna-gami. Atsutane was able to connect the life and death of each individual to the cosmology he created in his Koshiden through the medium of Ubusuna-gami, which was a deity familiar to the daily lives of the Edo people.

This article elucidates the structure of the Nichiren True Buddha theory in Soga Ryōjin's Treatises on Nichiren. Soga Ryōjin (1875-1971) was a prominent modern Shin-Buddhist scholar in Japan. When Soga was in his twenties, he researched Nichiren's thought and wrote Treatises on Nichiren in 1904. His understanding of Nichiren was always changing in Treatises on Nichiren. Nevertheless, eventually he realized that “Nichiren is the true Buddha, and Shakyamuni is the provisional Buddha.” I explore the basic structure of Soga's Nichiren True Buddha theory. When Nichiren recognized his karmic evil and powerlessness, he recited Namu Myōhōrengekyō. In this moment, Nichiren recognized himself as the true Buddha. Thereafter, Nichiren recognized the eternal Shakyamuni as the provisional Buddha. The special feature of Soga's Nichiren True Buddha theory is that the recognition of karmic evil and powerlessness, the recitation of Namu Myōhōrengekyō, and the self-recognition as the true Buddha are mutually connected in Nichiren.

By investigating the case of the Ōtani-ha movement in Jōdo Shinshū (True Pure Land Buddhism), this study examines how the law influenced the reformation of religious organizations in Japan. After WWII, the Japanese Buddhist denominations in Japan sought to reform their organizations and institutions. Prior studies on the Ōtani-ha reformation have mostly focused on how their modernized theology led to conflicts between traditional and modern priests and have argued that ethics played an important role in the modernization of religious organizations and institutions. However, most scholars failed to consider that the Japanese law was an important factor in the Ōtani-ha reformation. Modernized priests amended their constitution (Shū-ken) to reform their groups. In the process of this reformation, we find not only the doctrinal principles for reform but also the process of their legitimization by the law. Kawashima Takeyoshi, a prominent post-war sociologist of law, played a key role in this legitimization of the orders. Therefore, this study examines the case of the Ōtani-ha reformation, focusing on why the Buddhists needed a secular law to reform their constitution and what kind of religious organizations were legitimized and idealized by the law. This study extends the modernization of the Buddhist denominations by viewing it not only from the perspective of Buddhist theology but also relating it to the history of the relationship between religion and law.