Journal article
Undercover Acolytes: Honganji, the Japanese Army, and Intelligence-Gathering Operations
Journal of Religious History, Vol.37(2), pp.185-205
2013
Abstract
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, as the Japanese Army sought intelligence on the countries neighbouring Japan, the military made use of the Buddhist priesthood as a cover for intelligence gathering. In addition, elements of the Buddhist priesthood, in particular the Kyoto-based Honganji sect, were happy to cooperate with the military in its intelligence gathering operations, either by allowing military officers to disguise themselves as monks or by having Buddhist monks gather military intelligence for the Japanese Army. This article examines the relationship between the Japanese Army and the Honganji sect following the 1868 Meiji Restoration, the activities of military officers who disguised themselves as Buddhist monks and the intelligence gathering activities of Buddhist monks, hoping to shed more light on the part that Japanese Buddhism played in Japan’s imperial adventure
Details
- Title
- Undercover Acolytes: Honganji, the Japanese Army, and Intelligence-Gathering Operations
- Authors/Creators
- J.G. Boyd (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Journal of Religious History, Vol.37(2), pp.185-205
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 21
- Identifiers
- 991005542884307891
- Copyright
- The Author and Religious History Association
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Asia Research Centre
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher URL
- http://therha.com.au/
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