The many faces of Religious Studies and the multiplicity of religious traditions in Japan

Abstract

The Japanese Association of Religious Studies (JARS) had 2112 members in 2006, a fairly large number. On the other hand, among 756 universities in Japan, there are only ten universities with departments or courses in Religious Studies or the academic study of religion. In spite of this unfavorable situation, JARS has been quite active and Religious Studies is widely recognized within Japanese academia. Because religious traditions in Japan are multiple and interconnected to each other in complicated ways, scholars have been working on them from various perspectives and by various methods. JARS is recognized by a wide range of scholars as an appropriate institution for discussing various topics related to multiple traditions. This has become possible because Religious Studies in Japan has been dealing widely with various religious traditions; it is one major academic institution for comparison and dialog among various traditions.