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Japanese Opinions About Islam Before and During World War II Articles Related to Islam in Chûgai Nippô, Buddhist Daily Newspaper (1937-45)

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Japanese Opinions About Islam Before and During World War II Articles Related to Islam in Chûgai Nippô, Buddhist Daily Newspaper (1937-45) Special Feature (Introduction of Source Materials)／特集（資料紹介） Japanese Opinions about Islam before and during World War II Articles Related to Islam in Chûgai Nippô, Buddhist Daily Newspaper (1937-45) MISAWA Nobuo and ÔSAWA Kôji Ⅰ . Introduction Ⅱ . Media Research Ⅲ . Chûgai Nippô Ⅳ . Some case studies about the articles 戦前・戦中期における日本人のイスラーム 認識 仏教系日刊新聞『中外日報』掲載イスラーム関係記事 （1937 ～ 45 年） 三沢 伸生・大澤 広嗣 近年になって、「回教政策」をはじめとして、長らく学界で取り上げることがなかった戦 前・戦中期における日本とイスラーム世界との関係についての研究が進んできている。第 １に「回教政策」やイスラーム研究の中心人物にかかわる研究、第 2に第1と同じく関係団 107 Japanese Opinions about Islam before and during World War II (Misawa and Ôsawa) 中東学会28-2.indb 107 2013/02/14 13:15:45 体や研究機関にかかわる研究、第3に日本社会における反響、第4に在日タタール人など 在日イスラーム教徒や日本とイスラーム世界との関係にかかわる研究である。このなかで 第3の日本社会における反響の研究が遅れている。社会科学一般で用いられているように メディア研究を進めていくことが必要である。代表的日刊新聞に比べて仏教系日刊新聞『中 外日報』にはイスラーム関係の記事が多く所収される。現在、1937年か ら1945年の同紙 に所収されるイスラーム関係記事のデータベース化を進めており、本稿ではその一部を紹 介しながら、当時の日本社会におけるイスラーム認識の振幅の一例を示す。 I. Introduction After the start of the twenty-first century, studying the relationship between Japan and Islam, including the study about “Japanese Policy toward Muslims（ 「回教 政策」）,” gets various results, including some from new source materials. There were some memoirs and interviews related to this policy, but these were, unfortunately, with the other source materials, both in Japanese and foreign languages. For a long time Japanese scholars have interest in this policy but hesitated to undertake aca- demic research for various reasons. However, Islamic studies recommenced after the war without any assessment of prior academic researches. Nowadays, although many source materials have disappeared, aggressive and corroborative studies have surfaced (see Misawa 2010). In this paper, we would like to introduce the new source material among the Japanese periodicals, in order to get more detailed information about Japanese relations with Islam before and during World War II. Present knowledge of this relationship is limited. It is possible to classify the studies on this subject into four groups. First, there is the study about central institutions related to Islam. The Islam World Research Institution (=Kaikyôken Kenkyûjo, 回教圏研究所) and Greater Japan Muslim League (Dai Nippon Kaikyô Kyôkai, 大日本回教協会) suggested the importance of this study. As the first full-scale academic institution for Islamic studies in Japan, the Islamic Area Research Institution has attracted a great deal of academic attention (see Tamura 1987, Kawamura 1987, Ôsawa 2004, Tanada 2007). We can derive great benefit in particular from the photograph and document archives of Greater Japan Muslim League at Waseda University, compiled by Professor Tanada (see Tanada 2002, AJAMES no.28-2 2012 108 中東学会28-2.indb 108 2013/02/14 13:15:45 Usuki and Waseda University 2006). Further more, the bulletin of this institution, Islam World (=Kaikyôken,『 回教圏』), was completely reprinted. Subsequently, with the development of technology, various periodicals were reproduced as CD-ROM or DVD. For example, Great East (=Daitô,『 大東』), the bulletin of Asia Justice Association(=Ajia Gi Kai, 亜細亜義会), were reproduced by Toyo University 2008. Second, central figures related to the policy toward Islam, such as Shûmei Ôkawa and Kôji Ôkubo, are studied to verify their idea and behaviors, by such as Katô 2009- (as Web-site), Usuki 2011, Misawa 2012. Detailed information about forgot- ten central figures has begun to emerge. It is incredible that even complete works of famous Shûmei Ôkawa’s were published at this time. Third, there is the study of the reaction or opinions of Japanese people to the policy toward Muslims, or Islam in general. The institutions and central figures related to the policy toward Muslims had the strong intention to extend recognition about Islam and to propagate their policy among the Japanese society. For example, the Islamic Exhibition at Matsuzakaya Department Store was held with the assistance of Greater Japan Muslim League in the year 1939 (Omoso 2003). Some popular books related to Islam written by Shûmei Ôkawa and other writers were published before and during World War II. When we make efforts to uncover the state of Islam in Japan before and during World War II, we must research not only the institutions and central figures related to Islam, but also perceptions of Islam in among Japanese people. Fourth, quite recently the activities of Muslims in Japan have attracted to aca- demic study, as the activities of Tatar exiles in Japan have come to the surface (see Usamanova 2007, Dündar 2008, Komatsu 2008, Usuki and University of Shimane 2008, Matsunaga 2009, Dündar and Misawa 2010, Fukuda 2011). Ccentral figures, such as Abdürreşid İbrahim, Kurbangali, Ayaz İshaki, and ordinaly foreign Muslims became the subject of the investigation. Foreign researchers also promoted the inves- tigation with new found source materials. After World War II, and especially after the Korean War (1950-53), Tatar exiles migrated to America and Turkey. Recent young scholars have tried to pursue this subject for academic study. II. Media Research Compared to the aforementioned studies, the third group category of study is 109 Japanese Opinions about Islam before and during World War II (Misawa and Ôsawa) 中東学会28-2.indb 109 2013/02/14 13:15:45 not as fully developed as the others. It is very difficult to verify social consciousness among ordinary people, as opposed to studying the central figures related to the policy toward Muslims. How did the Japanese people view Islam before and during World War II? Did public opinion synchronize with the policy toward Muslims, or not? Is it possible for the public to be free from the official propaganda? Of course, the masses had limited interaction with Islam, unlike central institutions and figures related to Islam. Nevertheless, it is vital to investigate the social consciousness in those days to assess the infiltration of the Japanese policy toward Muslims. Actually, it appears that some people attended public lectures, seminars and exhibitions related to Islam as Omoso 2003 has suggested. We need to verify the social opinion about Islam among such people. As usual in the methodology of social science, articles in mass media (i.e., newspapers and magazines) reflect the opinions of the society or of the ordinary people. Recently, due to the emergence of various public and private databases of Japanese periodicals (such as NDL-OPAC and NDL Digital Library by National Diet Library, CiNii Articles by the National Institution of Informatics, Magazine Plus by Nichigai Associate, Web Oya Bunko by the Sôichi Ôya private library and so on), we can research the articles of various periodicals more easily than before. Furthermore, the Japan Association of Middle East Studies and Oriental Library (=Toyo Bunko, 東 洋文庫) is also creating a data base of academic books and articles about the Middle East by Japanese scholars and writers. Recently there has been outstanding progress in that the major Japanese daily newspapers have established a digital data base, and are making efforts to update it to include keyword search. Furthermore Kobe University has developed a digital data base of the articles about the local edition newspapers in Kansai area (=West Japan, including Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe). Thanks to these devel- opments, we can investigate the articles before and during World War II more easily, than before. Depending on the development of such digital data bases, the number of the articles related to Islam in the major Japanese daily newspapers before and during World War II may be very restricted. Generally, interests about Islam among the Japanese people was concealed during that time. Therefore, we have adopted other source material to investigate Japanese relations with Islam in greater detail. AJAMES no.28-2 2012 110 中東学会28-2.indb 110 2013/02/14 13:15:46 III. Chûgai Nippô Chûgai Nippô 『( 中外日報』) was established as Buddhist newspaper under the title Kyoôgaku Hôchi 『( 教学報知』), beginning October 1, 1897. The newspaper was welcomed as a reformer of Buddhism. It was owned and edited by Ruikotsu Matani (真渓涙骨). His pseudonym Ruikotsu means “Tear and Born,” in memory of his daughter who died at the age of only one. His real name was Shôjun Matani (真渓正遵), born as the son of Koryû-ji Temple (Jôdo Shinshû Hongan-ji Sect) in 1869. In 1885, at the age of 16, he entered the Futsû-kyôkô School of the Honganji-sect in Kyoto (today’ Ryûkoku University) to become a Buddhist priest and inherit his family’s temple. However, only one year later, he gave up school. He moved to Mangyô-ji Temple in Hakata and received pri- vate lessons from Kôjun Shitchiri for three years. After wandering throughout various domestic areas for eight years, he returned to Kyoto to publish a newspaper for the reform of Buddhism. His newspaper had a diverse relationship. Within very little time, the newspaper began to be published daily. In January 1902, Matani changed the name of the news- paper as Chûgai Nippô. The newspaper continues to be published today. Chûgai Nippô is not the most popular daily newspaper, like Yomiuri Shinbun or Asahi Shinbun, but remains an important Buddhist daily newspaper. Although readers were restricted to Japanese society, not only Buddhism priests and their families but also intellectuals were reading the newspaper. In fact, the origin if Chûô Kôron, the famous general opinion magazine in Japan, is Hanseikai Zasshi which was published by the students of Futsû-kyôkô School of Honganji-sect. The readers of this newspaper were not completely separated from the
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