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Home , Japanese diaspora

THEME New Religious Movements

Japan’s two and half centuries of isolation ended in the middle of the 19th century. Since then, knowledge and activities of Japanese culture, people and religion have spread across the world. The first known incidence of the propagation of Japanese religions overseas was in the 1890s when several schools of Japanese Buddhism began to be practiced in on the basis of Japanese migration and settlement there. Thus over a century has passed since Japanese religion began proselytising outside . Maintaining ‘Japaneseness’: the strategy of the Church of World Messianity in

Hideaki Matsuoka in Brazil since the 1930s, has many ethnic apanese religions have been propagated Japanese Brazilian clergy, and the president Jin Brazil since 1908 when the first group is a second-generation Japanese Brazilian. of Japanese immigrants arrived there. Cur- By contrast, all successive presidents of PL rently there are approximately 60 branches have been Japanese who were sent to Bra- of Japanese religions in Brazil and more zil by the Japanese headquarters. They stay than ten have been engaged in active pros- in Brazil for seven to nine years and then elytisation (Matsuoka and Ronan, 2007). return to Japan. During this time, some Among these religions, Japanese new learn Portuguese, some do not. Gener- religions have been the most successful ally they are not committed to speaking in acquiring followers, overshadowing the Portuguese with the Brazilian followers. traditional Japanese religions, Buddhism In terms of leadership, Messianity differs and . The three major Japanese new from both of these groups. The Brazilian religions in Brazil by number of followers president of Messianity, Reverend Tetsuo are Seicho-No-Ie (‘The House of Growth’) Watanabe has been in Brazil for almost 40 (800,000 followers), Perfect Liberty (Per- years. Since Watanabe holds significant fect Liberty Kyodan in Japanese, henceforth positions in Messianity’s global organisa- termed ‘PL’) (70,000) and The Church of tion, he travels frequently between Japan World Messianity (Sekai Kyusei Kyo, hence- and Brazil. Therefore, he addresses fol- forth termed ‘Messianity’) (400,000). lowers only at special events such as The Although these numbers may be inflated, Festival of Heaven on Earth, but he speaks it is safe to say that there are at least one Portuguese very well and his dynamic million followers of Followers gathering in front of the shrine at Messianity’s sacred place. preaching style is popular with followers. in Brazil. This fact may not seem remark- His speeches are regularly summarised in able when the reader considers that there the Jornal Messiânico, Messianity’s month- are over 1.2 million ethnic Japanese-Bra- does not fall short of the expectation we the Equator), is a Japanese new religion ism and Roman Catholicism. However ly journal. In 1992, there were 14 Rever- zilians from the first to the fifth genera- may have; the most successful Japanese that has proselytised in Brazil (Matsuoka in terms of doctrine and practice, there ends (the highest rank in the Messianity tion, or that São Paulo city has the largest religions in foreign cultural contexts are 2007). The Church of World Messian- are some aspects that indicate continuity hierarchy) under Watanabe, 13 of whom Japanese immigrant population as a city those in the third category. ity, a religion founded by Okada Mokichi between Messianity and several influen- were Japanese who immigrated to Brazil in in the world. But it is important to point (1882-1955), has spread to 78 countries. tial Brazilian religions. An example is the the 1960’s for proselytisation. After almost out that over 95 percent of the followers ‘A pure Japanese policy’ In terms of the number of followers, sig- belief in the existence of the world of spir- 40 years in the country, the Japanese cler- of these religions are non-ethnic Japanese Each Japanese new religion in Brazil has nificant countries are: the US, , its from whom human beings may receive gy have assimilated into Brazilian culture, . tried to fulfill its own aims in terms of prop- Brazil, and in the Ameri- transcendental power, a notion Messianity although they sometimes make statements agation. To understand the organisational cas, , and Sri Lanka in Asia, shares with Kardecismo, a French spirit- such as: “I am not accustomed to feijão By comparing Japanese religions and aspects of Japanese new religions in Bra- Angola in Africa and Portugal in Europe. ism that has spread throughout Brazil, (Brazilian popular boiled bean dish),” or companies stationed abroad, Nakamaki zil, it is useful to refer to related and sug- It has approximately 2 million followers and also with the Brazil-born spiritism, “I hope to send my daughter to Japan to proposes three categories of foreign-based gestive results from the study of Japanese world wide. Brazil has the second largest Umbanda. receive a college education there.” One of Japanese religions (Nakamaki 1986). The business abroad. Hulbert and Brandt, who number of followers (400,000) following them told me “we [Japanese Reverends] first category is religions whose headquar- study Brazilian companies controlled by Thailand (600,000). As mentioned earlier, it has been observed are already half Brazilian.” In this way it ters in Japan have neither eagerness nor multinational corporations (MNCs) head- that the percentage of non-ethnic Japa- can be seen that Messianity, which sends policies to propagate abroad. Missionar- quartered in Japan, the , and I will take the case of Messianity in Brazil nese followers in Seicho-No-Ie, PL, and Japanese religious leaders from Japan for ies of this type of religion must proselytise Europe, reach the following conclusion: in in order to introduce some principles of Messianity exceeds 95 percent. There are a lifetime posting in Brazil, differs from PL in foreign countries without suggestions the Brazilian offices of Japanese MNCs, organisational structure in new religions. also many non-ethnic Japanese members which follows the more corporate model or financial support from Japanese head- presidents are more likely to be Japanese, Messianity was introduced to Brazil in of the clergy in these groups. The higher of sending ‘Japanese expatriate managers’ quarters. Examples include Shinto shrines and control by Japanese headquarters is 1955. The group increased the number of the rank of clergy, however, the higher the for a fixed term to Brazil, after which they in Hawaii. The second category includes stricter than that of American and Euro- its followers steadily and claims that it has proportion of ethnic Japanese, and the return to Japan. religions that try to proselytise in foreign pean MNCs (Hulbert and Brandt 1980). 400,000 followers in 2008, and that over presidents of the Brazilian chapters of countries but only adopt some superficial Japanese MNCs have tried to maintain 95 percent of them are non-ethnic Japa- all of these three groups are ethnic Japa- According to Maeyama, an anthropolo- aspects of the host culture and make every the identities of their group’s companies nese Brazilians. Messianity is best known nese sent by Japanese headquarters. From gist who researched Japanese religions effort to maintain their own Japanese ways, abroad by installing expatriate Japanese for its religious activity Jhorei - transmis- this data then, we can surmise that these in Brazil, in 1967 Messianity had around rituals and beliefs abroad. Most schools of managers as executives in these compa- sion of the light of God by holding one’s groups have adopted the ‘pure Japanese 7,000 committed followers and 60 to 70 Japanese Buddhism and Tenri Kym are typi- nies and maintaining strict control by the hand over the recipient. Messianity’s doc- policy’ within Nakamaki’s typology, but percent of them were non-ethnic Japanese cal religions in this category. The third cat- headquarters in Japan. This strategy may trine and practice is strongly influenced by major differences in the policies of these Brazilians. When this figure is expanded egory includes religions that try to grasp be called a ‘pure Japanese policy’. that of Shinto, a Japanese traditional reli- three groups must also be accounted for. I to include frequentador, those who have the foreign culture positively and some- gion. For this reason, it might be consid- will try to elucidate Messianity’s policy for not yet formally joined Messianity but visit times transform their established rituals to Has Messianity adopted a ‘pure Japanese ered that Messianity is rather out of place maintaining its identity by comparing it the church, 90 percent were non-ethnic fit into the religious arena of the host soci- policy’? The Church of World Messian- in the Brazilian cultural milieu and very dif- with those of the two other groups. (Maeyama 1983). The ety. Seicho-No-Ie, PL, and Messianity fall ity of Brazil, (about which I published an ferent from traditional Brazilian religious percentage of ethnic Japanese among the into this category. What happens in reality ethnography entitled Japanese Prayer below orientations, which tend towards spirit- Seicho-No-Ie, which has been propagated followers of six groups of Japanese new

1 0 IIAS NEWSLETTER # 4 7 S p r i n g 2 0 0 8 THEME New Religious Movements

[advertisement] religions in Brazil in 1967 is shown in Table trolled by Japanese managers. This type of 1. According to this research, Messianity company is typical of those with a strong had the highest percentage of non-ethnic focus on engineering and thus it employs Japanese among the six groups (although many Japanese engineers. The last type is in Posters: The Dreamt Reality since 1967 this percentage has increased a company that employs many local execu- in Seicho-No-Ie and PL also). We can con- tives and the role of expatriate Japanese is clude that, from the outset, Messianity has as consultants, Only the president, the propagated itself among non-ethnic Japa- manager of the finance department, and nese Brazilians more eagerly than other staff who support these local line manager executives are Japanese. This type is seen among companies that have a long his- Table 1 tory of doing business overseas. Based on Ethnic Breakdown among Japanese Kono’s argument, it is possible that a com- New Religions in Brazil in 1967 pany with the first type of management style would adopt the third type in the long Religious ethnic other %) run. It was in 1955 when two young Mes- Group Japanese sianity followers started its proselytisation Brazilians (%) without financial support from the Japa- nese headquarters. But in the 1960s, the O¯moto 50 50 headquarters sent young Japanese mis- Tenri Kym 100 0 sionaries to Brazil and started dominating Seicho-No-Ie 99–100 0–1 Brazilian Messianity. Thus, Messianity has Messianity 40 60 PL 80–90 10–20 Smka Gakkai 100 0 ‘Guarapiranga’. Messianity’s sacred place. Courtesy of groups, and has been very successful in Messianity. the project. There are indications that the leaders of Messianity at its Japanese head- quarters, were, at that time, experiencing fallen into the the first category since the ambivalent feelings towards this remark- 1960s. But ‘Brazilianisation’ has been pro- able achievement. On the one hand, they gressing steadily in this new religion. As were pleased to be realising Okada’s slo- previously mentioned, in 1992 there were gan “Messianity should be international”, 14 Reverends; 13 were ethnic Japanese who but at the same time they were afraid that came from Japan and one was an ethnic Messianity would become ‘Brazilianised.’ Japanese Brazilian. In 2008, by contrast, Faced with the increase of non-ethnic there exist 37 Reverends; 13 ethnic Japa- Japanese Brazilians followers, the Brazil- nese from Japan, five ethnic Japanese ian leaders started considering certain Brazilians, and 19 non-ethnic Japanese Kunsthal, Rotterdam procedures which might help maintain Brazilians. 14 June to 7 September 2008 the church’s identity. One of the main pil- lars of this identity maintenance project So far in Brazil, there has not been a Japa- In anticipation of the Olympic Games Kunsthal Rotterdam presents a broad was a seminarist system started in Brazil nese new religion that resembles the third in 1971. In the beginning, the number of type of Kono’s classification, in which Jap- selection of Chinese posters, originating from the two largest and interna- seminarists was around five, but in the last anese act as consultants. But in the near tionally authoritative collections in the world.‘China in Posters’ provides 20 years, five to ten seminarists have been future, it seems likely that Messianity will the audience with an historical survey of seven decennia of Chinese poster sent to Japan for a year or two after being adopt the third type of management style art, in which both the periods before, during and after Mao are covered. trained at the headquarters in São Paulo, and the organisation has been preparing to study and culture for it. Some of the posters on display are extremely rare and no longer available and even proselytise in Japan. Messian- in China. This exhibition belongs to a successful series of exhibitions on ity branches in Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Prof. Hideaki Matsuoka Art — in 2004 for instance, the Kunsthal presented a large collection Angola, and Portugal have adopted the National Museum of Ethnology of North Korean Propaganda Art. seminarist system, but the Brazilian one (Minpaku), Japan has been the most organised. Lecturer, University of Tokyo, Japan [email protected] History of China These seminarists, including both eth- The posters visualize the modern history of China from the thirties up to nic and non-ethnic Japanese Brazilians, References the Olympic Games in 2008. Workers, farmers and soldiers set an example become the elite of Messianity in Brazil Hulbert, James M. and William K. Brandt. and globally. After completing their train- 1980. Managing the Multinational Subsidiary. to the public during The Great Leap Forward (1958-1960) by working firmly ing in Japan, their main duty will be pros- : Holt, Rinehart and Winston. on creating the China as Mao had envisioned it: an industrial nation with elytisation and some of them are most an enormous steel production. During the Cultural Revolution the posters definitely destined to become leaders of Kono, Toyohiro. 1984 Strategy and Structure ­showed wildly enthusiastic men and women waving their red books fana- Messianity both in Brazil and worldwide. of Japanese Enterprises. Armonk NY: M. E. In terms of its organisational ties with Sharpe. tically. In the course of time the tone of the political message and the way Japan, it is highly significant that Messian- people were portrayed changed. Although propaganda and symbolism re- ity sends seminarists to Japan to experi- Maeyama, Takashi. 1983. “Japanese Religions mained present in the posters that were produced after the death of Mao in ence the culture of the country from which in Southern Brazil: Change and Syncretism.” 1976, the militant and political messages were more and more pushed aside the group emerged. Latin American Studies (University of Tsukuba) No. 6: 181-238. to make way for posters stimulating and canalizing consumptive behaviour. New religions as Western influence had evidently reached China. multinationals? Matsuoka, Hideaki. 2007. Japanese Prayer I return to the comparison of Japanese below the Equator: How Brazilians Believe in The posters belong to collections from the International Institute new religions with Japanese multinational the Church of World Messianity. Lanham: Lex- corporations. In general, when Japanese ington. for Social History (IISG) and from Stefan Landsberger (University of companies start business abroad they Leiden, University of Amsterdam). establish affiliated overseas companies as Matsuoka, Hideaki and Ronan Alves Pereira. subsidiaries. Kono suggests there are three 2007. “Japanese Religions in Brazil: Their Information: types of management in these subsidiaries Development in and out of the Diaspora Soci- (Kono 1984). The first type is a subsidiary ety.” In Pereira, Ronan Alves and Matsuoka + 31 (0) 10 4400301, whose president and departmental or sec- Hideaki, eds., Japanese Religions In and beyond www.kunsthal.nl tion managers are all expatriate Japanese, the Japanese Diaspora. Institute of East Asian Opening hours: posted to the venture from Japan. A newly Studies. University of at Berkeley. Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm, established overseas company or a com- pany that is eager to raise productivity Nakamaki, Hirochika. 1986. Shin Sekai no Sundays and public holidays 11am - 5pm tends to adopt this pattern. The second Nihon ShTkyM [Japanese Religion in the New type is a company in which only the engi- World]. Tokyo: Heibonsha. neering and finance departments are con-

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