SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

A Forgotten Buddhist Astronomy: History of "Bonreki" Movement in 19th Century Japan

Masahiko Okada

Abstract

A Buddhist monk, Fumon Entsu (1754-1834), published his main work, Bukkoku Rekisho hen (Astronomy and Calendar System in the Land of Buddha) in 1810 and established his unique theory of Buddhist astronomy and calendar system based on the idea of flat and motionless earth in the traditional Buddhist scriptures. Entsu calculated the movements of heavenly bodies and predicted astronomical events to verify his theory. Moreover, he invented a miniature mechanical model of Buddhist worldview to demonstrate the plausibility of his astronomical theory.

People influenced by Entsu’s theory organized a school and developed a unique intellectual movement in Japan. In this seminar, I would like to introduce this unique intellectual movement, which was highly popular at one time but rapidly disappeared in 19th century. I hope that we can consider the meaning of “modernity” in Japan by focusing on this forgotten Buddhist intellectual movement.

Speaker Biography

Professor Masahiko OKADA is currently at the Department of Religious Studies at Tenri University in Japan. He completed his PhD in Religious Studies at Stanford University in 1997. His research interests are the intellectual and cultural History in 19th Century Japan. His recent works include some books and articles on the modern Japanese Buddhist thinkers and their intellectual movements. In 2006, he has translated James Ketelaar, Of Heretics and Martyrs in Meiji Japan