Originally, the ancient and medieval were the primary focus of Buddhist studies. Thus the unspoken assumption was that New Kamakura Buddhism was seen as the high point, and that earlier developments were preparatory stages—while post-medieval Buddhism was seen as its gradual diminution and corruption. However, currently, this kind of shared assumption is fading. With the Exoteric-Esoteric Buddhism theory, it became clear that the center of medieval Buddhism was not necessarily New Kamakura Buddhism, and the trend is now to view the medieval as a unique world. Furthermore, in contrast to the medieval, the importance of late pre-modern and modern Buddhism has come to be recognized. Moreover, it has become increasingly clear that isolated study of Buddhist history has limitations. It is fundamentally necessary to construct a comprehensive conceptual and religious history of Japan that considers the relationship of Buddhism with Kami worship as well as with late pre-modern Confucian studies and Nativism. Additionally, since it has become clear that earlier theories of the centrality of New Kamakura Buddhism were a modern fiction, clarification of ancient and medieval Buddhism is not an objective undertaking but rather bound by the limitations of the so-called modern period—and hence elucidation of pre-modern ideas and religion cannot be separated from clarification of the ideas and religion of modernity. Thus this collaborative research, recognizing the current condition of Buddhist studies, will bring together experts in both pre-modern and modern Buddhist studies. It will compare and contrast pre-modern and modern Buddhism and attempt to uncover the meaning of the transformation from pre-modern to modern. Further, since the collaborative research will draw together experts in religious studies who approach Japanese religion from a broad perspective that transcends Buddhist studies, it will establish a point of view that considers the broader conceptual and religious history of Japan rather than simply Buddhism. More specifically, we plan to cast our focus on the late pre-modern era (Edo period). The late pre-modern era was the period in which ancient and medieval ideas and religion were transformed into the modern, and this transformation indeed engendered and constituted a new world. Previously, late pre-modern ideas were said to have been primarily Confucian in character, but currently this interpretation has been completely overturned; instead, contemporary scholarship emphasizes the basic influence of Buddhism on the ethics and religion of the populace. For a long period of time, study of late pre-modern Buddhism was dominated by the so-called “theory of the corruption of late pre-modern Buddhism.” The theory held only negative views of late pre-modern Buddhism, claiming that the latter possessed no originality and had completely surrendered to political power. At long last, research has recently been conducted that sheds light on the creative aspect of late pre-modern Buddhism. Nonetheless, such study remains sparse, and significant problems remain to be clarified before we understood how to interpret late pre-modern Buddhism. In this collaborative research, we will combine debates concerning members’ presentations with group readings of relevant primary texts, attempting thereby to clarify the relationship between religion, ideas, and the development of late pre-modern Buddhism. Ultimately, we will attempt to develop an appropriate interpretive framework for the study of late pre-modern Buddhism. By such means, we will venture to gain a clearer outlook concerning the problem of how late pre-modern Buddhism mediated the transformation of ancient and medieval Buddhism into modern Buddhism. In this way, furthermore, we can presumably come to comprehensive conclusions concerning not only Buddhism but also epochal changes in the entirety of Japanese religion and thought.

Research Representative	末木 文美士	国際日本文化研究センター・教授
Organizer	磯前順一	国際日本文化研究センター・准教授
Team Researcher	阿部 仲麻呂	上智大学神学部・非常勤講師
〃	新井 菜穂子	元国際日本文化研究センター准教授
〃	池内　恵	東京大学先端科学技術研究センター・准教授
〃	Silvio VITA	イタリア国立東方学研究所・所長
〃	大谷栄一	佛教大学社会学部・准教授
〃	田中　悟	神戸大学大学院国際協力研究科・助教
〃	陳　継東	武蔵野大学人間関係学部・准教授
〃	西村　玲	財団法人東方研究会・研究員
〃	James BASKIND	九州工業大学情報工学研究院人間科学系・准教授
〃	林　淳	愛知学院大学文学部・教授
〃	藤井　淳
〃	藤本龍児	同志社大学一神教学際研究センターCISMOR・特別研究員（ＰＤ）
〃	前川健一	財団法人東洋哲学研究所・非常勤研究員
〃	米田 真理子	大阪大学大学院文学研究科・特任研究員
〃	中島岳志	北海道大学公共政策大学院・准教授
〃	井上章一	国際日本文化研究センター・教授
〃	稲賀繁美	国際日本文化研究センター・教授
〃	小松和彦	国際日本文化研究センター・教授
〃	Pham Thi Thu Giang	国際日本文化研究センター・外国人研究員
〃	徳永誓子	総合研究大学院大学文化科学研究科・博士後期課程