In these discussions, the Japanese scholars of religion characterized ‘religion’
in contrast to other categories such as education and morality, and, in the
process, came to presuppose the sui generisquality of religion. Scholars
respectively presented universal definitions of religion, which were also assumed
to be its origin. Their views on religion can be described, overall, as psycho-
1111
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1011
1
2
3111
4 5 6 7 8 9
20111
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
30111
1
2
3
4
35
6
7
8
9
40111
42222
3
411
JAPAN
197
Table 1 The curricula of the religious studies at the University of Tokyo in 1904
Required Courses No. of creditsa
Religious Studies and History of Religion 3
Indian Philosophy 1
Psychology 1
Logic and Epistemology 1
Elective Required Courses
eitherSociology orPhilosophy 1
eitherIntroduction to Philosophy, History of
Western Philosophy, orHistory of Eastern
Philosophy 1
eitherEthics or Sanskrit Studies 1
Source: Fujii 1982: 34.
a1 credit=3 hours a class, per week, for one year
Table 2 Discussion themes, Society for Comparative Religion
1 Dragons and Serpents 10 February, March Religious Matters
2 Homa (goma) 11 April, May Religious Matters
3 (Sacred) Numbers 12 Death Time of Buddha, Christ and Muhammad
(Mahomet)
4 Sexual Rituals and Customs 13 June, July Religious Matters
5 Ritual Prohibitions 14 August, September, October Religious Matters
6 Gods and Animals 15 November, December Religious Matters
7 Offerings 16 Japanese Gods
8 Festivals and Ceremonies 17 Summer Trip Reports
9 January Religious Matters 18 Sorcery
Source: Suzuki 1979: 265–67.
Note: The society, which was more like a study group of several scholars of religion, led by
Masaharu Anesaki and Nobuta Kishimoto, held 22 meetings within a three-year period.
