Japanese Religions on the Internet: Innovation, Representation, and Authority

One of the most striking aspects of the rapid Internet growth of the past decade or so is that it has been a multi-lingual phenomenon. The growth of Internet sites in the Japanese language, in particular, has been exponential. A vast internet culture has developed in the Japanese language, to the extent that in many respects Japanese is a more prevalent online language than English. Scholars studying the relationship of religion and the internet, for example, or the impact of the internet on religious dynamics, can no longer work on prevailing notions that have thus far characterised the field, such as the assumption that the Internet is a Western-centric phenomenon and that studies of English-language sites and what is available on the web in English relating to religion, can provide a viable model for wider analyses of the topic.This book identifies and analyzes some of the contours of the 'Japanese Internet' in the context of religion and offers suggestions about wider issues related to religion and the Internet. In particular, the editors identify three key issues that are important in assessing the Internet in religious terms: innovation, representation, and authority. While examining various claims that have been made about the potential of the Internet in religious contexts and assessing the impact of the Internet in relation to other media forms, the essays in this volume explore the tensions that arise through the emergence of web developments and the different types of religious representation found within these developments, including personal blogs and sites run by individuals as well as those established and run by religious organizations.