근대 일본불교 사회사업의 ‘慈善’에 대한 고찰― ‘淨土眞宗本願寺派’의 사회사업을 사례로

Abstract

This study investigated 'Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha' as an example, concerning the meaning of 'charity' of the times in Japanese social work in modern times. As a result, the charity of the social work showed increasingly changing aspects by the social problems and the power of the state heading for imperialism according to industrialization. The charitable conduct that started based on the so-called material relief of the poor in the early stage shifted to the charitable work to foster civilians loyal to Japan with the appearance of reformatory relief work. Later, the inflow of modernism of Western countries came to emphasize both the material and spiritual aspects of charity in practicing charity, and the importance of poverty prevention was also caused along with charity. Above all, capitalist ideology settled the inevitability of social work and money, financial resources, and charity that would seek a profit in it was also perceived as hypocrisy. Entering the war basis, it was changed into the charity to cooperate in the war, taking advantage of the imperialist line. To look at the modernity of Japanese Buddhist social work in modern times, it is necessary to investigate the charity in various aspects newly created or overlapped with the times like this.