Dynamism and the Ageing of a Japanese 'New' Religion : Transformations and the Founder

This book examines the trajectory and development of the Japanese religious movement Agonshu and its charismatic founder Kiriyama Seiyu. Based on field research spanning 30 years, it examines Agonshu from when it first captured attention in the 1980s with its spectacular rituals and use of media technologies, through its period of stagnation to its response to the death of its founder in 2016.

The authors discuss the significance of charismatic leadership, the 'democratisation' of practice and the demands made by movements such as Agonshu on members, while examining how the movement became increasingly focused on revisionist nationalism and issues of Japanese identity. In examining the dilemma that religions commonly face on the deaths of charismatic founders, Erica Baffelli and Ian Reader look at Agonshu's response to Kiriyama's death, looking at how and why it has transformed a human founder into a figure of worship.

By examining Agonshu in the wider context, the authors critically examine the concept of 'new religions'. They draw attention to the importance of understanding the trajectories of 'new' religions and how they can become 'old' even within their first generation.

“Reader and Baffelli raise critical questions about the concept of new religion in Japan, which encompasses religious movements from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries … This is also a valuable reference for scholars of Japanese religions both in Japan and abroad.” - Nova Religio

"I wondered whether one day a comprehensive book, in English, would be published about this important Japanese “new religion,” and one updated to its post-charismatic phase inaugurated by the death of the founder, Kiriyama Seiyu (1921-2016). My wish was granted by this fascinating, splendid book, which will remain the definitive treatment of Agonshu for many years." - Reading Religion

“The first longitudinal study of a Japanese new religious movement, Dynamism and the Ageing of a Japanese 'New' Religion, by Ian Reader and Erica Baffelli, is a superb study of Agonshu that sets a new standard of excellence. Based on thirty years of research, it documents the history of an influential religion, contextualizing Agonshu within the broader issues of Japanese religious life and social change. Highly recommended.” —Helen Hardacre, Edwin O. Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions and Society, Harvard University, USA

“This book offers a fascinating portrayal of the Japanese Buddhist organization Agonshu with a focus on its founder. For students, it is an engaging introduction to Japan's so-called "new religions”. For scholars, it is the best book to date for understanding religious leadership in contemporary Japan and for showing us the problems with characterizing a religion as “new”.” —Clark Chilson, Associate Professor of Religion Studies, University of Pittsburgh, USA

“Both authors, who have co-worked already successfully on a couple of topics, are a perfect match for this particular publication. […] A highly recommendable monograph on a rather recent development in the Japanese religious landscape with additional interest in general questions in Religious Studies and the Sociology of Religions. An excellent and inspiring publication!” —Franz Winter, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Graz, Austria.