Yuki Miyamoto
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780823240500
- eISBN:
- 9780823240548
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823240500.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This monograph explores the ethics and religious sensibilities of a group of the hibakusha (survivors) of 1945's atomic bombings. Although the atomic bombings of 1945 have been studied from the ...
More
This monograph explores the ethics and religious sensibilities of a group of the hibakusha (survivors) of 1945's atomic bombings. Although the atomic bombings of 1945 have been studied from the points of view of various disciplines, the survivors' ethic—not retaliation, but reconciliation—emerging from their experiences and supported by their religious sensibilities, has never been addressed sufficiently in academic discourse. Rather their ethic has been excluded from the atomic bomb discourse or nuclear ethics. In examining Hiroshima city's “secular” commemoration, Hiroshima's True Pure Land Buddhist understanding, and Nagasaki's Roman Catholic tradition, I argue that the hibakusha's ethic and philosophy, based upon critical self-reflection, could offer resources for the constructing ethics based upon memories, especially in the post-9–11 world. Thus, this monograph, responding to this lacuna in scholarship, invites readers to go beyond the mushroom cloud where they encounter actual hibakusha's ethical thoughts.Less
This monograph explores the ethics and religious sensibilities of a group of the hibakusha (survivors) of 1945's atomic bombings. Although the atomic bombings of 1945 have been studied from the points of view of various disciplines, the survivors' ethic—not retaliation, but reconciliation—emerging from their experiences and supported by their religious sensibilities, has never been addressed sufficiently in academic discourse. Rather their ethic has been excluded from the atomic bomb discourse or nuclear ethics. In examining Hiroshima city's “secular” commemoration, Hiroshima's True Pure Land Buddhist understanding, and Nagasaki's Roman Catholic tradition, I argue that the hibakusha's ethic and philosophy, based upon critical self-reflection, could offer resources for the constructing ethics based upon memories, especially in the post-9–11 world. Thus, this monograph, responding to this lacuna in scholarship, invites readers to go beyond the mushroom cloud where they encounter actual hibakusha's ethical thoughts.
Yuki Miyamoto
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780823240500
- eISBN:
- 9780823240548
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823240500.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This chapter explores a Buddhist interpretation of the bombing: the approach of True Pure Land Buddhism (or Shin Buddhism). Hiroshima is characterized by its large population of True Pure Land ...
More
This chapter explores a Buddhist interpretation of the bombing: the approach of True Pure Land Buddhism (or Shin Buddhism). Hiroshima is characterized by its large population of True Pure Land adherents; approximately 80 percent of the city's residents belong to this sect. Focusing on True Pure Land priest kōji Shigenobu's interpretation of the bombing, I examine the way in which this Buddhist understanding of the bomb aids believers' attempts to understand what is otherwise an incomprehensible act of violence. Offering a basic understanding of the school's founder Shinran's thoughts, I argue that embracing critical self-reflection in this school assuaged the inclination toward retaliation. Recognition of one's helplessness and complete entrustment of oneself to Amida Buddha also calls into question the very concept of moral accountability in case of human-made tragedy, as this gives rise to a critical question in discussing the actual Japanese atrocities, such as Unit 731, Comfort Women, Nanjing Massacres, and so on. The discussion in this section will frame the examination of moral accountability in the last chapter.Less
This chapter explores a Buddhist interpretation of the bombing: the approach of True Pure Land Buddhism (or Shin Buddhism). Hiroshima is characterized by its large population of True Pure Land adherents; approximately 80 percent of the city's residents belong to this sect. Focusing on True Pure Land priest kōji Shigenobu's interpretation of the bombing, I examine the way in which this Buddhist understanding of the bomb aids believers' attempts to understand what is otherwise an incomprehensible act of violence. Offering a basic understanding of the school's founder Shinran's thoughts, I argue that embracing critical self-reflection in this school assuaged the inclination toward retaliation. Recognition of one's helplessness and complete entrustment of oneself to Amida Buddha also calls into question the very concept of moral accountability in case of human-made tragedy, as this gives rise to a critical question in discussing the actual Japanese atrocities, such as Unit 731, Comfort Women, Nanjing Massacres, and so on. The discussion in this section will frame the examination of moral accountability in the last chapter.
