Karma and Punishment
Prison Chaplaincy in Japan
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Harvard University, Asia Center
Published:27th Aug '21
Should be back in stock very soon
Despite being one of the most avowedly secular nations in the world, Japan may have more prison chaplains per inmate than any other country, the majority of whom are Buddhist priests. In this groundbreaking study of prison religion in East Asia, Adam Lyons introduces a form of chaplaincy rooted in the Buddhist concept of doctrinal admonition rather than Euro-American notions of spiritual care.
Based on archival research, fieldwork inside prisons, and interviews with chaplains, Karma and Punishment reveals another dimension of Buddhist modernism that developed as Japan’s religious organizations carved out a niche as defenders of society by fighting crime. Between 1868 and 2020, generations of clergy have been appointed to bring religious instruction to bear on a range of offenders, from illegal Christian heretics to Marxist political dissidents, war criminals, and death row inmates. The case of the prison chaplaincy shows that despite constitutional commitments to freedom of religion and separation of religion from state, statism remains an enduring feature of mainstream Japanese religious life in the contemporary era.
In this meticulously researched, thoughtfully composed book, Adam J. Lyons examines the relation between religion and the state in Japan through the lens of prison chaplaincy…An important contribution to a lively conversation among scholars of Japanese religions around the entanglements between religion and other spheres of social life. -- Melissa Anne-Marie Curley * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *
Lyons’ book is a must-read for scholars of religion and law who want to understand the modern history of Japan’s church-state relationship as it plays out in the domain of crime and punishment…Now that Lyons has ably laid the groundwork, future scholars of religion in Japan will certainly want to explore additional dimensions of this fascinating topic. -- Jessica Starling * Religious Studies Review *
This book offers a valuable and fascinating case study through which to analyze religion-state relations in modern Japan…Lyons’ honest and beautifully written account of the conflicts prison chaplains feel gives this superb and field-defining history of prison chaplaincy in Japan more than just academic heft. -- Timothy Benedict * Contemporary Japan *
[Karma and Punishment] not only makes a major contribution towards filling a gap within the broader debates regarding crime and punishment, but it also makes a compelling and fascinating argument about the role of religion in the establishment of the modern prison and probation system and its continuing influence on public perceptions of justice. This is a fascinating story…Impressive and original…A must-read for anyone who is interested in these topics. -- Jason Danely * International Institute for Asian Studies *
This volume provides a comprehensive perspective on Japanese prison chaplaincy and the dynamic relationship between religions and the state. It is a must-read for scholars of Japanese religions. -- Marzia Alteno * Religious Studies Review *
- Winner of Best First Book in the History of Religions Award 2022 (United States)
ISBN: 9780674260153
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 29mm
Weight: 771g
400 pages