Japanese Temples, Sontaku and Venison Sukiyaki 忖度、興福寺、鹿のすき焼き

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Here are some photos of the five-storied pagoda of Kofukuji Temple in Nara Prefecture. I definitely recommend visiting it if you come to Japan. I love this old temple, though there is one wild detail: it once put this pagoda up for auction for just 25 yen at the time—which is roughly 100,000 yen (about $930 USD) today.

There was a reason, of course. The temple was trying to survive haibutsu kishaku, the anti-Buddhist movement triggered by government orders at the start of the Meiji period (1868–1912).

 
The policy sought to separate Shinto from Buddhism to make Shinto the state religion and unify the nation. Although Shinto and Buddhism had long been intertwined in Japan, Buddhist temples had historically dominated combined shrine-temple complexes. This new political shift gave Shinto proponents a chance to retaliate against their former superiors. Let’s look at this more closely, focusing on Enryakuji and Kofukuji.

Five-storied pagoda of Kofukuji temple

Auctioned in the 19th century

The anti-Buddhist persecution effectively started at Enryakuji Temple. Its monks were expelled and its statues destroyed by a Shinto shrine under the temple's control. However, things got interesting from there. What happened to Enryakuji terrified Kofukuji Temple—just 65 km away from the origin of this anti-Buddhism movement—to the point where they voluntarily wrote a letter within two weeks notifying the government of their conversion to Shinto and asking for permission to work as Shinto priests for Kasuga Taisha Shrine, which was right next to the temple. What a remarkably fast decision driven by sontaku!

Sontaku is a Japanese term that means surmising, guessing, or reading another person's unstated feelings, desires, or intentions and acting on them beforehand.

They might have simply believed that a swift reaction would please the government and protect the temple. However, their misguided loyalty went too far; they burned the temple's statues and artifacts for firewood or sold them off for profit. Some of these treasures even made their way overseas and are now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. This pagoda barely escaped being sold to a buyer who intended to demolish it just for its metal.

 
Japanese people usually don't realize that they engage in 'sontaku'—or even if they do, they don't think about its consequences. This is because, for them, not 'they,' but 'someone else' should be responsible for protecting their lives. Before the war, 'someone else' was the government, Shinto priests, and the emperor; since the end of the war, it has been the government and the US.

The anti-Buddhist movement caused another tragedy for the deer on the premises of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. The deer, considered messengers of the gods, nearly went extinct at that time because they were eaten as sukiyaki instead of beef.

Here is another tidbit: Without this persecution, Yasaka Shrine and Kitano Tenmangu—two of Kyoto’s top-ten shrines—would still be Buddhist temples.

If you're interested in anti-Buddhist persecution, check out my other posts: 'Hindu Ganesh' and 'Mask of a Drunken Persian King's Servant'!

Reference: Annihilation of Buddhism - Why did the Meiji government destroy Buddhist temples?  by Hidetoku Ukai (仏教抹殺　なぜ明治政府は寺院を破壊したのか　鵜飼秀徳)

Posted on 9/29/2019

Revised on 11/5/2026

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廃仏毀釈については以前も触れましたが、その過激化は何と「忖度」が原因だったようです。明治政府は単に神仏分離を目的としていたのに、長年寺院に虐げられてきた神社がそれを理由（口実？）に反撃を開始したとのこと。延暦寺がその発端だそうです。

でも面白いのは興福寺。延暦寺で起きたことを聞き、自ら還俗して春日大社の神官として働くことを願い出たそうです。はあ｡｡。そして多くの仏像が焼却、売却されました｡｡。私も大好きなこの写真の五重塔も当時の25円（今の10万円）で売りに出されたそうです。

第2次大戦のせいで、「神道が悪者で仏教が善玉」みたいな印象がありますが（私だけでしょうか？）、江戸期以降、仏教は相当堕落していたようで、廃仏毀釈と結びついた神道側の復讐を恐れた寺側が「忖度」して神社にすり寄り過激化した、というのが真相のよう。

日本人って忖度が習い性になっていて、自分が忖度していること自体に気付いてない人が多いような気がします。忖度しても、結局付けは自分に回ってくる気がするのですが｡｡｡

でもそのとばっちりで一番可哀そうだったのは春日大社の鹿！ すき焼きで食べられてしまったそうです。ちなみに京都の八坂神社と北野天満宮はもともとお寺だったそうです。

廃仏毀釈にご興味ある方は「伎楽面（酔胡従）」と「ガネーシャ」もお読みください！

参考文献：「仏教抹殺　なぜ明治政府は寺院を破壊したのか」鵜飼秀徳著

初稿　9/29/2019

改訂　11/5/2026

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