In the introduction to the issue, editors Nagaoka Takashi and Masato Kato discuss the problems with the category of "new religions" when applied to prewar traditions such as Tenrikyo and Omoto.
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Nagaoka explains who myth and creation narratives in the sacred texts of these traditions were interpreted in the context of early twentieth-century nationalism in Japan.
In his article "Legitimizing an Evil Teaching: Deguchi Onisaburō and 'Superstition' in Modern Japan," Takashi Miura argues that Onisaburō appropriated the term "superstition" to use for his own purposes.
In "From Faith-Healing Group to New Religion: The Discursive Formulation of Tenrikyo in Meiji," Franziska Steffen outlines how debates between Tenrikyo faithful and their critics led to Tenrikyo being dubbed a "new religion."
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