Nichiren's metamorphosis of emancipatory politics : method and meaning recovery in comparative political theory with an extended analysis of textual data trends

• Main Author: Goh, Siak Wei
• Other Authors: Christopher Holman
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Social sciences::Political science::Political theory
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/150847
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Nichiren was no ordinary Buddhist priest. Founding a new Buddhist movement, his socially engaged life and works were also directed at transforming the politics of 13th Century Medieval Japan. Nichiren’s life and ideas have exerted a substantial influence on the development of Japanese society. However, he has been largely overlooked in explorations of Japanese political thought. To complicate matters, interpretational differences have resulted in variegated political portrayals of Nichiren – suggesting that he is a largely misunderstood figure. Responding to political theorist Leigh Jenco’s call for a methods-centred approach to comparative political theory, this study engages in a more nuanced recovery of Nichiren’s political thought through engaging his works via his own methodological approach. Elucidating Nichiren’s sensitivity to contextual developments, this study demonstrates how his political thought metamorphoses over three periods during his lifetime.