Becoming Kannon: Daidō Chōan, Guzeikyō, and Buddhist Reform in Meiji Japan

This article explores the important yet overlooked role that Kannon has played in the modern history of Buddhist reform. Previous scholarship has focused on the formation of the sectarian histories of the Jōdo Shin, Nichiren, and Zen Buddhist schools and emphasized the role of the buddha Amida. As a historical corrective, I examine the work of former Sōtō Zen priest Daidō Chōan and his founding of a new religious movement centered on Kannon called Guzeikyō in the late nineteenth century. Following a doctrinal dispute with Shin Buddhists and his excommunication from the Sōtō school, Chōan embarked on a project to revolutionize Japanese Buddhism under the banner of “reform.” Chōan’s ideological commitments resonated with many of the concerns of his contemporaries, including adapting to the rapidly shifting religious milieu of Meiji Japan, reinventing orientations toward the laity to undermine sacerdotalism, preempting ideological fragmentation by incorporating Western philosophy, and reenvisioning the terms of Buddhists’ social commitments. Chōan’s vision for Buddhist reform centered on the transformative power and trans-sectarian appeal of Kannon calls for greater scholarly engagement with the history of marginalized Buddhist modernities and reform movements.