‘I am a New Swedenborg, a New Khan’

Summary

Swedish visionary Emanuel Swedenborg's thought was received and adapted in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Japan, particularly during the Meiji era. Japanese intellectuals called Swedenborg the world's greatest theologian and even the Buddha of the North. Deguchi Onisaburō, co-founder of the Ōmoto faith, applied Swedenborg's teachings in Japanese contexts to introduce the world to its primordial ancestry in Japan. The article also sketches Buddhist interpretations of Swedenborg and applies both Buddhist and Shintoist perspectives to Swedenborgian studies, aiming to encourage scholars of esotericism to consider East Asian receptions of Western esoteric thinkers.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract This article discusses the reception and adaptation of Swedish visionary Emanuel Swedenborg’s thought in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Japan. It situates this reception in the context of Japanese esoteric thought during the Meiji era. Japanese intellectuals called Swedenborg the world’s greatest theologian, even the Buddha of the North. Yet his importance to Meiji-era intellectual life remains underconsidered in esotericism studies. This article first illuminates how Deguchi Onisaburō, co-founder of the Ōmoto faith, applied Swedenborg’s teachings in uniquely Japanese contexts while pursuing the goal of introducing the entire world to its primordial ancestry in Japan. The article then sketches some of the Buddhist interpretations of Swedenborg, which Deguchi used to elucidate his reading. The article introduces a combined discourse by applying both Buddhist and Shintoist perspectives to Swedenborgian studies. It aims to encourage more scholars of esotericism to consider East Asian receptions of Western esoteric thinkers.

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