Since before World War II in Japan, unique religious ideas and rituals that combine ancient
Korean Shamanism and Buddhism have developed. The sites of this practice have been called
“Korean Temples.” They are comprised of bosaru (“Bodhisattva,” female shamans), sunim
(Buddhist monks), and the first-generation Korean women living in Japan that support them.
However, as I pointed out in my 2012 study, the existence of a network between “City
Temples” in Osaka and “Mountain Temples” in the Ikoma Mountains near the Kansaiurban area
has led me to begin calling them “Temples for Koreans living in Japan.”
Many “Temples for Koreans living in Japan” are experiencing a generational change ; now
most practitioners are Koreans who came to Japan from the 1980s onwards. They have devel-
oped new religious activities that differ from those of “Korean Temples.” In addition, in light of
their lifestyles of going back and forth between Korea and Japan, we could say that the circum-
stances surrounding them are part of the general shift towards transnationality.
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the development of the religious practices of Koreans
in colonial and postcolonial times, and the transition from “Korean Temples” before World War II
to the current “Temples for Koreans living in Japan.” Accordingly, it will also consider whether
or not it is possible to point out the “Empire.”
Keywords : Korean temples, temples for Koreans living in Japan, networking, newcomers, trans-
national
｢朝鮮寺」から「在日コリアン寺院」へ (宮下)
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