Dissertationsprojekt Laura Brandt, M.A.

Anything used to convey ideas about an assumed transcendence, to make the ineffable tangible, or to distinguish a religious setting and experience from everyday life can be considered a medium of religion - regardless of its artistic qualities, monetary value, or permanence. My dissertation examines how museums curated by new religious movements (NRM) in Japan are included in this analytical understanding of religious media, and how these organizations adopt and adapt the museum format as a medium of religion.

In the current research landscape of material religion, a focus on the intermediary function of museums and their objects is especially prevalent. Scholars of religion explore how secular and religious institutions alike harness the efficacy of religious media, recontextualize them based on their historical, ethnographic, or aesthetic merits, and employ them to disseminate knowledge about religion. 

For the past forty years, NRMs have become active participants in the Japanese museum landscape and international museum networks. As my case studies demonstrate, however, their collections are not characterized by the objects’ assumed religious capacities, but rather by their assigned value as works of art: Tōkyo Fuji Art Museum (Sōka Gakkai) lets Western painting speak to ideas of self-cultivation and global citizenship, while Hanzōmon Museum (Shinnyō-en) showcases Buddhist objects through the lens of heritage and diversity. Adding outstanding architecture to the list of museum attractions, Hikaru Museum (Sūkyō Mahikari) combines art and geology, MOA Museum of Art (Sekai Kyūseikyō) appeals to Japanese sensibility and aesthetic next to breathtaking ocean views, and MIHO Museum (Shinji Shūmeikai) invites visitors on a pilgrimage to its remote mountain site.

Rather than taking on an intermediary role, these museums are envisioned as a singular experience presented to prospective visitors, and thus part of the NRM’s media environment. Objects held in high esteem by members and non-members alike are thought to give direct access to values, experiences, affects, and aesthetics of the affiliated religion. 

In order to illuminate how these museums reflect on the NRMs’ religious doctrines and practices to include artworks and antiques, the dissertation is based on the close reading and analysis of museum ephemera. Designed to be discarded after fulfilling their purpose, museum brochures and the like shed light on the self-ascribed intents and missions of NRMs when founding a museum. These materials not only aim to incite interest, or impact memories but also depict social realities of the visit and responses to the museum as envisioned by the curating organization. These findings are further contextualised by participant observations, museum visits, ethnographic encounters, and formal interviews with staff and curators.

The dissertation further illuminates how Japanese NRM employ the fluid categories of art and icon, how they navigate the dichotomy of seemingly secular museum spaces and religious interests, and how they include geography and architecture in the assemblages of meaning within a museum — and ultimately contributes to the debate about the appeal and mission of museums in the 21st century.