Another Shōtoku: History and Mythmaking in Modern Japanese Religion

A Virtual Book Talk with Dr. Orion Klautau, Tohoku University

This lecture examines the enduring fascination with the “true” image of Shōtoku Taishi (574–622) in twentieth-century Japan. By tracing the emergence of alternative historical narratives around him, it reveals how Shōtoku has been recast as both a symbol of religious and political importance and a romanticized figure endowed with supernatural power. The talk further explores how modern reinterpretations—spanning from the early twentieth century to the present—have woven together elements of occultism, mythology, and pseudo-history, forging new forms of storytelling that often blur the line between fact and fantasy. Engaging with a range of scholarly works and popular media, this presentation illustrates how these “alternative histories” have been crafted to appeal to both intellectual audiences and the broader public, reshaping Shōtoku’s legacy and his role in the Japanese cultural imagination.