Foreword: interdisciplinary perspectives on Japan and the islamic world

Abstract

In the contemporary academic landscape, geographical distances no longer hinder the discovery of profound intellectual and spiritual affinities. This special issue of Eskiyeni, titled "Special Issue of Japan-Islam," brings together fifteen articles that meticulously examine the historical, theological, and cultural intersections between these two civilizations. By problematizing modernity, identity construction, and interreligious interactions, this volume shifts the focus toward neglected phenomenological, theological, and sociological dimensions. Offering an interdisciplinary panorama, the issue explores: Turkish-Muslim identity through an autoethnographic lens, early Tatar Quran prints in Japan, negotiations of belonging among Japanese Muslims, ritual heritage in Japanese and Islamic contexts, and mystical parallels between Sufism and Japanese Buddhism. Furthermore, it addresses nature ethics in Princess Mononoke, the pedagogy of silence in Zen and Sufism, syncretic interpretations of Islam, and the "Bogus Muslim" concept in post-Meiji Japan. The collection concludes with comparative analyses of God in Tenriky & omacr; and Islam, S & omacr;ka Gakkai and Islamic educational models, the role of Muslims and Young Turks in the Japanese intellectual milieu, monomyth theory and "mountain" symbolism in foundational religious figures, Shinto kami belief, and the historical transformation of Japan's cultural encounter with Islam. This volume aims to provide a theoretical and practical impetus to the burgeoning field of Japanese and Islamic studies.