Özet:

Japanese New Religious Movements (NRMs) have a substantial value in terms of their position. Japanese religious movements, which are essential in terms of their historical-cultural characteristics, also bear high significance due to new interest in them in academic circles worldwide. Their historical-cultural characteristics can be expressed as that they emerged much earlier than their examples in the West, did not arise from an institutional religious belief, gave importance to folk beliefs, adopted a stratified structure in membership by emphasizing eclectic syncretism, and attached importance to spirituality. The Japanese NRMs show traces of socio-economic, socio-political, and socio-religious development in the Late Edo Period (1800-1868), Meiji Period (1868-1912), Taishō Period (1912-1927), Shōwa Period (1927-1945) and Modern Period (1945-) in the history of Japan. The research aims to contribute to the field by describing and discussing Japanese NRMs from a broad point of view. Our study consists of three main sec-tions: “Reasons for Emergence”, “History,” and “Characteristic Features.” The article is expected to contribute to increasing academic interest in Japanese NRMs and new studies.

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