On the Question of Periodization of the History of Islam in Japan

Abstract

This article is devoted to the problem of periodizing the history of Islam in Japan. Our goal was to present a review of the phased formation of Islam in the country. In this work,
we rely on original Japanese sources of the studied periods and the results of research conducted by Japanese scholars, which allowed us to present the most comprehensive picture of historical processes. As a result of our study, we identified four periods, from which we can discuss the beginning of Islam’s history in Japan. The reason why there are multiple reference points is that the history of Islam in Japan has an intermittent continuity. From antiquity to the present day, Islam at each new stage had to rebuild its relations with Japan due to historical circumstances: national isolation, the discovery of Japan, World War II, and the financial bubble of the 1980s. Because of this intermittence, we can assert that at each stage, the history of Islam began anew. During our research, we found that the first contacts between Japan and the Middle East occurred in the 8th century, when Muslims visited the country for trade. Subsequently, the Japanese encountered them in China, and during the isolation period, a temporary group of Malay Muslims lived in Nagasaki. In the second half of 19th century, the first Japanese Muslims appeared, and studies of Islam began. Soon after, the government established ties with Muslims of Turkic origin, and in the 1920s, communities formed among the fleeing Tatars. After World War II, the Tatars left Japan, and a second wave of migrants arrived during the financial bubble, leading to rapid growth in both the Muslim population and religious structures.