Background
Mokurai Shimaji was born in 1838. He was a son of a Buddhist priest of the province of Suo.
Mokurai Shimaji was born in 1838. He was a son of a Buddhist priest of the province of Suo.
After attending a nearby school, he entered the Ruiseiko, a school for the clergy in Kumamoto.
In 1866 he became resident priest of a temple called Myosei-ji in Suo. At the time of the Meiji Restoration, he determined to carry out reforms in the organization of the Jodo Shin sect, joining with Akamatsu Renjo in 1868 in submitting proposals to that effect to the headquarters of the sect. He also cooperated with Ôsu Tetsunen in establishing a school in Hagi for the training of Buddhist followers.
In 1871 he went to Tokyo, where he worked to oppose the anti-Buddhist policies of the government, recommending the establishment of a ministry of religious affairs and a bureau to handle affairs pertaining to Buddhist organizations.
In 1874 he joined with Ouchi Seiran in founding a magazine called Iioshi Sodan, which attempted to advance the cause of liberalism and enlightened thinking from the Buddhist point of view. He later devoted himself to educational affairs and reforms in the headquarters of the sect. He grew increasingly nationalistic in his thinking and in 1888 joined with Miyake Setsurei and others in founding the Seikyosha, an organization for the promotion of nationalism.
The Buddhist scholar Shimaji Daitô is his adopted son.