koara.lib.keio.ac.jp
この論文によりますと、浄土真宗は1866年の第二次長州征伐以来、積極的に戦争を支援してきたようです。第二次長州征伐で、長州の僧侶たちは民衆に戦いへの協力を説き、武器を持って戦場で戦った僧侶もいました。さらに長州の寺院は、武器を鋳造するために鐘を藩に提供しました。
第二次世界大戦の時期、日本の寺院が戦争に協力し、鐘を政府に供出したことはよく知られていますが、その原型は第二次長州征伐にあったようです。
According to this thesis, the Jodo Shinshu sect had actively supported war since the Second Choshu expedition, which was a war between the Choshu domain and Tokugawa shogunate in 1866 (Choshu is an old name of Yamaguchi prefecture). During the war, the priests in Choshu encouraged the people to fight the war, and some priests fought in arms. Besides, Buddhist temples in Choshu offered their bells to the Choshu domain to cast into weapons from the bells.
It is well-known that Buddhist temples in Japan promoted people to fight the war and contributed their bells to the government in the term of World War II. It seems that the model was the behavior in the Second Choshu expedition.
