Transnational Japanese New Religious Movements: Sekai Meshia Kyō in Angola

Abstract

This dissertation examines the transnational expansion and transformation of Sekai Meshia Kyō, a Japanese new religious movement founded in 1935 by Okada Mokichi (1882–1955). The group’s expansion from Japan to Brazil, and later from Brazil to Angola and other African countries, reveals how religions traverse and navigate political and cultural boundaries. Based on historical analysis and ethnographic fieldwork in Angola, Brazil, and Japan (2016–2025), I demonstrate that Angola—far from being a peripheral outpost—has become a central hub of Sekai Meshia Kyō, breathing new life into an aging religion from Japan while serving as the consecrated site for the “Sacred Grounds of Africa.” This dissertation also examines the 2017 schism between Sekai Meshia Kyō (SMK) and Sekai Kyūsei Kyō (SKK), arguing that SMK’s post-schism evolution is characterized by the centralization of religious authority under the Kyōshu (spiritual leader) and notable shifts toward Christianity and veganism. By analyzing how SMK’s leadership and adherents reinterpret and enact faith across borders, this study demonstrates how new religious movements adapt to global and local contexts, shaped not only by historical circumstances but also by their transnational networks and evolving faith practices.