Meiji Oligarchy's attack on Buddhism seen in CIA meddling (Houser against Tokugawa vis-a-vis Fukeshu Rinzai Zen) in Japan's political process: Freemasons (in the CIA) and Burakumin (Hashimoto et.al) Putsch

It's going to take a little time to organize this, but a good number of the components are already laid out to some extent in earlier posts, such as the grey media censorship of my posts to commentary on articles in the buildup to the recent mayoral election in Osaka, which saw the CIA/Freemason-groomed candidate of burakumin decent with known yakuza ties elected.

After his election, he laid out an eight point pseudo-plan, attempting to draw a parallel between himself and Sakamoto Ryoma, whose 8-point plan on modernizing Japan's political system, etc. was very influential, even though it served to have a quasi-theocratic government installed that led to oppression and eventually a form of fascism, basically.  

So today's launching of this entry is going to take a brief look at a statement in an article posted online that was written by Mr. Preston Houser, PhD from prestigious a Ivy league school, the University of Pennsylvania, and purported teacher of a history class that, 
"...examines past and present aspects of Japanese demographics and explores the unique history and psychology of the Japanese people",
as per the description in yesterday's post.

Preston Houser's Stealth Attack on the Tokugawa in an attempt to co-opt Fukeshu and the Shakuhachi for descendents of the Meiji Oligarchy (Shinzo Abe and Taro Aso), which abolished the subsect of Rinzai Zen Buddhism in 1868 

http://www.shakuhachi.com/K-HouserMM%26M.html
In this somewhat wide-ranging essay, the following passage appears: 

"Meditational shakuhachi practice is referred to as suizen, or "blowing Zen." Monks who practice suizen (often portrayed as wearing baskets over their heads to insure anonymity) are referred to as komosô "straw mat monks," or komôsô "empty illusion monks," or komusô "monks of emptiness," of the fuke-shu Buddhist sect which began in T'ang Dynasty China. The history of the Fuke-shu sect in Japan is described in the Kyotaku Denki Jo, a document prepared in 1614; but since the Kyotaku Denki Jo was probably constructed in order for the fuke-shu to win social status as a bona fide religious sect, its authenticity is suspect. (The document was probably more of an exercise in political legitimization than historical accuracy.) In 1871, the Tokugawa clan officially banned the fuke-shu because it was suspected that too many ruffians and spies had infiltrated the sect...".

The statement, 
"In 1871, the Tokugawa clan officially banned the fuke-shu" 
is so historically inaccurate as to be suspect.

First of all, the Tokugawa Shogunate had fallen in 1868, being replaced by the Meiji government. 

The Meiji government was brought about by an uprising instigated by nativist fanatics reacting to the incursion of the American "black ships", seeking to restore the Emperor as sovereign of the sacred land of Japan, which had become desecrated and weakened by the illegitimate rule of the Shogun, is one way to frame the narrative.     

The Meiji government proceeded to institute what could be characterized as a pogrom aimed at purging Buddhism, which the nativists castigated as a foreign and corrupting influence. 

Moreover, the statement,
"officially banned the fuke-shu because it was suspected that too many ruffians and spies had infiltrated the sect...",
is further suspect, because the legitimate komuso included former samurai that had basically been decommissioned, and they were the only persons officially permitted to play the shakuhachi and wander the land freely. Some of them were used as reconnotoirs to learn of discontent among local populations and the like, as the Tokugawa were very oriented at prevented local strife, and had implemented specific mechanisms to that end, managing to maintain peace for approximately 250 years after bringing the Warring States Period to a close. 

Zen was the sect of the samurai, basically, and had been supported since its introduction into Japan by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who helped Eisai Zenji establish the first Zen temple in Kyoto, against the objections and outright hostilities of some other sects. The Tokugawa were fairly meticulous about promoting culture related to religion, and all religions flourished under their rule, eventually to the detriment of the Shogunate itself, as the nativists were able to mobilize popular support against them under the crisis caused by the incursion of the American black ships.

So there are conflations and outright misrepresentations in this passage, which reverse the roles of supporter and oppressor with respect to the Tokugawa and Buddhism versus the treatment Buddhism received under the Meiji regime, and fail to indicate that the Fuke sect was particularly targeted by the Meiji regime because of the deep connection to the Tokugawa and the samurai.

For a person with a PhD and who teaches history, such ludicrous mistakes are not likely. So, I consider this to be simply disinformation. It is not possible to be a student of Japanese history and not know that the Meiji Restoration occurred in 1868.

The logic is precisely in line with the writings of John Dougill in the Kansai Time Out piece he is credited with penning on Sakamoto Ryoma, and with the attempt to draw an association of himself with Sakamoto Ryoma by Hashimoto. 

In short, Mr. Dougill and Mr. Houser had been disseminating disinformation that promotes a biased and untrue slant on Japanese history that supports the sort of irrational nativism that some people in the western part of the country like to assert against the eastern part of the country. It is disinformation that is aimed at fueled divisiveness by inculcating incorrect views of history and religion.

to be continued...