The aftermath of the performance by the Japanese delegation at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 has been well documented—it marked the beginning of the West's introduction to Japanese Buddhism. What has been less well documented is the intellectual background and influences that went into producing that performance, in particular the performance of the man who would eventually emerge as the delegation's most historically prominent member, Shaku Soen (1859-1919). This paper attempts to use Soen as a case study to examine the intellectual and political milieu which Japanese Buddhism helped to inform, and was informed by, during the Meiji Era (1868-1912). It draws upon established research, as well as primary sources (including Soen's own Parliament addresses, writings, and journals) in order to support this examination
