The Concept of “Japanese Islam” in Tanaka Ippei’s The Journey of the Wandering White Cloud Diary

Abstract Tanaka Ippei 田中逸平 (1882–1932) is recognised as the pioneer of Islam in Japan, having set the trend for the religion’s development. The present study investigates the image of “Japanese Islam” that Tanaka created in the early stage of his career and introduced in The Journey of the Wandering White Cloud: Islamic Pilgrimage diary. In addition, the article examines the methodology Tanaka employed to consciously indigenise Islam. This article demonstrates how the translational tools of “matching concepts” and coinage, first employed in the early history of Buddhism in China, were appropriated by Tanaka for the interpretation of Liu Zhi’s legacy. The research identifies Tanaka as a cultural mediator whose focus on Japanese multiculturalism shaped the vision of “Japanese Islam,” foreshadowing the 1930s Taishō-era “Islamic policy” ( kaikyō seisaku 回教政策). It underscores Japan’s cultural integration approach and explores Islam’s adaptability within diverse contexts.