Sekai Kyūsei Kyō [Church of World Messianity] (hereafter SKK) is well known as a Japanese new religion from which many offshoots have sprung. The religious organizations arising from SKK, and those religious organizations strongly affected by SKK, are often referred to as the ‘Sekai Kyūsei Kyō lineage (kei)’ organizations. The incidence of new groups branching off is common to both new and old religious organizations. To make an effective study of this process of schism it is very important to explore religions like SKK from which many offshoots have originated. This chapter will focus on SKK in South Korea, and will attempt to analyse the reasons for the formation of these offshoots from the perspective of management studies of religion.

Firstly, I will discuss ‘management studies of religion’, and give an overview of the current situation of Japanese religions in South Korea, and the development of SKK there. Then, I will explore the management system of the organization and the formation of offshoots from Kyūsei Kyō with particular reference to the ‘management of secrets’.

What is ‘management studies of religion’?

Briefly ‘management studies of religion’ in the context of this chapter is the study of the administration and operations of a religious system. I have chosen not to refer to the existing studies of religion or the sociology of religion. Rather, by fundamentally re-grasping the word, ‘management’, we can combine findings from management studies and religious studies, including how they interact with each other.