State Shintō, nationalistic official religion of Japan from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 through World War II. It focused on ceremonies of the imperial household and public Shintō shrines. State Shintō was founded on the ancient precedent of saisei itchi, the unity of religion and government.

Dec 13, 2016 · Learn why the Japanese government hijacked a religion and created State Shinto, and how it changed modern Japan.

US military leaders introduced the term “State Shinto” to differentiate the state’s ideology from traditional Shinto practices in the 1945 Shinto Directive. That decree established Shinto as a religion and banned further ideological uses of Shinto by the state.

Jun 26, 2019 · State Shinto is the system of Shinto strongly encouraged by the government and that emphasizes the emperor as a divine being, who is the son of the founder of Japan. Not to mention, it was to stimulate patriotic ideology for the emperor and the country.

Nov 15, 2019 · State Shinto can be described as the ideological use by Imperial Japan of the traditions of Shinto in order to emphasise the central role of the Emperor in both religious and political affairs. 1 This ideology was forged during the Meji Era from 1868 to 1912 after governments created a brand-new orthodoxy that centred on the Emperor as ...

State Shinto became particularly influential during the rise of militarism and ultranationalism in Japan, as it emphasized loyalty to the emperor and the nation, and later faced significant reforms during the Allied occupation after World War II, when it was separated from state affairs.

Feb 16, 2025 · Shintoism, literally "the way of the gods" (神道, Shintō), is the oldest religion in Japan, with origins dating back to prehistoric times. Before the introduction of writing and foreign religions such as Buddhism, Shinto practices were passed down orally within communities.

Apr 30, 2024 · Shinto, Japan’s indigenous religion, offers a fascinating window into the country’s cultural and spiritual landscape. Rooted in ancient beliefs and practices, Shinto reveres the natural world and its myriad spirits known as kami.

Although it included aspects of Shinto mythology and incorporated Shinto institutions and practices, the newly established Meiji government essentially invented State Shinto as a means to legitimize governmental authority and unify the people.

State Shinto was disbanded after Allied powers won the war, defeating Japan, and the Americans occupied Japan. Emperor Hirohito in 1946 renounced this political, ideological interpretation of Shinto in a public radio address to the nation.