The term refers to the unification of ritual and

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

. Ritual in ritual-politics means "ritual" and

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

. The word "politics" means "ritual" and politics. In Japan, the

Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

miko A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as Shamanism, shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained ...

can be traced back to the ancient

theocracy Theocracy is a form of autocracy or oligarchy in which one or more deity, deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries, with executive and legislative power, who manage the government's ...

, including the

Yamato Kingship The was a tribal alliance centered on the Yamato Province, Yamato region (Nara Prefecture) from the 4th century to the 7th century, and ruled over the alliance of Nobility, noble families in the central and western parts of the Japanese archipe ...

, where the Oracle of Wu had political authority, as well as the

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a Tributary system of China, tributary state of Ming dynasty, imperial Ming China by the King of Ryukyu, Ryukyuan monarchy, who unified Okinawa Island t ...

, a system of government that was based on the

. Shinto is an

animistic Animism (from meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, Rock (geology), rocks, rivers, Weather, ...

religion, and one of its characteristics is the unity of ritual and government. Although not necessarily restricted to Shinto in Japanese, rites and ceremonies are used in English as Saisei itchi as a term for Shinto. Keiichi Yanagawa defined ritual government as different from theocracy, in which a professional clergyman directly governs.Between Unity and Separation: Religion and Politics in Japan, 1965-1977 Yanagawa Keiichi and David Reid, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 6/4 December 1979. p.502 Ritual and political unity has been referred to primarily in the context of the ancient emperor system.

Ritual and Political Unity in Japan

On March 13, 1868, the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

announced the Restoration of the Monarchy and the reestablishment of the

Department of Divinities The , also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the reforms. It was first establish ...

in a "Dajokanbudan". Also used on January 3, 1870, in the "Declaration of the Great Teachings" (Dai-kyo Sengen). Later in the

Meiji era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...

, the theory came to be replaced with

Secular Shrine Theory Secular Shrine Theory or was a religious policy and political theory that arose in Japan during the 19th and early 20th centuries due to the separation of church and state of the Meiji Government. It was the idea that Shinto Shrines were secular ...

, the idea that

Shinto Shrines A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

were secular in their nature rather than religious.

References

Bibliography

* 世界大百科事典&マイペディア第2版 D-ROM��ISBN 978-4816981838 * 広辞苑第六版 DVD-ROM版，ISBN 978-4001301618 * 安丸良夫・宮地正人編『日本近代思想大系5 宗教と国家』岩波書店，1988，ISBN 978-4002300054 * * * * * * {{State Shinto Religion and politics Political history Pages with unreviewed translations Japanese imperial history Japanese Imperial Rituals

Ritual and Political Unity in Japan

See also

References

Bibliography