Episode 87 - The Way of the Gods, Part 3

History of Japan

Isaac Meyer

Japan, History, Japanese

4.8 • 744 Ratings

🗓️ 31 January 2015

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For our final episode on Shinto and the Japanese state, we'll focus on the postwar controversies of Shinto: what was the role of the emperor going to be? How would Shinto fit in the new political order? And what on earth are we going to do with Yasukuni? The answers to these questions are what give shape to much of the controversy surrounding Shinto in modern Japan.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week's episode is brought to you by Audible.
0:03.0	Audible has over 150,000 titles to choose from, all compatible with iPhone, Android,
0:10.0	Kindle, or your MP3 player of choice.
0:13.0	For listeners of the show, Audible is offering a free 30-day trial membership, complete with credit for a free audiobook of your choice.
0:21.8	You can cancel any time and keep the free book, or keep going with one of Audible's subscription
0:26.5	offers. Go to audibletrial.com slash Japan to claim your offer.
0:32.7	This week, I'm going to recommend Shinto, The Way Home, by Thomas Casullis.
0:38.7	It's a bit more academic than other texts I've recommended before, but I find the central
0:43.1	question really fascinating.
0:45.3	How do the various aspects of Shinto as a nature religion or an imperial religion or a folk
0:50.4	religion get reconciled in everyday practice?
0:54.6	This is a very complex topic, and Casillas handles it well.
0:58.8	Go to audibletrial.com slash Japan to claim your copy. Hello and welcome to the History of Japan podcast, Episode 87, The Way of the Gods, Part 3.
1:29.0	After the conclusion of the Second World War, Allied occupation planners disagreed on a lot of things.
1:35.0	What was to be done with the Emperor?
1:37.0	How would the far-reaching goals of democratization and demilitarization be carried out?
1:42.2	There was one thing, however, that everyone agreed on.
1:45.7	The national religious edifice of State Shinto had to be destroyed.
1:50.9	The only problem, of course, was that it was somewhat unclear what that even meant.
1:56.6	State Shinto had always been a catch-all term, and no one had a clear understanding of where the line between state Shinto and regular Shinto even was.
2:06.5	Government's support for religious organizations had to be ended, obviously, so did repression of religious groups.
2:13.7	But would the Allies have to tear down state-established shrines like Yasukuni?
	...

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