The Ryozen Gokoku Shrine is not a name that springs to mind when thinking of Kyoto, yet it draws a continual stream of visitors. The reason is that it houses the grave of Sakamoto Ryoma, one of the great heroes … Read the rest
Category: Nationalism (Page 4 of 8)
The Yasukuni controversy continues to rumble on.
At the same time as prime minister Abe was telling the world of Japan’s peaceful nature, he sent an offering to Yasukuni Shrine and sanctioned a visit by his wife. The public face … Read the rest
Actions speak louder than words. While prime minister Abe was making a carefully coded statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WW2, three of his cabinet ministers were allowed to visit Yasukuni JInja. Legitimising the shrine that … Read the rest
Shinto and Japaneseness are closely intertwined. Indeed, scholars such as Ian Reader have described Shinto precisely as a religion of Japaneseness. Not only are Shinto values fundamental to the culture, but it’s often difficult to separate the two. For … Read the rest
In an interesting article on the net, religious scholar Shimada Hiromi examines the religious boom which has been evident among young Japanese in recent years. Personally I attribute much of this to the increase in nationalist sentiment, as a … Read the rest
Green Shinto previously carried a review of last year’s Heldt translation of Kojiki by Quin Arbeitman. He noted that the new translation was “A much needed development, as the Basil Hall Chamberlain translation is generally considered a needlessly difficult … Read the rest
Today being February 11 it’s a public holiday known as Foundation Day. Flags are flying, and people are out enjoying themselves on a crisp sunny day in Kyoto. At various shrines around the country there are special events to … Read the rest