In Dialogue With Shinto: Challenges to Interreligious Communication. By Richard Liam Tighe Student no: 03151441 Statement of Originality I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university and it is entirely my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University's open access institutional repository or allow the Library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library conditions of use and acknowledgement. ____________________________ Richard Liam Tighe i Acknowledgements I would like to dedicate this work to my family, who gave me endless support throughout my time researching and writing this work. I would especially like to thank my Mother and Father who gave me the strength of will to complete this even when I hit on hard times. Their love and support will never be forgotten. I would also like to give my thanks to Kana Mochida, without whom none of my work in Japan would have been possible and who gifted me with a huge amount of time and patience in assisting in my translation of the Nanzan Symposium. I would also like to dedicate this to Wakako Noda, who has been a huge support throughout the process of finalizing my work. I would like to thank my supervisors, John May and Andrew Pierce for the constant encouragement and wise words that helped shape my thesis. I am immensely grateful to Prof. Dr Aasulv Lande, with whom I was privileged to work in Tokyo and Nagoya, and who has graciously continued to take an active interest in my project since his return to Lund, Sweden. This work benefited greatly from Prof. Aasulv's critical and supportive reading. I would like to thank Prof. Joseph O’Leary of Sophia University, Tokyo. His assistance in obtaining resources and his fresh perspective on my work was invaluable. I would also like to give my thanks to my proofreaders Dr Stuart Gilmour of the University of Tokyo and Dr Alexander Vesey of Meiji Gakuin University. Finally, I would like to thank all my Japanese interviewees, whose perspective greatly shaped this piece. I would especially like to thank Iwahashi Katsuji and Prof. Suga for their patience in answering all my questions. ii iii Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 I. Part A: An Examination of Shinto .................................................................................. 4 II. Part B: Historical Background ...................................................................................... 6 III. Part C: Intercultural Dialogue: An Overview ........................................................ 12 IV Part D Challenges to dialogue with Shinto and an Alternative Dialogue Model ........................................................................................................................................................ 17 Terminology .............................................................................................................................. 21 Faith ............................................................................................................................................................ 21 Makoto no Kokoro ................................................................................................................................. 23 Primal Tradition/Religion ................................................................................................................. 25 Part A: An Examination of Shinto .............................................................................. 29 1 What are the Key Themes in Shinto? ............................................................................. 30 1.1 Shinto and Ancestral Tradition. ................................................................................... 31 1.1.A Uji Gami .......................................................................................................................................... 33 1.1.B The Meiji Period and Ancestral Evolution ...................................................................... 35 1.1.C Taisho and Showa Periods and the Ancestors .............................................................. 36 1.2 Kami ...................................................................................................................................... 42 1.2.A Blending of Buddhism and Shinto: Kofun Period to Edo Period ........................... 45 1.2.B Meiji Period .................................................................................................................................. 47 1.2.C Kami and the New Shinto ....................................................................................................... 49 1.3 The Land of the Dead and Shinto Funeral Practice ............................................... 55 1.3.A The Kojiki and Nihongi and the Land of the Dead. ....................................................... 58 1.3.B Death and Post-War Shinto ................................................................................................... 71 1.4 Creation ................................................................................................................................ 79 1.4.A Phallic Symbolism ..................................................................................................................... 84 1.4.B Taboo .............................................................................................................................................. 85 1.5 Emperor: Role Within Early State Shinto ................................................................. 90 1.5.A The Emperor in Post War Japan. ......................................................................................... 90 1.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 94 Part B: The Historical Context of Shinto ................................................................. 95 2 Shinto: The Historical Context ........................................................................................ 96 2.1 The Beginnings of Japan ............................................................................................. 97 2.2 Japan and the Azuchi Momoyama and Edo Period ............................................ 99 2.2.A The Feudal System in Japan ............................................................................................... 100 2.2.B Vassalage in Feudal Japan ................................................................................................... 103 2.2.C Tokugawa (Edo) Period ....................................................................................................... 106 2.2.D Loyalty System ......................................................................................................................... 106 2.2.E The Integrative System ........................................................................................................ 111 2.3 Christianity and Feudal Japan ................................................................................... 116 2.3.A Christianity’s entry into Japan .......................................................................................... 117 2.3.B Tokugawa and Christianity ................................................................................................ 123 2.4 State Shinto ...................................................................................................................... 126 2.4.A Separation of Ritual and Religion .................................................................................... 127 2.4.B The Government’s Priesthood .......................................................................................... 129 2.5 The Emperor .................................................................................................................... 132 2.6 From the Samurai to Meiji: Shift in politics and the development of a modern Japan. ......................................................................................................................................... 137 2.6.A Meiji to World War II ............................................................................................................ 144 2.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 151 Part C: Intercultural Dialogue: An Overview ....................................................... 152 3 The Christian Response to Dialogue ........................................................................... 153 3.1 Dialogue? .......................................................................................................................... 154 3.1.A Religious Pluralism ................................................................................................................ 158 3.1.B Heim’s contrast and critique of Hick .............................................................................. 165 3.1 C: D’Costa & Moltmann ............................................................................................................. 167 4 What is dialogue? .............................................................................................................. 172 4.1 Interfaith dialogue .......................................................................................................