This is part 26 of my series on Shinto as a civil religion, you can find the rest of the series here.
In 1937, the Japanese Ministry of Education published Kokutai no Hongi (The Fundamentals of Our National Polity). Initially printed in 300,000 copies, the text sold over 2 million copies by 1945. Its primary purpose was to achieve ideological uniformity across Japan. Special editions were distributed to teachers to help them counter deviations from the prescribed ideology, and reading groups were established to help local populations study and internalize the text. Kokutai no Hongi became a crucial tool for spreading the ideology of civil religion in Japan.
Introduction to Kokutai no Hongi
The introduction of Kokutai no Hongi identifies Japan’s ideological challenges as stemming from the reckless adoption of European and American ideas. These foreign concepts, according to the text, brought with them ideologies like socialism, communism, and anarchism—each rooted in individualism. The text argues that individualism has led to societal and ideological chaos, even in Western nations, forcing them to abandon their traditional values to combat communism.
The introduction claims that Japan must preemptively address the dangers of individualism to avoid the fate of Western nations. It states:
“That is, it can be said that in both the Occident and our country, the deadlock of individualism has led alike to a season of ideological and social confusion and crisis…. This means that the present conflict in our people’s ideas, the unrest of their modes of life, the confused state of their civilization, can be put right only by a thorough investigation by us of the intrinsic nature of Occidental ideologies and by an understanding of the true meaning of our national polity. Then, too, this should be done for the sake not only of our nation but also of the entire human race, which is struggling to find a way out of the deadlock with which individualism is faced.”
In this passage, the text proposes that the confusion caused by individualism can only be resolved through a deep understanding of Japan’s kokutai—its unique social and political order. By embracing this national polity, Japan can overcome the challenges posed by individualism and set an example for humanity.
Significance for Civil Religion
Kokutai no Hongi was a vital component of Japan’s civil religion, as it effectively spread its ideological framework. By positioning Japan’s social order as the antidote to the disarray caused by Western ideologies, the text elevated the Japanese nation and its traditions as a moral and spiritual solution not only for Japan but for the world.
The introduction serves as a foundation for the rest of the text, which elaborates on Japan’s unique societal structure and its role in guiding both its citizens and humanity toward stability and harmony. Through its widespread distribution and use in education, Kokutai no Hongi reinforced the principles of civil religion, binding the Japanese people more tightly to the state and the emperor while rejecting foreign influences.
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Sources
Theodore De Bary, William(ed.). Sources of Japanese Tradition: Volume Two 1600-2000. Colombia University Press: New York, 2005. Print. Pp. 1392-1394.
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