Yoshida Kanetomo
Encyclopedia
was an Japan
ese Shinto
priest in the Momoyama period. He was a seminal figure in the evolution of a coherent descriptive and interpretive schema of Shinto ritual and mythology.
(Department of Shinto Affairs), which was one of the Imperial bureaucracies which were set up under the ritsuryō
system in the 8th century. Kanetomo's eventually became an . Other positions he held at different times were and .
expresses a Japanese Buddhist
theory according to which a perceived Shinto kami
is the manifestation of a Buddhist god. This theory proposed and presumed that the resulting dual entity would necessarily have a fundamental Buddhist core, and that any Shinto aspect was secondary.
In the late Kamakura period
, a counter-theory arose which also began with the notion of such dual entities; however, the counter-theorists construed that the kami side was primary and the Buddhist one was secondary. This came to be known as the Inverted honji suijaku .
Kanetomo was influenced by these ideas and brought them further. He proposed to set aside the conceptual theories of such entities.
Up through the end of the Edo
period, Kanetomo's followers and the Yoshida Shrine
were granted the right to award ranks to all shrines and priests except for those associated with the Imperial family.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
priest in the Momoyama period. He was a seminal figure in the evolution of a coherent descriptive and interpretive schema of Shinto ritual and mythology.
Career
Kanetomo progressed gradually through the ranks of the Imperial offices in the Jingi-kanJingi-kan
, also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the ritsuryō reforms.-History:...
(Department of Shinto Affairs), which was one of the Imperial bureaucracies which were set up under the ritsuryō
Ritsuryo
is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei"...
system in the 8th century. Kanetomo's eventually became an . Other positions he held at different times were and .
- 1511 (Eishō 8, 2nd month): When Kanetomo died at the age of 77, his passing was considered a significant event in the chronicles of the Imperial history of JapanHistory of JapanThe history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human...
.
Yoshida Shinto
The early period Shinto school founded by Kanetomo was called Genpon-Sōgen Shinto ("Shinto of the Original Founder"), also known as Yuiitsu Shintō ("Only one Shintō"). Prior to Kanetomo, the understanding and practice of Shinto was intermingled with Buddhism. Sanetomo invested a lifetime in a process of disentangling what were thereafter construed as the two distinct entities.Inverted honji suijaku
The term honji suijakuHonji suijaku
The term in Japanese religious terminology refers to a theory widely accepted until the Meiji period according to which Indian Buddhist deities choose to appear in Japan as native kami in order to more easily convert and save the Japanese...
expresses a Japanese Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
theory according to which a perceived Shinto kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
is the manifestation of a Buddhist god. This theory proposed and presumed that the resulting dual entity would necessarily have a fundamental Buddhist core, and that any Shinto aspect was secondary.
In the late Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
, a counter-theory arose which also began with the notion of such dual entities; however, the counter-theorists construed that the kami side was primary and the Buddhist one was secondary. This came to be known as the Inverted honji suijaku .
Kanetomo was influenced by these ideas and brought them further. He proposed to set aside the conceptual theories of such entities.
Up through the end of the Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
period, Kanetomo's followers and the Yoshida Shrine
Yoshida Shrine
is a Shinto shrine located in Sakyō-ku in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 859 by the Fujiwara clan.-History:The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period. In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the...
were granted the right to award ranks to all shrines and priests except for those associated with the Imperial family.
External links
- Kokugakuin UniversityKokugakuin UniversityKokugakuin University is a private university, whose main office is located in Tokyo's Shibuya district...
, Encyclopedia of Shinto, "Yoshida Kanetomo"