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| Predecessor | Office of Japanese Classics Research,Institute of Divinities,Jingu-kyo,National Association of Shinto Priests |
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TheAssociation of Shinto Shrines (神社本庁,Jinja Honchō) is a religious administrative organisation that oversees about 80,000Shinto shrines inJapan. These shrines take theIse Grand Shrine as the foundation of their belief. It is the largestShrine Shinto organization in existence.
The association has five major activities, in addition to numerous others:[1]
It currently has an administrative structure including a main office and branches. Its headquarters inYoyogi,Shibuya,Tokyo, adjacent toMeiji Shrine. Its leadership includes theSosai (総裁), the head priestess of the Ise Shrine,[citation needed] presentlySayako Kuroda.[2] Thetōri (統理) isKuniaki Kuni [ja], and the post ofsōchō (総長) or Secretary-General is currently held byMasami Yatabe, the chief priest of theMishima Shrine. The association maintains regional offices in everyprefecture. They handle financial and personnel matters for member shrines.
The Association of Shinto Shrines is the largest Shinto religious group in Japan, and more than 79,000 of the approximately 80,000 Japanese shrines, including major ones, are members.[3] Each prefecture has a shrine office[4][3]. It is the successor to theInstitute of Divinities, which was an external agency of theHome Ministry,[5] and is a comprehensivereligious corporation based on the Religious Corporation Law.
In Article 3 of the "Regulations of the Religious Corporation 'Jinja Honcho' Agency," the regulations of the Agency as a religious corporation, the purpose of the Agency is to manage and guide shrines under its jurisdiction, promote Shinto, perform shrine rituals, educate and foster believers (Ujiko), supportIse Shrine, the head shrine, train priests, and conduct public relations through the publication and distribution of pamphlets, among other activities. The shrine is also involved in public relations activities through the publication and distribution of pamphlets.
The Association of Shinto Shrines is a comprehensive religious corporation of about 80,000 companies nationwide. Each shrine has its own history, and there are various religious beliefs such as Yawata belief and Inari belief, and it was very difficult to establish one doctrine. Therefore, on May 21, 1980 (Showa 55), the "Association of Shinto Shrine Charter" was established by a decision of the Councilors. The background and position of this is stated in the preamble, "The important concern to date has been to establish and maintain basic norms as a tie for spiritual integration." At the time of enforcement of this Charter, the agency rules and previous rules, etc. shall be deemed to have been established based on this Charter."
Article 1 states, "The Association of Shinto Shrines respects tradition, promotes rituals and promotes morality, prays for the prosperity of the great lord, and contributes to the peace of the four seas."
Prior to the "Association of Shinto Shrine Charter", the "Platform of Respectful Life" was enacted in 1956 to show the practical spirit of the Association of Shinto Shrines.
Shinto is an eternal road of heaven and earth, and is the basis for cultivating a noble spirit and opening the Taihei.
It is the reason for achieving the mission to be afraid of the gods, to follow the ancestral lessons, tofinally demonstrate the essence of the road,and to promote the welfare of humankind.It is hoped that this code will be put up here to clarify the direction and to put it into practice and proclaim the road.
To thank God for the grace and grace of our ancestors, to attend rituals with a clear and cleanspirit, to serve for the sake of the world, and to create and solidify the world as the will of God.
We pray for the coexistence and co-prosperity of the country and the world.
There is no codified doctrine in the Association of Shinto Shrines, but according to the "Commentary on the Charter of the Association of Shinto Shrines", the Association of Shinto Shrines is the spirit of its establishment and activities with the "Association of Shinto Shrines" and the "Platform of Respectful Life".[6]
The Association was established following theSurrender of Japan at the end ofWorld War II. On 15 December 1945, theSupreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) issued theShinto Directive, ordering theDisestablishment of Shinto as astate religion. On February 2, 1946, to comply with the SCAP order, three organizations – the Kōten Kōkyūjo (皇典講究所), Dainippon Jingikai (大日本神祇会), and Jingū Hōsaikai (神宮奉斎会) – established the nongovernmental Association, assuming the functions of theInstitute of Divinities, a branch of theHome Ministry.
In accordance with theShinto Directive, 1946 (Showa 21) January 23,National Association of Shinto Priests, theOffice of Japanese Classics Research, and theJingūkyō, took the lead to establish the Jinja Honcho.[7][8]
The Association has many contacts within theLiberal Democratic Party and is a successfullobbyist; its influence can be seen in recent conservative legislation, like the legal recognition of the National Flag (Hinomaru) and National Anthem (Kimigayo), their use for official school events, or the revision ofFundamental Education Law, and it is behind some actions byconservativepoliticians, like visits toYasukuni Shrine byJunichirō Koizumi, thenPrime Minister of Japan.[9]
