Shinto, the "way of the gods," is the basic religion of the Japanese people. Its myriads of gods (kami) include objects of nature, such as the sun, moon, fire, wind, mountains, waterfalls, and trees. They also include some of the outstanding figures of national history. All the emperors are kaini.
According to Japanese history and mythology, 124 emperors have reigned from earliest times to the present. The first emperor is a legendary figure, said to be a direct descendant from the sun goddess, Amaterasu-o-mikami. The emperor has therefore been looked upon as heaven-descended, absolute, and infallible. His position is by divine right. On his accession, no one seats the emperor on the throne and places the crown on his head ; he assumes the throne and lifts the crown to his own head. The constitution of Japan did not arise from any powers that inhere in the people ; it was bestowed as a gracious act of the emperor to expedite the governing of the people.
The Shinto theories of the founding of the throne in Japan thus clothe the imperial rule with the credentials of perfection. The throne is, or has been, above 'conjecture or discussion. The rule of life for the people is implicit obedience without consideration of the moral issues involved. Since the emperor commands it, the act cannot be immoral. During the war years one Christian teaching especially repugnant to the military leaders was the doctrine of original sin, which placed upon the emperor the onus of having a sinful nature.
Religious liberty in Japan has been more nominal than real. Chapter II, Article XXVIII, of the constitution says: "Japanese subjects shall, within limits not prejudicial to peace and order, and not antagonistic to their duties as subjects, enjoy freedom of religious belief." It is evident from the reading of this clause that the duty of the citizen as subject comes before every other duty ; and also that the freedom granted is in the realm of "belief," and does not necessarily include the freedom to exercise his belief publicly or to propagate it.
It has been taken for granted that every Japanese subject is first of all a Shintoist. After that he could believe as a Christian or Buddhist, provided he was willing to build his theology into a framework of Shintoist faith. In the Diet, in the discussion of the Religions Bill of 1938-39, the premier stated, "The way of the gods is the absolute way, and no teachings that run counter to it can be permitted to exist." But on New Year's Day, 1946, Emperor Hirohito issued a rescript, in which he declared in part:
"The ties between us and our people have always stood upon mutual trust and affection. They do not depend upon mere legends and myths. They are not predicated on the false conception that the emperor is divine and that the Japanese people are superior to the other races and fated to rule the world."
The effect of this rescript in the present atmosphere of free discussion under the American occupation is likely to be revolutionary—not that it is likely to result in any violent political action, but from the standpoint of political thinking and planning. For the first time educators, editors, theologians, historians, and liberal statesmen can discuss the nature of the state, can crystallize opinion toward needed democratic reforms without fear of reprisal from the military jingoists who have been exercising the power in the name of the emperor. It is significant that for the inspiration and precedent of this document, Hirohito does not turn back to Jimmu TennO, reputed founder of the dynasty and descendant of the gods, but rather to his grandfather, Emperor Meiji, who was an enlightened ruler, standing at the parting of the ways between an old and a new era of Japanese history.
Most significant of all, the rescript points the way to a new national and individual experience in religious freedom. The emperor is no longer the divine center of a compulsory system of universal worship. He is the secular ruler of Japan and is entitled to the respectful obedience of his subjects, but that is all. The Japanese subject is now free to choose the god of his own choice. And the way is open in Japan, as it has not been before, for the free discussion of Christianity, the acceptance of Christ without hindrance or reservation, and the developing of a Christian movement without parallel.
Finally, the rescript of the emperor should begin in the mind of every Japanese a reorientation of his own thinking concerning his spiritual condition and his personal need of a Saviour from sin. Former ideas of the superior position of the Japanese nation and the innate perfection of Japanese humanity are all stripped away by the act of the emperor in acknowledging his membership in the human race, and his sharing of its common characteristics and limitations.
Years ago the Japanese imperial government arbitrarily divided Shintoism into two categories —sectarian and state. Although the government has made this distinction, Japanese historians and scholars agree that state or national Shintoism is actually religious in nature. General MacArthur's recent directive dissolves Shintoism as a national religion, but not as a sectarian religion, thus placing sectarian Shintoism on the level of any other religion in Japan.
Is the emperor on the way to becoming a Christian, as reported in Time, December 31, 1945? We do not know, but sincerely hope so, and also that thousands more of his subjects may soon turn from the "way of the gods" to inquire after and find Him who is "the way, the truth, and the life."
